The Intelligent Newsletter
for Those Who Appreciate Deluxe Travel
Luxury in the Countryside
Sometimes, a sense of privilege is the only possible antidote to the bare-knuckle feel of today’s economic markets. And at other times, unfestooned, unpretentious, pure escape is the best course to dial back stress and restore the soul. Almost inconceivably, each of these opposites can be found within the setting of an English manor or French chateau. It’s just a matter of choosing the right one.
Europe’s estates have preserved their palatial grandeur or historical stakes with a clever mix of old-world ways and contemporary hotel acumen. And what good news that is for present-day travelers, who are sure to find one that’s “just right” in the pastoral hills and valleys where the nobles once established dynasties.
So come one, come all. An invitation from the Countess is no longer required to spend a weekend in the country, borrow a horse from the stables, or stay for dinner, port and cigars.
Let us illustrate by pointing to a few of our favorite such spots.
Rather Grand
Built in 1904 by Madame Louise Pommery, Chateau Les Crayères in Reims, France, was the residence of her grandson, the Marquis de Polignac, CEO of the Pommery Champagne house. After its purchase by the Gardinier family, Les Crayères opened as a hotel in 1983, and was named best hotel in France by several noted critics. It draws overnight guests who have come to visit the nearby Champagne houses (a five-minute walk) and dine in its restaurants (a second dining option, Le Jardin, a brasserie, lies within the property's 17-acre park).
This is one of the rare establishments where every room category is acceptable; they are categorized by rank (lowest to highest): Baroness, Marquise, Duchess, Princess and Empress. Rates from €345-€640 (about $437-$810) in low season, or €380-€700 (about $481-$886) in high season.
On the other side of the Channel, less than an hour from London, Coworth Park is an elegant hotel in a restored 18th-century manor house, situated on a polo estate not far from thwe Ascot Racecourse. Originally built in the same year as the American revolution, it was owned by a series of aristocratic families until fairly recently. In 2001, it was acquired by the Dorchester Group, operators of distinguished, noble luxury hotels such as the Meurice and the Plaza Athénée in Paris, the Principe di Savoia in Milan and the Bel-Air in Los Angeles.
Coworth Park is a 70-room property set in 240 acres of parkland, a mallet's throw from Windsor Great Park, home of the elite Guards Polo Club. Hotel guests can ride horses and watch professional polo matches, but you don't have to be interested in polo to enjoy the estate, which includes a sleek and comprehensive spa with its own restaurant, indoor pool and fitness room. Fishing and shooting, in season, are available, and this is grand country for walkers. Rooms and suites are located in the mansion and in two outbuildings – the dower house, which can be reserved in its entirety for a family, and the former stables, which are done up in contemporary furnishings.
Meals are served in the elaborate mansion house dining room, where the menu features delicious, updated classics such as venison with polenta, monkfish with red wine risotto, and braised oxtail. Dinner for two, before wine, about $100. Meals are also served in the informal Barn Restaurant, which has stone floors and a wall of windows. Its menu specializes in British comfort food – oysters, shepherd's pie, roast chicken and the like. Our favorite guest rooms are on the top floor of the mansion overlooking gardens and woods. Rooms and suites from €345-€935 (about $437-$1,183).
What about Downton Abbey?
Highclere Castle, actual home of the real-world Earl and Countess of Carnavon, serves as the fictional Downton Abbey, home to the extended family and servants of the Earl and Countess of Grantham, about a century ago.Lately we’ve been asked, "How can we visit Highclere Castle?" which, as you may know, is the setting for the enormously popular PBS Masterpiece series, Downton Abbey. Indeed, the castle is available, spring through fall, for the public to tour, as well as for weddings and corporate events by advance arrangement. For overnight accommodations, however, one must stay in the area hotels and inns. Of these, we greatly prefer the beautiful and much-lauded Tylney Hall, in nearby Hampshire, which preserves some of the aura of Dowton's era.
Tylney Hall guestrooms and dining hall recall an earlier time, yet the estate comes with a deliciously large pool.
Escapists’ Secret
At Chateau de Varillettes, in the Auvergne region of France, you can stroll the medieval park and garden, float in the pool, walk to the nearby village, kick pebbles in the carriage drive, dine in the cool vaulted cellar, sample the prized regional bleu cheese, and wonder why this chateau landed in the Massif Central. In fact, you can do nearly anything but put on airs.
This very old place epitomizes the newest trend in "luxury" travel — a lack of conspicuous luxury. Here, there is less pomp, and more circumstance. And that’s exactly what many of those who have come into affluence or wealth in the past ten years prefer. Off with the heads of those who insist on excessive silk brocade and sterling tureens! Long live those who preserve a more authentic, unvarnished setting, one that increases the opportunity for clarity and quiet introspection.
At Varillettes, come to be yourself. Rather than wrapping yourself in eveningwear, envelope yourself in time ... time to remove distractions from your relationship, or carve out some isolation for your own thoughts. If you’re verbal, this is the spot to jot down life’s insights, pen a long letter to your first mentor, or focus on the first three chapters of your novel-to-be. If you’re the visual sort, bring a macro lens or sketchbook to capture centuries of textures and seasonal garden details. Fill your days only with what matters to you.
Once you’ve rested and have acquired some distance from whatever taxes you, excercise mind and body with a walk or bike ride to the town of Saint-Flour (about two miles) or the village of Saint-Georges (a mile away); or set out for nearby golf, horseback riding, kayaking, or skiing. Other options include a stroll through the Saint-Flour museum or a visit to one of the region’s natural thermal spas in Chaudes-Aigues. Dinner for two in the chateau’s restaurant, about $120 before wine. Rooms from €137-€257 (about $175-$327).
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