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"I was born into a farming family in Soissons, Picardy. As a child, I wanted to become a missionary. That’s why my sisters and I founded Batali, an organisation which helps to build schools in the Central African Republic. Today I divide my time between Paris, my small farm in Loiret, and La Briqueterie in Champagne. I spent a long time working for the Concorde group, headed by Jean Taittinger. This was how I came to discover the Champagne region. I like to walk through the vineyards and meet the people who work on the land, small-scale producers who make great wines. Their champagne can be found in the world’s greatest restaurants, but this is the only place where you can discover what makes the region so unique…"
To give you inspiration, Relais & Châteaux presents the Routes du Bonheur: suggestions for travel itineraries that you can fully personalise according to your wishes and the experiences you would like to discover. Our consultants are available to help customise your route and assist you in making reservations at our properties. It is up to you to reserve any recommended activities on-site or nearby that might interest you.
*Total price provided for information only, based on accommodation for two people in a double room for the number of nights per property as indicated on this page, exclusive of recommended activities, properties that cannot be reserved online and restaurants.
Hotel and restaurant in town. The only château-hotel in Paris nestles in a green setting, a stone’s throw from the Arc de Triomphe and Avenue Victor Hugo: a splendid Napoleon III residence, refurbished with a touch of fantasy by Bambi Sloan. The former Thiers Foundation, which once received the most brilliant students in France, has become a select venue where you can recharge your batteries. The library bar is a place to exchange confidences. The boudoir-style spa offers treatments based on the prestigious Maison Guerlain. The chef offers fine cuisine in the dining room inherited from the Foundation. In the summer the terrace and its hot air balloon décor evoke the past of the place: it had been the first aerodrome in Paris!
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Hotel in town. Right next to the Champs-Élysées and the rue du Faubourg-Saint-Honoré, feast your eyes upon the unique interiors of the Hotel Daniel designed like a private home with its 18th century French bespoke hand-painted Chinoiserie wallpaper, furniture sculpted out of precious woods, fabulously comfortable sofas, silks from the Orient and shimmering satins. An ideal place for discerning travellers, art lovers, gourmets and couples. An elegant address and the perfect base for discovering Paris at its most romantic and cosmopolitan, and savouring an equally original and sophisticated cuisine. A simply exceptional residence.
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Hotel in town. Palais Garnier, Champs-Élysées, Louvre Museum, Place Vendôme... in the heart of the most enchanting Paris, a discreet porte-cochère, framed by two lanterns and topped by a mascaron ornament, marks the entrance to the Marquis Faubourg Saint-Honoré on rue d’Anjou. Architect Michele Bönan has succeeded in breathing new life into this 18th century private townhouse in which Marquis de La Fayette lived. Selected designs and photographs on the wall, unique furniture, elegant book-cases are some of the sophisticated details which ensure a cosy atmosphere. As far as the suites are concerned, their doors made of massive wood and authentic Louis XVI marble fireplaces protect their intimacy.
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Hotel and restaurant in town. Between romance and the Parisian art of living, the Splendide Royal packs in the emotions and experiences. It occupies a mansion house built in 1897 in a historic and cultural district of the capital, steps from Faubourg Saint-Honoré and the Champs-Élysées. Elegant and refined, this authentic family home will appeal to aesthetes and the initiated with its 12 spacious and stylish suites, classically decorated and updated with subtle Italian touches in light colours. Gastronomy-wise, the Tosca restaurant offers modern and adventurous Italian cuisine that promises to delight seasoned gourmets.
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On the steps of the Sacré-Coeur, the City of Light stretches out before you. With accordion music drifting through the air, Paris resembles the most beautiful of postcards. At the bottom of the steps, have a quick look around the Marché Saint-Pierre, where I buy fabrics. This is already a different atmosphere, part of the beautiful patchwork of Paris...
Hotel and restaurant in a park. The Auberge, nestled in the Domaine de Chantilly, between the château gardens and the Grandes Écuries, takes its name from what was the Jeu de Paume, which now displays the monumental paintings from the Condé Museum. Its sober lines and elegant appointments, designed by Le Nôtre and Mansart, echo a very particular French-style art de vivre. Its restaurant, La Table du Connétable, serves inventive traditional cuisine, and the libraries and the open fire in the Winter Garden Bar create a truly warm and welcoming atmosphere. The spa’s subtle lighting and coloured mosaics add the finishing touches to this perfect hideaway, just a few kilometres from Paris.
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Opened in the splendid Grand Stables in June 2013, the all-new Museum of the Horse intends to be both an art and ethological museum. It houses more than 200 pieces and artworks relating to the horse and its history. Visitors can learn about the different breeds of horse around the world, and also their role in hunting and warfare. You pass through paintings by masters such as Rubens, Poussin or Géricault. Horse-drawn carriages, Berlins and all the wooden carousel horses are presented along a modern and inventive tour. Last and not least, don't miss the equestrian shows devoted to the art of Haute Ecole dressage.
Condé Museum, Chantilly
This is one of the most beautiful museums in France! Here, in the former apartments of Chantilly castle, is where you will discover one of the finest collections in Europe of pre-1850 paintings. The Duke of Aumale's collection comprises some 800 paintings by the masters, objets d'art and tapestries. Raphaël, Poussin, Watteau, Ingres, Fra Angelico and Delacroix are all on display here. The Louvre in the French countryside...
