Hotel-Montvillargenne in Chantilly nr Paris w/spa & breakfast

Architecturally, with its turrets and Anglo-Norman style timber framing, and its dramatic and leafy driveway, few hotels pack a visual punch quite like the sight of the gated chateau, originally built as an opulent second home for the famous Rothschild family in the last century. Now peer beyond the Virginia Creeper and English-style windows and your room is just as delightful. Whether it’s one with a palette of willow green and beige, ice-blue and white, or bolder tones, no two rooms at Chateau-de-Montvillargenne hotel are the same. The level of comfort, on the other hand, is perfectly consistent, with extra-large beds (200 x 200 bed) and modern bathrooms, plus conveniences like room service, should you wish to make a spontaneous toast to togetherness over cocktails or champagne.

As you explore the rest of Chateau Hotel Montvillargenne, you’ll discover you’ll want to spend a far chunk of your romantic weekend break in Chantilly right here (why wouldn’t you – with an indoor pool, gym and sauna at your fingertips?). And if ever you were in two minds as to where to eat, the mere sight of bistronomic restaurant - ‘Le Vilargène’ - and its menu served on Friday and Saturday evenings and sunday lunch will be enough to tempt you: salmon Gravlax, supreme poultry, morel cream and millefeuille all tantalising your tastebuds come aperitif-o’clock.

Come breakfast-time - either out on the terrace, in the restaurant or cosied up in your room - the lavish feast is prime time to discuss your next move. Will you be squeezing in another swim, or taking advantage of the fact that two bikes are all yours for a couple of hours? Maybe you’ve reserved a massage as a treat for you and your partner in the chateau’s treatment rooms - or perhaps you’ve overheard that nearby Senlis is a must-see - like a period drama film-set in fact, with its medieval houses and narrow cobbled streets. More than anywhere else, we’ll bet your plans are likely to centre around the dazzling Domaine-de-Chantilly estate, just a stone’s throw away. With its Versailles-like gardens, an art gallery to rival the Louvre and the palatial stables’ horse museum, the much-anticipated sparkle you’ve been waiting for is right here in Chantilly.