Domaine des Etangs FRANCE
Calling all nature lovers! If you want a ’moon that’s filled with birds, butterflies and smatterings of celestial loveliness, head to Domaines des Etangs. This under the-radar 11th-century castle is as dreamy as they come. Set in 2,500 wildflower speckled acres, in a little-visited corner of south-western France, the whimsical property is a celebration of all creatures great and small, from the tiny dragonfly details on the menus, to the cows in the surrounding meadows.
Honeymoon at Domaine des Etangs FRANCE Photo Gallery
There are 29 rooms, some scattered across farmhouse buildings and others in the castle itself (a focal point of our circular turret room was a breathtaking spiderweb of criss-crossed beams high up in the rafters). Interiors are exquisite: antique telescopes stand at floor-to-ceiling windows, while works of art by Matisse and Picasso jostle for wall space alongside prints of beetles, vultures and crocodiles, which watch over you as you climb the winding staircases.
Food here is unapologetically hearty and resolutely French: think feastlike tasting menus of foie gras, truffle-laced sweetbreads and cannelloni of snails. And if you want to dial up the luxe factor even further, book in for a restorative Rekindling The Stars massage at the steeped-in-history spa, which has vestiges of the old water mill beautifully preserved at its centre. THE LUXE TOUCH Stroll, boat and picnic your way around the meadows and lakes and be sure to keep your ears open: you’ll catch the faint tinkling of music coming from the flowerbeds (fed through teeny hidden-away speakers).
GO Scott Dunn (scottdunn.com) offers seven nights in a double room from £1,500 per person, B&B, including flights and private transfers.
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