Château de Noizay ★★★★

Nothing screams French chic like a chateau in the countryside, with elaborate grounds sprawling out around it and a strong foothold in the past. It’s the epitome of the French highlife and I’m in the market for a flamboyant fairytale. A vision amongst the Vouvray vineyards, between the towns of Amboise and Tours, the Hotel de Noizay provides the perfect backdrop for my flight of fancy. The grand old building exudes typical French character and a rustic charm that only a 500-year-old castle could claim. It’s aged gracefully without a wrinkle, and continues to offer its guests a hospitable haven where the regal once reigned.

The luxurious manicured gardens pop with splashes of colour amongst the lush green six-acre landscape, leading to a gravel driveway that I imagine has seen numerous horse-drawn carriages crunch across it, introducing gowned ladies and top hat-wearing gentlemen. Amongst the meandering pathways and beds of fragrant flowers, I find a swimming pool and a tennis court tucked away and, on further explorations, an ornate south-facing terrace promising great views and a pocket of picturesque peace.

Stepping through the doors of the chateau, I’m immediately thrown back to the heady days of society balls and chinking china. Looking up, the impressive wooden staircase was probably once the pivotal point for debutantes, where they floated down past the glinting chandeliers to the handsome young men waiting for them at the bottom. The sleek glass details and the faux-stone walls propel me back to the present day, but hints of the chateau’s history continue to present themselves to me throughout the building.

In my room, kitsch floral wallpaper is offset by soft, patterned bedclothes and lavish floor-to-ceiling curtains in golds, reds, and blues. Decorated with solid, dark furniture, the rooms are a postcard-perfect memory of the past, upgraded with the necessary comforts of the present day – modern touches like WiFi and satellite television remind me that I’m not in fact living the lifestyle of the aristocratic elite in the 1500s. It’s the little touches that really indicate the attention to detail and the high level of service though, like the scented, candles and bunches of beautiful flowers that are carefully arranged on each surface.

At this point my fairytale was going to plan. I had the grounds to take afternoon walks through and the grandeur of my room was more than satisfactory for my inner princess. But my fleeting lavish lifestyle increases tenfold when I book into the in-house restaurant for my evening supper. Art nouveau chairs flank centrepieces of tall, regal candles and glitzy glasses that catch the light sent scattered by the overhead chandeliers. Whilst the atmosphere provides all the props I need to imagine life as a sixteenth-century princess, it’s the menu that really blows me away. Chef Frederic Collin has masterfully created a menu of dishes infused with seasonal flavours and ingredients – they look and taste exquisite. And for every dish, there is the ideal tipple to go with it stocked away in the expansive wine cellar.

I found the perfect setting for my fairytale in the Hotel de Noizay, which provides an unrivalled portal to the past in this cosy corner of France. Surrounding the beautiful grounds and magnificent building, there is plenty to keep even the most restless of princesses busy, including cycling routes through the spectacular scenery, geological wonders at the troglodyte caves, and even a nearby zoo. I enjoyed the contrast of these modern-day attractions, but relished the regal atmosphere and historic charm of the hotel itself, which distinct and identifiable, even in spite of the contemporary décor. My fairytale may have ended, but the heritage of the Noizay lives on, providing plenty more stories for visitors from lands far and wide.