An acclaimed chef’s boutique retreat and Six Senses’ upcoming Les Bordes Estate resort are set to draw even greater attention to France’s bucolic Loire Valley.
The Loire Valley’s hills of vines.
A region that’s long drawn visitors in with its vine-covered landscape and particular density of chateaux, the Loire Valley has garnered further attention from luxury travellers in recent years with the launch of exceptional new hotels including the design-led Loire Valley Lodges, restored chateau and renovated farmhouses of Les Sources de Cheverny, lavishly decorated Hotel Château du Grand-Lucé and Le Relais de Chambord neighboring Chateau de Chambord with accommodation including a boat on the chateau’s moat. Now, the region is set to welcome two more eagerly anticipated properties: Fleur de Loire in Blois and Six Senses Loire Valley at Les Bordes.
Chef Christophe Hay at La Maison d’á Côté.
Fleur de Loire is the project of two-Michelin-starred chef Christophe Hay as a continuation of his culinary endeavors in the region he’s originally from and following on from the success of La Maison d’á Côté in Montlivault. Opening in June 2022, this property at the heart of Blois will be a representation of Hay’s passion for the Loire Valley’s culinary heritage and know-how as it pays homage to the land, its products and the people who shape them.
The bar at soon-to-open Fleur de Loire.
Focused on gastronomy and sustainability in equal parts, with wellness by Sisley, the boutique hotel will comprise 44 rooms, including 11 suites, along with a signature Christophe Hay restaurant, second Amour Blanc restaurant, a pastry kiosk, grocery store, bar and a Sisley spa in a renovated 17th-century building on 1.5 hectares of gardens used for growing fruit and vegetables for the kitchen. Every aspect of the hotel has been developed with sustainability at the forefront and to provide the feeling of a family home.
A guest room at Fleur de Loire.
The pinnacle of this gastronomic opening is the signature Christophe Hay restaurant serving dishes showcasing ingredients such as Loire fish, caviar from Sologne, truffles from Mont-Prés-Chambord and Cheverny wine in a space providing panoramic river and church views. The hotel’s Sisley Spa brings even greater appeal to the property with treatments inspired by the benefits of plants and inviting facilities including a hot tub, sauna, hammam, indoor and outdoor pools, a herbal tea room and five spa cabins.
The culinary creation of chef Christophe Hay.
This forthcoming culinary draw will then be followed by the, now expected to open in 2024, significant new development by Six Senses, which is currently taking shape within the 1,400-acre Les Bordes Estate—also home to Les Bordes Golf Club—in the Loire Valley’s Sologne forest.
Just 90 minutes from Paris in the village of Saint-Laurent-Nouan, Six Senses Loire Valley will encompass equestrian and tennis centers, an organic farm, art gallery, natural swimming lake with beach, water sports facilities and walking and biking trails, all centred around a restored chateau home to a restaurant, lounge bar and event space including a sculpture garden. Guests will be accommodated in 88 suites and villas, clustered as enclaves in the woodland landscape and alongside the estate’s waterways.
The chateau at Six Senses Loire Valley.
The golf club’s two 18-hole courses are to remain private for members but hotel guests will have access to the new Gil Hanse-designed par three course and a new state-of-the-art golf practice facility. The Six Senses Spa will form an integral part of the resort experience with a medicinal garden growing plants and herbs for inclusion in locally-inspired treatments and the inclusion of Alchemy Bar workshops. Guests will be able to learn about the resort’s conservation initiatives in the onsite Earth Lab.
Fitting in with the overall Six Senses philosophy, sustainability and wellness are both core values here with the intention to also immerse visitors in the region’s natural environment, culture and heritage.
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