When a demanding family life and work schedule relegates your partner to the bottom of the list, enjoying quality time together at a luxury château-hotel could be just the antidote needed.
Searching up the perfect hotel for romance restoration isn’t as hard as you think. With a quick internet search for ‘Luxury’ throwing up Relais et Chateaux properties and another for ‘UNESCO heritage’ yielding both the hillsides of Champagne and French cuisine, a clear arrow points to one particular retreat in über-accessible Northern France - the sumptuous 17th century Château de Courcelles near Reims.
Grand but with the personal touch
With a reassuring crunch of gravel, twinkling chandeliers and wraparound calm, you know instantly that this is the perfect place not just to spoil your partner, but to provide the self-indulgence you deserve too. It’s a careful balance of a palatial yet intimate ambience with a professional yet personal service.
14 elegant guest rooms and 4 spacious suites all boast a rich individual décor and the level of comfort your luxury weekend break demands. If you can bear to detach yourself from robe, slippers and garden view, sink into armchairs in the salon de lecture or the bar. You’re in good company: former guests Racine, Napoléon and Christian Dior have all done just that.
Gateway to Champagne country
Outside, a beautiful terrace, formal gardens and pool give way to picturesque grounds and woodlands, with stand-out images (the perfectly-aligned plane trees reflected in the canal is one such) providing lasting shared memories. Head beyond the château gates too, as there’s a whole new world of rural bliss to explore, here on the edge of the Champagne region. Savour a less frantic pace of life on your romantic weekend break and expect frequent pausing for vineyard views, quiet French villages and dégustations - meeting local producers on the way. Back on track, you’ll savour these precious moments together for a long time to come.
The unrivalled savoir-faire of French cuisine
At apéritif o’clock in the restaurant, toast your togetherness with champagne, the universal symbol of celebration tickling your tastebuds and all the more enjoyable for its local provenance. And there’s more high-end hedonism besides: French chef Lucas Vannier is renowned for his traditional-meets-modern cuisine, offering locally-sourced produce and sumptuously inventive dishes like lobster with rhubarb. Conclude with the sweet savoir-faire of the dedicated patisserie team, the French touch par excellence.
Busy life may beckon, but with renewed sparkle and a true taste of the French ‘art de vivre’, it will be with a renewed sense of connection. France isn’t called the world’s most romantic country for nothing!
8 Rue du Château
F- 02220 Courcelles-sur-Vesle
Téléphone : 03 23 74 13 53
Find weekend ideas in a Chateau-Hotel: Château de Fère en Tardenois (20 mn drive from Courcelles-sur-Vesle) or in a B&B in Fère en Tardenois
