Château Marteret
Château Marteret is a luxurious seven-room fairy tale villa rental framed by four centuries-old cedars and set into the middle of 180 hectares of land.
The chateau is part of a 200-year-old estate at the heart of the Sancerre wine region.
Château bord de Loire
A grand chateau with spacious timeless interiors perfect for small or large groups.
Surrounded by a private enclosed park and the famous Sancerre vineyards just outside the gate.
How would you describe Le Château bord de Loire in a nutshell?
Le Château bord de Loire is a timeless, fully renovated property at the heart of the Sancerre wine region. It features 24 bedrooms and 22 bathrooms, a 25-metre swimming pool, a wood-fired sauna and a Nordic bath, all set within a three-hectare (eight-acre) garden. Guests can walk out the gate of our walled, private estate and explore the beautiful rolling hills and charming vineyards that surround it.
What is the story behind Le Château bord de Loire, what was your inspiration to create it?
The château was born out of a desire to create unique spaces where people can live out special moments. After 10 years of owning a restaurant and catering business in Paris, I sold it and bought a 130-year-old property in Normandy, Riverside House, which I renovated and turned into a rental vacation property.
Built in 1800 and expanded in 1900, the château is the continuity of this idea, with more space, more rooms and a much bigger garden. We opened to guests in October 2023.
How would you describe the atmosphere and the interior design of Le Château bord de Loire?
While the château is 200 years old, the interior design has a timeless, mid-century modern feel. It was inspired by the famous architect Mallet Stevens’ Villa Cavrois in the north of France and Villa Necchi in Milan. My wife and I did the interior design.
The idea was to stay away from historical reenactment châteaus, which are often cold and impersonal, and to create a unique style that embraced European design from different epochs. In the château, 1960s Murano chandeliers meet early-19th-century wood-panelled salons and 1950s-style, L-shaped velour couches.
The atmosphere makes you feel at home, despite the vastness of the spaces.
To you personally, what is so special about Le Château bord de Loire?
It’s the beauty of the rolling countryside and the vineyards that surround the property, coupled with the stunning light that hits its 19th-century façade and the magical way it flows through the windows and over the 200-year-old oak floors
You enter through a large cast-iron gate, which towers above the path that meanders through the park. It is lushly planted with bicentennial trees and shrubs that slightly reveal the contours of the château as you get nearer. There’s a parking area tucked away in a small forest, with a short path leading from here to the grand entrance of the château.
The entrance wing was built in 1900 and features magnificent, natural oak, floor-to-ceiling panelling and a library straight out of a Jules Verne novel. The château opens up to reveal an extensive ground floor, with four living rooms, a library and a massive kitchen that is built around its original wood-fired stove and oven. Each of the spaces is connected via tastefully-lit hallways.
A series of majestic staircases carry guests up to the 24 bedrooms and 23 bathrooms that the property boasts. All of the rooms are within the main château building, except for one that is nestled in an annex.
Within the three-hectare park is a newly built 25x5-metre saltwater swimming pool that is heated from late spring to early autumn, as well as a large sauna and a Nordic bath, both of which are wood-fired. A network of quaint, tree-lined trails takes guests on a 500-metre loop walk around the property.
Outside the gates, the walking and hiking options are endless, with sun-drenched vineyards and the Loire Canal bike path to explore.
Optional services on request are a private chef, bar services, wellness treatments, wine tasting, daily freshen-up cleaning of ground floor areas, and optional daily cleaning of rooms.
In addition to enjoying the swimming pool, sauna and Nordic bath at the château, guests can go walking in the vineyards and wine tasting in the surrounding region. Cyclists can explore the Loire Canal paths and its 300-year-old system of locks and bridges. There are also lots of beautiful villages nearby with historical monuments and gardens to discover.
My highlights of the region are the wineries, the Loire River and the nearby villages.
The château is located around 200 kilometres south of Paris and a two-hour drive from Orly Airport or the southern Porte D’Orleans. From Paris Bercy, it’s roughly one hour and 50 minutes by train to Tracy Sancerre or Cosne sur Loire, followed by a short cab ride. Some guests even bring their bikes on the train and ride the last few kilometres along the lovely bike paths that follow the Loire to the château.
The world-renowned vineyards of Sancerre literally surround the château, with the famous Pouilly Fumé and Ménétou Salon wineries around 15 minutes away. Stretching for hundreds of kilometres in either direction are the Canal Latéral à la Loire bike paths.
Sancerre is a year-round destination, with each season special in its own way. Autumn is the grape harvest, with the vineyards evolving from being plush with grapes to turning magnificent shades of orange. In the wintertime, you can enjoy cosy moments around the château’s six fireplaces and our outdoor brasero, as well as go walking in the wintery gardens and nearby forests.
In spring, the vineyards are budding and it’s a great time for exploring the local hiking and biking trails. Summer is best for enjoying the pool and the rolling hills surrounding the property.
While the wood-fired sauna and Nordic bath are accessible year-round, the pool is open from late spring to early autumn.
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