Where to stay in the Loire Valley
Les Hauts de Sancerre
Atop the rocky peak of Sancerre, the medieval Loire Valley village famed for its crisp mineral wines, a privately-owned family château has stood for 150 years. In July 2025, it became Les Hauts de Sancerre, a serene eight-suite hotel with sweeping views of the vine-striped countryside, a pop-up restaurant, and a wine library housed in the 12th-century cellar. Interior designer Jérôme Lescrenier brings a contemporary sensibility to the historic structure by incorporating natural stone, wood, and muted fabrics into the light-filled guest rooms. Artistic direction is led by Stanislas de Poucques, former head of the Brussels Museum of Contemporary Art. For its inaugural season, the hotel debuted an exhibition on its lawn that drew more than 30,000 visitors, and each guest room features a work by Dutch painter Roan van Oort. The sleek 16-seat, pop-up restaurant La Table de Arnaud is housed in the bright salon, punctuated with grand views through the windows. Twenty-one-year-old Brussels-born chef Arnaud Munster serves a tasting menu inspired by the terroir of Sancerre; in 2026, the property will open his new immersive dining concept, L’Atelier des Cèdres. Dumont and Chicard have dreamed up a range of experiences, like visits to the Charlois Cooperage, which offers a rare glimpse into the art of barrel making; wine tastings at the château or in the medieval cellar of La Tour des Fiefs; and encounters with the potters of La Borne village. Maria Yagoda
Address: Esp. Prte César, 18300 Sancerre, France
Relais de Chambord
Located in Chateau de Chambord’s former stables just a stone’s throw from its slate-clad turrets, Relais de Chambord has significant wow factor. It’s the only hotel on the chateau’s 5,440-hectare estate, this 19th-century guesthouse was reopened in 2018 by Spanish hoteliers Marugal and, following a design overhaul by acclaimed French architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte, has been transformed into a stylish, well-equipped retreat with the best of the Loire Valley on its doorstep. There are 56 rooms and suites, where cherub artwork adds character to simple yet stylish spaces split across various categories that differ in outlook and scale. Perhaps inevitably, the most sought after are the Castle View rooms. Food and wine is, perhaps unsurprisingly, delicious. At Le Grand Saint Michel restaurant, which spills out onto the terrace during warmer weather, menus showcase French cuisine through the lens of seasonal local ingredients. Les Armes du Chateau, occupies a red-shuttered townhouse on the chateau’s main square, where croque monsieurs, pâté de campagne and Caesar salads are ferried between kitchen and diners on its suntrap terrace. Throughout, the wine list champions local AOPs including Cheverny, Touraine and Pouilly-Fumé, while the Loire Valley’s fast-rising craft beer scene is also well represented. There’s a spa with a comprehensive treatment list including hammam, and instead of offering a gym, the hotel wellness persuits spotlight the great outdoors. Ben Olsen