Hotel and restaurant in the country. Legend has it that Jean Cocteau designed the staircase of the Château de Courcelles... Regardless of whether it is true, this rumour speaks volumes about the attention to detail in this palace where Jean-Jacques Rousseau once liked to stroll in the French garden and French literary figures Racine, La Fontaine and Dumas stayed between Paris, the Aisne and the Champagne. Which now famous pages did they write here? This can be contemplated while strolling through the magnificent grounds, swimming in the pool, playing a round of golf, or a game of tennis, and dining like royalty, discovering the best local products and excellent wines.
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The town where I was born boasts a splendid Gothic cathedral and a very fine abbey, Saint-Jean-des-Vignes. Built from limestone, the “white” town of Soissons was chosen by King Clovis as his capital. In the northern arm of the transept of the cathedral, don’t miss the Adoration of the Shepherds, a painting by the great Flemish artist Rubens.
Hotel and restaurant in town. Appearances are sometimes deceptive! The walls of this beautiful mansion hide a contemporary interior based on straight lines, trendy furnishings and design furniture. Founded nearly 40 years ago by their parents, the Assiette Champenoise is run today by Arnaud Lallement in the kitchen, his wife Magali in the dining room and his sister Mélanie, who are very keen to continue the family tradition of hospitality. Deeply rooted in the region, the property invites you to discover the best champagnes in the cosy bar or the highly acclaimed cuisine of the young Chef, who celebrates the quality of the products. Park, terrace and pool are a harmonious complement to this fine property.
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Restaurant and hotel in a park. Les Crayères is a mythical property in the heart of Reims, nestled discreetly in a seven hectare park full of lush vegetation. This former home of the de Polignac family permanently recreates and modernises the “chateau style” in an atmosphere which is one of elegant sophistication. Perfectly appointed rooms and suites await with a love of detail which is characteristic for pure classical French style. The warm welcome, impeccable service and MOF (Best Craftsman of France) Chef Philippe Mille’s gourmet restaurant with its wine list featuring more than 600 champagne labels, make this the ideal place to start discovering all the treasures of this region.
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Listed as a World Heritage site by UNESCO, Reims Cathedral is a masterpiece of Gothic architecture. It was long considered the cradle of the kings of France, whose coronations took place here. Construction began in 1211 and there are more than 2,300 statues on the building. In the middle of the “gallery of kings”, made up of 56 gigantic statues, you will find Clovis, who was baptised here at the end of the 5th century.
Pommery cellars, Reims
Located not far from the town centre, the Pommery company offers three types of visit, from the production of champagne and the history of the company, to tours of the fermenting room, the cellars and the large buildings, as well as an exhibition of contemporary art.
Taittinger cellars, Reims
Eighteen metres below ground, in chalk cellars which date back to the 4th century and the Gallo-Roman period, this tour takes you beneath the old Saint-Nicaise Abbey, built during the 13th century, of which only the vaults remain. This network of mysterious galleries holds hundreds of thousands of bottles, including my favourite vintage, the Folies de la Marqueterie, named for a chateau located not far from La Briqueterie.
Palais du Tau, Reims
A UNESCO World Heritage site, this former archiepiscopal and royal residence bears testament to the coronations of 32 kings of France, from the 11th century to Charles X. Today, the superb palace houses the biggest collection of stone statuary in France, consisting of sculptures removed from the cathedral. A truly unique site.
Hotel and restaurant in a vineyard. Overlooking the vineyards that stripe the hills of France’s Champagne region, the newly-renovated Royal Champagne Hotel & Spa reimagines the wine-country retreat. Spread across a Modernist wing and a 19th-century Post House, the 49-room hotel embraces the lush bounty of the wineries and the UNESCO World Heritage Site that surround it, while bringing to the region its first world-class destination spa and a chef-led gastronomic restaurant, where daily menus are crafted with sparkling wine in mind.
Come for the bubbles, stay for the journey!
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Hotel and restaurant in a vineyard. In the Champagne region, on the slopes of the river Marne, the Hostellerie La Briqueterie is a paradise of well-being and good living. Épernay, the capital of Champagne wine, with its 110 km of cellars, including the most prestigious ones, to visit, is just a few minutes away. Here, every possible step has been taken to ensure complete relaxation between serene walks in the landscaped garden and its roses, tranquil baths, essential oil massages at the spa and gourmet meals that delight the palate whilst keeping the figure trim. Sample tartare of langoustines with citrus fruit aromas and don’t resist a glass of champagne.
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Pierre Vollereaux is an extraordinary individual. This wine grower’s passion shines through during the tours he gives of his cellars. This land has been cultivated by six generations of his family. Classified as a premier cru, the estate extends over some forty hectares. Pierre welcomes visitors even on Sundays. He helps to reveal the human dimension of champagne.
Maison Moët & Chandon, Epernay
After a stroll along the Avenue de Champagne in Épernay, head towards the cellars of Moët & Chandon, the biggest in the region. This veritable underground labyrinth extends over some twenty-eight kilometres of galleries! Certain stretches will take you almost thirty metres underground.
On the route
Côte des Blancs
This is the birthplace of Chardonnay. From Épernay to the pretty medieval town of Sézanne, the Côte des Blancs trail takes you into the real heart of the vineyards. I really like the hamlet of Chavot-Courcourt, whose lovely church looks out over a landscape of vines. There are many bucolic stops along this scenic route, including the Romanesque church in Cuis, the frescos in Avize and the charming back streets of Oger.
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