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Strolling down the lawned garden in the early evening to the little river at the bottom.
A refreshing dip in the outdoor pool.
Enjoying a stylishly presented and delicious dinner in L'Aubinière Restaurant.
Sleeping soundly in the peace and countryside silence of our room.
Being utterly pampered in the glass, stone and steel surroundings of the Infinity Spa.
L'Aubiniere Hôtel Restaurant & Spa ★★★★
Contemporary comforts in the beautiful Val de Loire
By Jo Weston, VeryChic correspondent
Three golden rules apply when touring France: never criticise your beloved’s driving (unless absolutely necessary!), always sample the local cheese, and always seek out the most comfortable and restful retreat you can find between drives. They have stood us in good stead over the years and we see no reason to change… hence us rolling up to a gentle stop in the home of royal châteaux and the wonderful scenery of the Val de Loire, to stay at the L'Aubinière Hotel Restaurant & Spa ****.
We drove south from Orléans into the broad, flat and fertile valley of the Loire, catching glimpses of the extravagant castles and fortresses for which it is famous. We would explore these, at least some of them, all in good time, but for now our destination was somewhere altogether more modern. L'Aubinière Hôtel Restaurant & Spa is located in the village of Saint-Ouen-les-Vignes, a 10-minute detour from the main road. What strikes you first is the curvy contemporary design of the building, unexpected after all the traditional architecture of the châteaux we had passed. An outdoor pool half covered by a curving roof, surrounded by decking and chairs, has been designed to be an integral part of the architecture. Green lawns and pretty gardens surround it all and, apart from the sound of birdsong, there was an all-pervasive deep rural peace. Aaaah! Now we can really relax!
All the rooms have balconies or terraces and we had chosen a ground-floor room to be in touch with the earth and garden beyond the terrace. The terrace was beautifully furnished and the room was pastel coloured, peaceful and oh so comfortable after our long hours on the road. Soft lighting, soft carpets, soft cushions and pillows on the bed… once I lay down for a moment I felt myself drifting off on a fluffy white cloud. After a very tiny nap, we were refreshed enough for a shower and onwards to the evening! We sat out on the terrace with an aperitif from the bar, contemplating the garden, and we even took a stroll through the dusk to the little stream at the bottom. It was lovely.
In the restaurant, pink and white chairs resembling a Neapolitan ice-cream added a playful touch to the pastel décor, and pink orchids lent their exotic grace to the tables. We thoroughly enjoyed regional cuisine in the form of amuse bouche; La Terrine de la Mer for me and Le Filet de Bœuf de Salers for my carnivore husband. Both were fantastic, and we followed with chocolat ganache and a plateau de fromages, all accompanied by wine from the Loire, naturally. A lovely setting, great food, a soft and super comfortable bed calling us, we could ask for nothing more.
The next day, I indulged myself shamelessly with spa treatments and massages in such picturesque surroundings that I wished we were staying for an entire week. My husband occupied himself with a little cycle tour of the local villages, and alternating lazing by the pool with a book and the odd snooze, I suspect. When we left after our fabulous few days, revived and raring to get back on the road, we agreed on a fourth rule of the road when touring in the Loire Valley: seek out L’Aubiniere Hotel Restaurant & Spa!
All the rooms have balconies or terraces and we had chosen a ground-floor room to be in touch with the earth and garden beyond the terrace. The terrace was beautifully furnished and the room was pastel coloured, peaceful and oh so comfortable after our long hours on the road. Soft lighting, soft carpets, soft cushions and pillows on the bed… once I lay down for a moment I felt myself drifting off on a fluffy white cloud. After a very tiny nap, we were refreshed enough for a shower and onwards to the evening! We sat out on the terrace with an aperitif from the bar, contemplating the garden, and we even took a stroll through the dusk to the little stream at the bottom. It was lovely.
In the restaurant, pink and white chairs resembling a Neapolitan ice-cream added a playful touch to the pastel décor, and pink orchids lent their exotic grace to the tables. We thoroughly enjoyed regional cuisine in the form of amuse bouche; La Terrine de la Mer for me and Le Filet de Bœuf de Salers for my carnivore husband. Both were fantastic, and we followed with chocolat ganache and a plateau de fromages, all accompanied by wine from the Loire, naturally. A lovely setting, great food, a soft and super comfortable bed calling us, we could ask for nothing more.
The next day, I indulged myself shamelessly with spa treatments and massages in such picturesque surroundings that I wished we were staying for an entire week. My husband occupied himself with a little cycle tour of the local villages, and alternating lazing by the pool with a book and the odd snooze, I suspect. When we left after our fabulous few days, revived and raring to get back on the road, we agreed on a fourth rule of the road when touring in the Loire Valley: seek out L’Aubiniere Hotel Restaurant & Spa!
