Just saying the word “chateau” brings up a luscious image of French luxury. The great country homes of French aristocracy, they spangle l’Hexigonefrom the English Channel to the Mediterranean. However, with their rural locations, sprawling grounds, and enormous expense, many chateaux went the way of the dodo as years went buy. Some were converted, others dismantled, and others simply abandoned. But a few intrepid French are reclaiming these grand manor houses, turning them into in romantic — and luxuriant — getaways. So there’s the history of Chateau de Chantore.
Set in the rolling hills where Normandy meets Brittany, and with the famous Mont St-Michel in the distance, Chantore appeared in the 18th Century amid a park of wildflowers and pastoral tranquility. Like most chateaux, it’s not particularly big: two suites and three guest rooms, along with a dining room, make the place an intimate experience. That aside, walk through the door and three centuries fall away.
Lovingly restored back to its imperial glory by your hosts Bernard Legal and Iñaki de Goiburu, Chateau de Chantore looks as close as a French country estate can get and still be in the WiFi Age (the bathrooms are all up to date — whew!). It wasn’t unusual for rooms of the age to have themes: Chinese, Arabian, you name it. The Chantore is true to form, and nothing is held back; even the modestly-priced Baroque Room is a massive opulence overload of gold and scarlet. If you’re jonesin’ for top of the line, the Mont St. Michel’s Suite pretty much ensconces you into the landed gentry. For however long your stay lasts, of course.
Blown by marine breezes rolling off the Atlantic, guests start off the day with a complementary breakfast, and then have one of the more undiscovered parts of France to explore. Much cheaper than Paris or Provence, the north of France is not nearly so barraged with mass tourism and accompanying price-gouging, and the Chantore makes a good HQ to venture out and make a few excursions. Waiting in the nearby town of Granville is a holy grail for fashion mavens in the form of the Christian Dior Museum, while the celebrated Scriptorial d’Avranches houses the treasures of Mont St.-Michel. Well worth the road trip is the medieval pirate port of St. Malo, whose ancient buildings and proliferation of oyster houses will keep you busy.
Back at the Chantore, you can sleep it all off, or maybe take a horse ride along the stream in the gathering twilight. Very lux; very “la belle vie.” It is French, after all.
For more information, go to chateaudechantore.com or contact Steele Luxury Travel to make a booking at 646-688-2274.