Apartment (LL002203) - 1 Bedroom - Apartment - Saumur

Facilities

Apartment - Sleeps: 2, Bedrooms: 1

Low season (7 April 2012 – 30 June 2012, 1 September 2012 – 29 September 2012):
7 nights £300;
14 nights £540.
High season (30 June 2012 – 1 September 2012):
7 nights £380;
14 nights £680.
Arrival day Saturday.
Price includes bed linen, towels, electricity, water, heating, end of stay cleaning & laundering, maintenance of exterior terrace, visitor tax, and entitlement to reduced fare with Brittany Ferries.

To book this property use the contact details below quoting Holiday France Direct ref: LL002203.

Owners Recommendations

Eating Out

'Four Auberges near Montsoreau'
"Four of the best restaurants within easy reach of Montsoreau are all "auberges," complete with wooden beams, rustic ambience and local fare: "Auberge de la Route d'Or" in Candes Saint-Martin is a short walk away; "Auberge de la Mangeoire" is a couple of miles along the road at Parnay; "Auberge de la Reine de Sicile" on the island in Saumur is a hidden gem; and "Auberge de Saint-Pierre," on a lively square in the heart of Saumur, is a tourist favourite - but watch out for the immense, low beams in the rear dining room! "

'Le Trianon, Saumur'
"Octagenarian patron and chef Monsieur Jacques' traditional bistrot, next to le Palace cinema on the Saumur quayside, is an authentic taste of 1950s France. Set menu (€9.90 excluding drinks) of simple fare from entirely fresh food. Open daily apart from Sunday evenings. Fills up quickly. Terrace. Don't be put off by the dauntingly down-at-heel exterior. French fans have created a facebook page (www.facebook.com/pages/Saumur-France/Le-Trianon-Saumur/59264892899) and there's also a 360 degrees video clip (www.360ouest.com/photo.php?id=795). For the folklore, gents could lunch here after a haircut at gentlemen's barber Pierre Alain, on rue Molière, behind the theatre. "

'Monsoreau café-bars and restos '
"Try your hand at ordering coffee, plat du jour or apéritif on the terrace of Le P’tit Bar or one of the 2 other cafés on place du Mail, the main square in Montsoreau. Get there early on Sunday mornings when the weekly food market is held on the square. Just 100 yards from the apartment, hôtel le Bussy serve reasonably-priced meals on their very pleasant terrace overlooking the Loire and the castle (www.hotel-lebussy.fr). Another Montsoreau eatery with character, just along from the crêperie La Dentellière, is the Aigue Marine barge ('peniche') restaurant, moored to the quayside of the Loire, where you can enjoy hot bread fouées, fried eels and other good-value meals (menus from 12 to 28 Euros). The French proprietress studied art in London (www.ot-saumur.fr/restaurant-aigue-marine_a2231.html). A more famous London artist - Turner - stopped to sketch the view from a spot nearby on his tour of the Loire in 1826, although whether he visited any of the local cabarets, or indeed tasted the fried eels, is not recorded. "

'Restos Diane de Méridor (Montsoreau) and La Licorne (Fontevraud)'
"A couple of minutes' walk to the quayside restaurant "Diane de Méridor," named after "La Dame de Monsoreau" (sic) of the eponymous historical novel by Alexandre Dumas (France's version of Sir Walter Scott). Featured in Sunday Times "Traveller" June 2008. Regional cuisine, cosy atmosphere, views over the Loire and friendly, attentive service (www.ot-saumur.fr/restaurant-diane-de-meridor_a915.html). In neighbouring village Fontevraud, La Licorne was recently relegated from "one-star" status to the still-pretty-exclusive club of "particularly pleasant" restaurants (judgment handed down in 2009 by the small army of Red Guide inspectors). Food here is excellent and the wine list has more Loire Valley wines than you could shake a waiter's friend at. Also featured in Sunday Times "Traveller" June 2008. Reservation advised (www.la-licorne-restaurant.com). "

Local Area and Activities

'Beach at Candes Saint-Martin'
"Swimming in rivers is so French! The apartment is one mile from this sandy, south-facing beach on the spit of land where the Vienne joins the Loire. A pleasant cycle or walk through picturesque Candes, or you can drive down and park in a field in the woods next to the river. Have a dip in the Vienne (swimming isn't allowed in the Loire, in case one of its constantly-changing sandbanks decides to do so while you are standing on it). Watch the pleasure boats plying up and down and rowing boats crossing back and forth the Vienne. Popular with French families in the high season, but there's always plenty of space. Gorgeous sunsets over the beautiful village and church of Candes Saint-Martin, where the cloak-splitting patron saint of France died in 397 AD."

'Beautiful Villages of Montsoreau and Candes Saint-Martin'
"Wander around the tranquil, flower-lined lanes of these adjoining conservation villages, poised below vineyard-topped tuffeau cliffs offering panoramic views of the Château de Montsoreau and the confluence of the Loire and the Vienne. The local seigneur had the castle built in the 1450s, after the end of the Hundred Years War, in order to extort tolls from passing river traffic. Nowadays, the château (in local authority ownership) demands a modest fee for entrance to its atmospheric, multimedia exhibition, to help you to imagine what life was like on the Loire in the past. Admire the view from the top before descending the circular staircase to sample Saumurois wine in the chateau's own cave (www.chateau-montsoreau.com). Both Montsoreau and Candes Saint-Martin are members of the 151-strong association Les Plus Beaux Villages de France and Montsoreau is one of only two members in the Pays de la Loire region (www.les-plus-beaux-villages-de-france.org). A "village fleuri", Montsoreau was featured in "Country Living" in May 2006. Although not currently available in English, information on Montsoreau community council’s website will help you plan your visit (www.ville-montsoreau.fr). "

