Domaine de Barive ★★★★

I wanted to treat my beloved to a 4-star weekend of rest and respite. He has been working so hard, I have hardly seen him of late. He needed some time away from the toil and grime of the city. We both needed some time to reconnect. When friends recommended the Domaine de Barive so I called and reserved, knowing little of the wonder in store. 

Built in the 18th century, this gorgeous brick building was originally a farmstead. It then became a hunting lodge before its recent transformation into a luxury hotel. We drive up the regal tree-lined path that leads to the gates of the hotel where Pascal and Nicolas, our hosts, awaited our arrival. It’s a good job we brought our GPS because the only landmarks around are enormous oaks, weeping willows and the occasional family of ducks, and these delights of rural France seldom appear on road maps.

The garden surrounding the hotel, which sits in the middle of a 500-hectare woody estate, is impeccably manicured. Legend has it that the gardener uses toenail clippers for the lawns. Trimmed bushes and shrubs line the gravelled pathways. Roman-like statues of fruit-bearing women share the limelight with giant snails, toadstools, crocodile benches and other whimsical works of art. I wouldn’t be surprised if a white rabbit came hopping on by, waving his timepiece at me, telling me that I’m late. But we’re in no hurry at all here as we linger in the gardens a few minutes more before discovering our room.

From the large number of individually-decorated sleeping options, including five rooms in a guesthouse a few kilometres away, I booked a Deluxe Room in the main building. Under the eaves (with fully-functioning air-conditioning) and bathed in daylight, the black and white décor has a certain retro feel to it, from the chandelier over the bed down to the old-fashioned (yet totally modern) telephone in the sitting area. A large flat-screen TV and DVD player are on hand should we just want to hole up together and watch a film.

The main reason the Domaine de Barive came so highly recommended was its restaurant and we were eager to discover why! The dining room is sober and elegant, the perfect backdrop to the works of art that come out of the kitchens. We purposely arrived a little bit late (lingering over an aperitif on the terrace) so as to choose our meals based on what we see in other people’s plates! It’s hard to decide so we both try the Menu Chateau. I have the wild boar paté with foie gras, he has the sea bream tartare. I have the sea bass for my entrée, he has the pork tenderloin. The quality of the food and the fabulous flavours exceed my already-high expectations. We get help choosing an appropriate wine from the list of over 450 references. Our meal, like everything else in the hotel so far, is magical!   

We could, if we wanted to, take the 40-minute drive to Reims to visit its renowned cathedral and its stately champagne houses. We could also, if we wanted to, drive 35 minutes to Laon, a picturesque fortified town full of churches and medieval houses. We could borrow bikes or have a cooking class. The thing is, we don’t really want to. All we want to do is lounge around the hotel gardens, maybe going so far as stretching our legs on a stroll around the expansive grounds before settling down for a relaxing massage in the TranSPArence spa. In fact, I think we’re going to stay an extra night to have as much time as possible in which to do nothing! Our charming hosts won’t hold it against us, I’m sure.