Romantic weekends

Villa Carioca © DR
Spring is here and summer on the way. All around Paris charming accommodations await lovers looking for sweet and intimate nights or weekends. Take your pick.

[ Practical ]

Yvelines
- Villa Carioca
1night with breakfast: 134 to 144 € for 2
Tel : 0139625705, www.villacarioca.fr
- Le Bateau de Flo
1night with breakfast : 80 € for 2
Tel : 0684542113
Val d’Oise
- Maison du Tourisme du Val d’Oise
Package including night at the Hostellerie du Prieuré, breakfast and dinner (without wine) : 105 € per person.
Tel : 0130295100, www.valdoise-tourisme.com
- Hostellerie du Prieuré
Rooms from 110 to 180 €. With gastronomic dinner, wines and a cup of champagne : from 125 to 140 € per person depending on the room. With 3 hours spa and a bottle of champagne : 185 € per person.
Tel : 0134275151, www.hostelduprieure.com
- Les Jardins d’Epicure
Rooms from 110 to 250 €, suites : 350 €.
Package with breakfast, champagne reception and dinner : from 140 € per person.
Tel : 0134677587, www.lesjardinsdepicure.com
Eure - Château de Requiécourt
Rooms : from 85 to 125 € breakfast included
Tel : 0232553702, www.chateauderequiecourt.com
- Prés du Hom
Rooms : from 70 to 75 €. Candle lit dinner : 56 €. “Escapade Amoureuse” package : 140 €. “Bien Etre” package : 290 € (4 hours), 200 € (2 hours).
Tel : 0232556119, www.presduhom.com
Jumièges
- Clos des Fontaines
Rooms : from 105 to 125 €. Rooms and suites balnéo : from 125 to 200 €. Duplex balnéo : from 200 to 220 €.
Tel : 0235339696, www.leclosdesfontaines.com
Oise
- Le 33
80 € / night for 2, breakfast included.
Tel : 0344819490 / 06868972, http://letrentetrois.free.fr
- Domaine de la Fontaine des Roches
80 € /night for 2, breakfast included.
Tel : 0344428564, www.oisermitage.com
- Château de Montvillargenne
Rooms from 180 €.
Week end offer valid on Friday and Sunday nights : 130 or 170 € depending on the room with buffet breakfast.
“Romance” package : from 335 €
Tel : 0344623737, www.chateaudemontvillargenne.com
No need to go very far from Paris to find sophisticated places full of calm for an intimate stay. Only 20 minutes by RER from the capital in Maisons-Lafitte the two rooms villa Carioca gives you the chance to stay in a Second Empire style villa located in a haven of peace. The vast park nearby used to belong to the superb 17th century castles built by Mansart, the same architect who designed Versailles. This chic and wealthy town in the western suburbs of Paris is also home to an excellent restaurant, the Tastevin.
Still in the Yvelines, in Port Marly, you can choose to spend the night on water. In the one room bed and breakfast “Le Bateau de Flo”, a canal boat moored along one of the embranchments of the Seine. A pastoral environment ideal for strolling in, as is the beautiful park of Marly. The only remains of one of Louis XIV’s palaces. In the evening, it’s back to the port for dinner at La Petite Marche before heading back to the floating love nest.




Jardins d'Epicure © DR
 Florentine villa
In Val d’Oise, in Saint-Prix, 15 km away from Paris, Hostellerie du Prieuré offers 8 charmingly decorated and differently coloured rooms and suites. Safari, which evokes Africa. Aladin, which takes you to the Orient. Pompadour, Maintenon and Romance, which harmoniously bend romanticism and nature. Capitaine, to dive into the marine universe. Coloniale, which makes you believe you are in the Tropics. Victor Hugo, with a literary atmosphere…. Add to that, “A La Grace de Dieu” a gastronomic restaurant right next door and you’re set for a cozy and intimate stay. Still it would be a pity not to wander around the paved narrow streets of this charming little town with its old houses and 12th century church. More luxurious, but further away, in Bray et Lu, Les Jardins d’Epicure have one apartment and 11 rooms or suites set up in a Florentine villa, a Napoleon III castle and a former stable. With in addition swimming pool, jacuzzi, hammam, sauna, high quality restaurant, gardens and a terrace by the river. Total relaxation just an hour away from Paris and close to La Roche Guyon, a picturesque village dominated by a half medieval half residential castle stuck to a cliff.



Château de Requiécourt © C.Long
 Candlelight dinner
Monet’s village, Giverny, is also near by, as is Normandy and the department of Eure, which also boasts some fine addresses. For example, the Château de Requiécourt and its five pastel coloured rooms. A 19th century building surrounded by a 11 ha park with centennial trees and ponds where ducks paddle. And if you book in advance you can enjoy a session of shiatsu, a Japanese massage. Dinner can be taken in Vernon 15km away, where the restaurant Les Fleurs is famous for its dishes adorned with petals.
In Bézu Saint Eloi, near Gisors, Domaine des Prés du Hom has two spacious and tastefully furnished rooms set up in a former orangery surrounded by a vast garden. If you don’t want to go out for dinner, there is no problem. On request the lady of the house will serve it in your room lit by candles. She also offers two packages. “Escapade Amoureuse”, with bath robes, half a bottle of champagne and essential oils for massage. “Bien Etre”, with four or two hours of massages and cares.



Clos des Fontaines © DR
 In a bend of the Seine
Further to the west, after Rouen, the exceptional location of Clos des Fontaine justifies the extra distance driven. With 6 rooms, 1 suite and 1 duplex, this hotel is nested in a bend of the Seine and, coming from Paris, the easiest way to get there is to cross the river on a ferry. Already a little out of the ordinary. But there’s more to come. Just beside stand the majestic ruins of the medieval abbey of Jumièges, once one of the largest in France. In addition the paths running along the Seine make for very enjoyable walking and the village has a good restaurant, l’Auberge des Ruines.
To wrap thing up, let’s head to Oise, north of Paris, where in the village of Auteuil three bed and breakfast rooms have been opened in a former post relay station. Decorated in beige, white and grey tones and adorned with odds and ends, it gives the feeling of being in Belgium or in the Netherlands. But not at all, the closest town is Beauvais, where you can discover one of France’s largest cathedrals and have a tête à tête dinner at La Maison Haute.



Ermitage © DR
 Special treat
In the middle of the countryside, the Ermitage du Domaine de la Fontaine des Roches is a large 19th century Anglo-Norman house. Located on the 1st floor, the four spacious and comfortable rooms have great views over the surrounding park. From there, just a stone’s throw away is Pierrefonds, a little town dominated by a medieval castle which despite its sturdy walls looks a little like it could be home to Sleeping Beauty. In addition numerous paths lead through the nearby forest of Compiègne, ideal for exploring together on foot or horseback. In the villages in this area you can find renowned restaurants such as the Auberge A La Bonne Idée, in Saint Jean aux Bois, or the Auberge du Daguet, in Vieux-Moulin. Everything you need to have a wonderful time. But if you have decided to offer your beloved a really special treat you might choose to spend the night in Château de Montvillargenne, near Chantilly. A luxurious atmosphere, sumptuous decor, a swimming pool, a vast and comfortable room guarantee you a high class week end. Even more romantic, the “Romance” package includes one hour massage, aphrodisiac dinner as well as roses petals, surprise gift and a bottle of champagne in your room.

April 28, 2008
Thierry Joly