This elegant country chateau in the Loire Valley will help you return to your senses. Enjoy a leisurely breakfast in the modern open kitchen, then wander the 450 acre estate. You can fish or boat on the lake, or hop on a bicycle to explore the French countryside. On Saturday the market at Noyen-sur-Sarthe will introduce you to Loire Valley specialties - keep an eye out for cheese, tarte Tatin, and sablés (the preferred biscuit). Back at your family chateau there’s plenty of entertainment for the kids: games, toys, bicycles, an all-weather tennis court, and a private pool. Inside, the 9 bedrooms are each decorated to a theme, and 3 of them have the added privacy of en suite bathrooms, some with elegant roll top bathtubs. Just a 20 minute drive from Le Mans, this holiday chateau offers an unparalleled balance of country delights and access to the city. If you miss the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race, you can learn all about it at the museum. Le Mans is blessed with gorgeous Roman walls, and winding medieval roads filled with fine boutiques and restaurants. Come discover the sensory delights of Loire Valley from this splendid chateau.
The Loire Valley region
Chateau de la Houlberdiere is perfectly located with historic towns and villages dotted all around. It is 20 minutes to the centre of le Mans and under 5 hours from London by Eurostar. Fast trains to Paris from le Mans take less than an hour.
The nearest towns are 5 minute drive away, and you will find an array of supermarkets, boulangeries, charcuteries, town squares and cafés and weekly markets.
Malicorne-sur-Sarthe
Chateau de la Houlberdiere is about a 20 minute drive to the world famous le Mans race track - the site of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the grueling round-the-clock car race. But it's also an ancient town, with Roman walls, a beautiful cathedral and plenty of museums to see. Car aficionados will especially like the Musée Automobile de la Sarthe, where there is a vast collection of vehicles.
The Loire valley region is full of old-world villages and story-book chateaux. It was once fought over by Gauls, Romans, Visigoths and even Attila the Hun. You can roll through the lush valley, visiting fortresses in Amboise and Angers, UNESCO-designated Chartres Cathedral and the Gothic cathedral in Nantes.
Chateau de la Houlberdiere comprises of nine beautiful double bedrooms, one of which can be converted readily to second living room/ study.
There are five bath/shower rooms in total - three ensuite bath/shower rooms (one shower room, one with stand-up shower/bath and one with a bath with a shower attachment), one bathroom (with shower attachment) and one further shower room.
There are additionally an extra two WCs on the ground floor. Each bedroom has its own unique flavour: White, Colonial, Jardin, Blanche, Maroc, Boudoir, Corsair, Racing, Green. A private heated swimming can be found in the provençale garden, and a private all-weather tennis court to the east of the main building.