I would love to tell you that we stayed in a grand castle, such as this one, when we toured around the Loire Valley in the picturesque country region of France. Unfortunately castles like this are not hotels and the smaller ones which were, were super luxurious but slightly expensive. We opted for a very quaint and comfortable Air B&B accommodation within a reasonable distance to most of the castles which we wanted to visit. Wandering around the castle grounds, enjoying the results of many hours of labour which gardeners had poured into grooming it was luxury enough for us. And since we had already visited the interior of a few castles already, we were happy to give a tour of Château de Villandry a miss.
The grounds of Château de Villandry are exceptionally beautiful. Within the beautiful Renaissance gardens there are ornamental flowers, vegetables and a water garden. The vibrant orange pumpkins and the low box hedges, carved in their formal patterns, were a couple of highlights throughout the garden. The romantic tree-lined paths provided shelter from the French summer sun.
Roaming around such properties always has me wishing that they existed in Australia. I do wonder if they would be so exciting to visit if they were so easily accessible. There would definitely be plenty of brides and grooms vying for photography space on the weekends!
Luxury Holiday
The visit to the Loire Valley of France was definitely a luxury holiday for us. We toured the interior of a few castles and enjoyed the manicured gardens of more castles. Let’s just say that we were a bit ‘castled-out’ by the time we left there. The weather was lovely, as it was late summer in France. We had plenty of time on our hands, extending our stay for a few extra days as we enjoyed it so much. The Loire Valley is a must for all you romantics and lovers of castles out there.
Wearing a Zara skirt, H&M top, Wittner shoes, Max Mara sunglasses.