Grand Comfort double room (in the older building)
Stay in a Grand Comfort room for up to 2 people
- - Surface area: 25 square metres
- - Bed Types: 1 double bed
- - Bathroom with: bath or shower, toilet, hair dryer, magnifying mirror, slippers, bathrobes and complimentary toiletries
- - Bedroom equipped with: flat-screen satellite TV, Wi-Fi, safe
Superior double room
Stay in a Superior room for 2 people
- - Surface area: 30 square metres
- - Bed Types: 1 large double bed
- - Bathroom with: bath or shower, toilet, hair dryer, magnifying mirror, slippers, bathrobes and complimentary toiletries
- - Bedroom equipped with: flat-screen satellite TV, Wi-Fi, safe
Privilege double room
Stay in a Privilege room for up to 2 adults
- - Surface area: 35 square metres
- - Bed Types: 1 large double bed
- - Bathroom with: bath, toilet, hair dryer, magnifying mirror, slippers, bathrobes and complimentary toiletries
- - Bedroom equipped with: flat-screen satellite TV, Wi-Fi, safe
Reception open from 8am to 10pm- 12 Rooms – Non-smoking
- Restaurant: open from 12:15pm to 1:15pm and from 7:30pm to 9:15pm, closed on Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays at midday
- Swimming pool until November 1st
- Spa: facial and body treatments, massages
Free parking
The establishment provides disabled and limited mobility access
Pets are permitted on the premises for a surcharge of 15€ (around £11) per day
- The Château de Chaumont, around 14 kilometres from the hotel, dominates the little village of Chaumont-sur-Loire from its elevated position. It was owned by Catherine de Medici in the 16th century. The rooms are carefully restored, one of the highlights being the floor in the salon, made from a large panel of painted ceramic tiles, and the great tapestry in the library is definitely worth a visit. 41150 Chaumont-sur-Loire. Tel.: (+33) 254 209 922.
- Café des Arts in Amboise - an authentically local café-bar only a few steps from the gate of the château of Amboise. You may be serenaded by chanteurs as you sip your coffee or aperitif. 32 rue Victor Hugo, Amboise. Tel.: (+33) 247 572 504.
- Le Tasting Room. A wonderful day out for a fascinating insight into the wines and winemakers of the Loire valley. The day includes a comprehensive tasting and lunch followed by a guided winery visit in the afternoon. Tel.: (+33) 241 798 021 - www.letastingroom.com.
- The lovely city of Tours, dubbed le mini-Paris by locals, is full of impressive architecture, romantic cobbled streets, flower markets and cafés. In the summer, inspired by the success of the Paris Plage, Tours puts on its own beach-party festival on the banks of the Loire, with evening concerts, open-air movies and guinguettes for dancing. Tours.
L'Aubiniere Hôtel Restaurant & Spa ★★★★
29 Rue Jules Gautier
37530
Saint-Ouen-les-Vignes
France
L'Aubiniere Hôtel Restaurant & Spa **** is nestled in the village of Saint-Ouen-les-Vignes, a 25-minute drive from Tours. The location is ideal for a tour of the Loire Valley castles.
BY PLANE
The closest airports to the hotel aren’t the best served. For this reason, we recommend flying to Paris and taking a train or driving to the hotel. Paris has three main airports: Paris Charles de Gaulle (to the northwest), Paris Orly (to the south) & the low-cost airport Paris Beauvais (to the north, a little further out of the city).
- From the UK: British Airways, Air France, CityJet and EasyJet all operate direct flights out of London. EasyJet also fly direct from Bristol, Belfast, Edinburgh and Glasgow, while Ryanair fly direct from Manchester and Flybe fly from Birmingham.
- From Ireland: Flying from Dublin, direct flights are operated by Aer Lingus, Air France and Ryanair. Aer Lingus also fly from Cork, while Ryanair also fly from Shannon.
- From Germany: Airlines flying direct from Berlin include: Lufthansa, Air Berlin, Air France, EasyJet and Germanwings. Air France and Germanwings also fly from Hamburg and Dusseldorf while Lufthansa also fly out of Frankfurt and Munich.
- From the Netherlands: Air France and KLM both provide direct flights out of Amsterdam.
- From Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland: SAS, Air France, KLM and Norwegian all fly direct from Stockholm in Sweden, Oslo in Norway and Copenhagen in Denmark. Low-cost airline Ryanair also fly out of Stockholm and Oslo while low-cost Easyjet also fly from Copenhagen. Finnair and Norwegian fly direct from Helsinki, Finland.
- From France: Air France operate shuttle flights from most major cities to Paris, including: Strasbourg, Lyon, Bordeaux, Toulouse, Biarritz, Marseille and Nice.
TRANSFER TO THE HOTEL
By train:
From Paris, you will need to take a train from Montparnasse station to Tours, and from there take another train to Amboise. This journey takes around 1 hour and 20 minutes and costs less than 50€ / £36. You can book your tickets from the Voyages SNCF website.
From Amboise train station, the best way is to finish the journey with a 10 minute taxi ride which will cost between 12€ and 14€ (£8-£10).
By car:
The drive from Paris takes between 2 and 2 and half hours depending on which airport you depart from.
From Paris, take the A6B on the Autoroute du Soleil, then taking the exit onto E50, following signs for A10/E5/Palaiseau/Étampes/Bordeaux-Nantes/Massy/Longjumeau. Merge onto the A10/E50 and follow signs for Orléans. After about 40 minutes, follow signs for A71/Toulouse/Clermont-Ferrand/Bordeaux/Orléans/A20. Stay on that road for about an hour and a half and take exit 18 toward Château-Renault/Amboise. Take D31 to Rue Jules gautier/D431 in Saint-Ouen-les-Vignes, then take a slight left toward D31 following signs for N10/Autrèche/Amboise. Turn left onto D31 and right onto rue Jules Gaurier/D431. The hotel will be on the left.
- Local tourist taxes are included in the VeryChic prices
- Additional child bed available for 25€ (around £17) per night
- Maximum 1 additional bed per room
- Check in from 3pm & check out by 12pm
Book online or call us
From Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and on Saturdays, Sundays and French bank holidays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.