Loire Valley--Chateau Retreat

In the middle of nowhere?? That's the beauty of it! Langeais -> check-in (Chateau de Rochecotte), Chateau de Langeais, Chateau de Villandry (and its famous garden), Chateau de Usse (The Sleeping Beauty Castle), and Chateau de Chinon

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We hired a taxi that also served as a local guide for us for one day. He took us around to the famous castles in the region.

It was totally fantastic. The interior decoration is very elegant and pretty. There's a terrace, small hiking trail, outdoor swimming pool, and beautiful garden. The staff is very friendly. They really make you feel as if you were at home (the place is a run by a family). The location is a bit remote and the restaurant within the chateau is a bit expensive if you're on a tight buget, but if you're looking for a fantastic country chateau retreat, this is the place! You can probably get a room there for a cheaper price at hotel sites like http://www.hotelclub.net.

We caught a train to the Loire region from Paris. It's about a 2-hour train ride, depending whether you take TGV. Because where we were staying was about 30km west of Tours and a lot of the most famous chateaux of the Loire Valley are east of Tours, we limited ourselves to exploring the castles just around Langeais. That was quite sufficient for a 1-day trip! What the taxi driver had arranged for us for the day was this: Chateau de Langeais--Chateau de Villandry--Usse--Chateau de La Belle au Bois dormant--lunch--Chateau de Chinon--wine cellar--Chateau de Azay-le-Rideau. By the end, you would probably think, "Enough chateaux!" The Villandry garden is really quite amazing. It's a must-see. All the other ones are pretty too, especially the Usse.