Château De Noirieux ★★★★ Relais & Châteaux

A trip to this part of France always takes me back down memory lane to my university days, when I spent a few months studying in the town of Tours as part of an exchange program. Why Tours? I suppose I had a romanticised vision in my head, imagining myself living in the grand châteaux of the Loire Valley, sampling the best local wines from the prestigious nearby vineyards, and enjoying high-class meal after high-class meal in this famously fertile region. Of course, I soon discovered that student life is student life, whichever side of the channel you are on. My university residence was hardly Louis XIV’s Château de Versailles, I quickly realised that I would spend more time drinking the cheapest local wines than the most prestigious ones, and I had more late-night kebabs than Michelin-starred meals.

But that was then and this is now, and thanks to VeryChic I was heading back to this iconic region - just over an hour away in the countryside around Angers - to make up for lost time. In fact it wasn’t quite the Loire Valley but the Loir Valley – a slightly smaller and much less well-trodden river just ten miles to the north of the Loire, which offers equally spectacular natural scenery and is still right in the heart of château country. Anyway, this time around my idealised fantasy was certainly fulfilled… I spent every night in the palatial comfort of the Château de Noirieux, enjoyed the finest local cuisine every night in either of the in-house restaurants, and washed it all down with plenty of delicious wine, all the while feeling like one of the kings and noblemen whose grand country homes made the area so famous.

It looks classic and elegant from the outside – the 15th century manor with its rough stone walls and original wooden beams, and the 17th century château with its slated roof, pale stone and huge windows, all set among pristine gardens – and the interior does not disappoint. Antique armchairs in front of a cosy marble fireplace, gilt-edged mirrors and beaux-arts paintings on the walls, bright conservatories bathed in natural light, soft rugs, silky curtains and ornate vases… It all feels fit for a king. Our room was in the manor house, where we had more antique furnishings, bespoke fabrics and plenty of traditional class beneath the ceiling’s ancient wooden beams. We could feel the old-fashioned, authentic character of the manor, while our free Wi-Fi, satellite TV, air conditioning and luxuriously appointed bathroom provided a welcome splash of modernism. The windows looked out over the gorgeous grounds, and every morning we awoke with the soft scents of lime and walnut trees wafting into the room.

The stay, rather predictably, was characterised by two key themes: châteaux and cuisine. Though there is plenty more to this region – charming market towns, walks along the river and through the empty stretches of idyllic countryside, museums, churches and gardens – it is the legendary châteaux which will bring you here and which you will take back with you. We were right in the thick of it, within half an hour of the Château de Serrant, with its world-famous library; the Château de Brissac, the tallest in France; the Château d’Angers, the heart of the local town and home to the world’s largest medieval tapestry; and the Château du Plessis-Bourré, a medieval fortress and one of the most spectacular in the country. There were also many others just slightly further afield, which we managed to squeeze in between afternoons relaxing at the hotel, where you can happily spend hours swimming in the scenic pool, playing tennis or ping-pong, exploring the gardens and tackling the maze.

As for the cuisine, that was even closer to hand! That said, we did venture out to stock up on local produce from markets, go on wine tastings in the Anjou vineyards, and try some of the traditional restaurants in remote farms and quaint villages, but more often than not we would end up dining at the hotel. I should also mention that every day began with an exceptional breakfast, a typical spread of fresh pastries, fruits and more, served on the terrace with unbelievable views over the gardens and verdant countryside.

This may have been a no-brainer as a way to start the day, but once evening fell there was always a choice to make: the slightly more rustic and casual cuisine at the bistro, or the upscale Michelin-starred dining at the gourmet restaurant. Both are great options, but the fine dining restaurant was, unsurprisingly, the superior experience. Chef Gérard Côme, part of the friendly family who run the Château de Noirieux, delights the palate with his inventive take on classic local gastronomy. I thoroughly recommend ordering the seven course tasting menu, purely because the more of Côme’s cooking you can squeeze into one evening, the better. Finishing the final course of this remarkable feast amid moonlit treetops, empty wine bottles, beautiful buildings and candlelit tables, I knew I had found that idealised picture of château life which I had dreamed of all those years before.