Le Moulin Brégeon

How would you describe Le Moulin Brégeon in a nutshell?

In Liniéres-Bouton in Pays de la Loire, Le Moulin Bregeon offers purely romantic modern-day country living. Staying at this bed & breakfast is an aesthetic experience where you’ll get to dive into the French way of maintaining harmony between the constructed and the natural world.

Please tell us a bit about the history of Le Moulin Brégeon.

Le Moulin Brégeon is built on the foundation of a 14th-century monastery, according to the French government’s historical society. There is evidence of some Renaissance detailing on a few of the buildings and an ancient foundation of an older style of river mill from the same time period a short way down our river. The main mill building was constructed atop the monastic foundation at the end of the 18th century. The architectural details were purposefully meant to emulate the style of Marie Antoinette’s private watermill at Versailles.

Why did you buy a property in a relatively remote location and transform it into a small B&B?

I first came to the Loire Valley region when I was teaching painting in the city of Angers, but ever since I first moved to Europe I had an appreciation for the French imagination’s deep respect for maintaining harmony between the built world and nature.

I renovated the mill because I recognized it was a place where people could have a pure aesthetic experience of French country life. I bought it in 1992 and was happy when UNESCO designated the region a World Heritage site in 2000.

The interior of Le Moulin Brégeon is decorated exclusively with French antiques and art, many pieces of which are from the 18th or 19th century. I have personally rescued almost all of the furniture from local markets, antique fairs, and private sellers. Some pieces that were slightly damaged have been expertly repaired by a close friend who is a master craftsman of Compagnon, one of the oldest medieval craft guilds in Europe.

What is your philosophy at the Bed and Breakfast?

Our philosophy is to create a rich and memorable experience of the multifaceted French culture of beauty.

A hotel or Bed and Breakfast should be both comfortable and aesthetically pleasing. We renovated the mill with a consciousness about the necessity to provide a living space that was completely French and makes our guests feel a sense of place and soul.

We take complete care of them from A to Z. Our complete holiday retreat package is a bespoke experience unlike any other in France. From the moment guests arrive to our parting farewells, our staff make their stay one of a kind by suiting the touring, cooking courses, and dinners to their taste.

We don’t just go to major tourist attractions but introduce them to locals and farms where they can engage with a cultural experience outside of anything they would be able to find on their own. We use our 20 years of experience to give them special access to hidden antique fairs, private village festivals and works of architecture.

Please tell us a bit more about the holiday packages you offer.

The full B&B experience we offer on request and for an additional charge can be fit into a four-night, five-day stay with us. This entirely bespoke holiday includes all lodging, dinner, wine, breakfasts, all-day touring wherever you like (or we are happy to suggest many places), and complimentary pick-up and drop off at our nearest train station. This package is ideal for small groups.

Please tell us a bit about the facilities and amenities at the B&B.

Our facilities are designed to appreciate the unique aesthetic we have created. Our guiding principle of design here is to find beauty wherever your eye turns.

Our twelve hectares of land allow quiet walks through fields of wildflowers or the nearby forest. The privacy we have from our neighbors makes our many outdoor spaces perfect for yoga or meditation groups.

We also own separate facilities, including a wine bar, in a village one kilometer away for indoor events.

To you personally, what has been the biggest reward about running the B&B?

I created this holiday retreat as an aesthetic refuge where France’s traditional culture of beauty could be celebrated, protected, and shared with future generations. I am always thrilled when our clients leave here having developed an appreciation for the sublime harmony here that they can take home with them and recreate in their own lives.