'Bird Watching trips on the Loire near Saumur'
"Every weekend from April to September and daily from June through August you can enjoy a bird watching trip, guided in French and English, on the "Loire de Lumière". Departing a few miles downstream of Saumur, the trip lasts 75 minutes. Children will love spotting kingfishers, herons, terns and many other birds as well as beaver-knawed trees on the riverside. We saw a rare migrating osprey perched on top of a riverside tree when we took a trip in April 2006 (www.loiredelumiere.com). Also worth noting is the tiny Ile de Parnay, a mile downstream from Montsoreau, which provides sanctuary for thousands of migratory birds every year. Beware of confusing rarely-seen beavers with their brash American cousins, the coypu, the grey squirrels of the beaver world. "

'Canoeing from Chinon to Montsoreau'
"In the summer you can rent canoes from next to the campsite in Chinon, and paddle downstream on the gently flowing Vienne to its confluence with the Loire at Montsoreau. The rental company will collect the canoes and will even pick you up in the middle if you get slowed down by a headwind as we once did! Take time to look around the medieval town of Chinon, dominated by its fortress where Joan of Arc relaunched the French campaign to rid France of the English! Another tranquil spot to rent a canoe is on the Thouet at Montreuil-Bellay, a few miles south of Saumur. "

'Cycling in the countryside around Montsoreau'
"The Loire Valley is great for cyclists of all ages, who pass through Montsoreau all the year round. Facilities are growing fast thanks to the efforts of the "Loire à Vélo" campaign (www.loire-a-velo.fr). Bikes now seem to outnumber walkers tackling the GR 3 long-distance footpath, which follows the Loire from its source to the sea and passes just behind the apartment (fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/GR_3). In summer you can rent bikes in Candes St.Martin or Fontevraud. The vast, flat plain of the elusive River Authion, across the bridge over the Loire from Montsoreau, is easily accessible and from there you can continue on up a gentle slope into the forest of Brain-sur-Allonnes, with its honey producers. "

'Doué-la-Fontaine Zoo'
"Children will love this charming zoo developed in former "falun" quarries on the outskirts of the small town of Doué-la-Fontaine, half an hour's drive from Montsoreau. An enjoyable family afternoon out, but watch out for the giraffes when you're eating your ice cream cones! Beware of the goats: they'll eat your guidebook if you turn your back on them for an instant! (www.zoodoue.fr)"

'Fairytale Gardens of Château du Rivau near Chinon'
"There are any number of lovely châteaux to visit near Montsoreau, but 13th century Château du Rivau is particularly charming. Mentioned by Rabelais, whose birthplace at La Devinière between Montsoreau and Chinon is also interesting to visit, the Château is now renowned for its light and airy "fairytale" gardens. Designed by proprietor and modern art collector Patricia Laigneau as an historical recreation of Middle Ages gardens, you'll enjoy the thought-provoking contemporary art installations, including giant legs running through the trees! There is a programme of concerts and events including a pumpkin festival in autumn. Discounted entry for RHS members. 17 miles from Montsoreau (www.chateaudurivau.com/english)."

'Fontevraud Abbey'
"The 900-years old monastery complex of Fontevraud Abbey, 3 miles south of Montsoreau, is justifiably one of the biggest tourist attractions in the west of France. The impressively high nave houses 4 recumbent statues which once rested on the tombs of monarchs of France and England, including Eleanor of Aquitaine, Richard the Lionheart and Isabella d'Angoulême, who "bad" King John abducted and married (he spent his childhood at Fontevraud and his heart was buried in the crypt). Admire the multi-chimneyed Romanesque kitchens and the meticulously restored gardens. Interesting exhibitions in the former dormitories. Houses the Cultural Centre of the west of France which hosts concerts throughout the year and sells cds of a huge range of classical music recordings made in the refectory. Writer Jean Genet was an inmate during the period when Fontevraud, like other monasteries after the French Revolution, was used as a prison. http://www.abbaye-fontevraud.com/eng_index.php"

'Golf de Roiffé'
"This golf course is part of a country club at Saint-Hilaire, 5 miles south of Montsoreau. Plays a bit like a (sunny!) Scottish links course with hard fairways and long rough. The greens are watered. Nice bar for 19th hole, situated US-style midway between outward and back nines. You can rent clubs, caddy-cars and motorised buggies. Also tennis (en.tourisme-vienne.com/sport-nature/roiffe/466/golf-st-hilaire-roiffe). Baugé (where a Franco-Scottish force beat and killed Henry V's brother, Clarence, in 1421), some 28 miles north of Montsoreau, is home to a good course, while there's another on the southern slopes of Saumur. "

'Horse Riding near Montsoreau'
"Home of the National Riding School, Saumur is the equestrian capital of France. There are several good places to go horse riding near Montsoreau. Besides those clustered around the National Riding School, we recommend the Centre Equestre d'Isoré (http://equisore.free.fr) at Beaumont-en-Véron a few miles from Montsoreau or another stables at Villandry (opposite the famous château and gardens). Both are areas where the countryside is gentle, calm and well-provided with suitable trails. On the way back visit the Ecomusée du Véron, celebrating the life and crafts of the area that now forms part of the Parc Naturel Régional Loire-Anjou-Touraine. The park's brand-new, environmentally-friendly Visitor Centre, "La Maison du Parc", opened in 2008 in Montsoreau. Also housing the village's own tourist information service, the Maison du Parc is a few minutes on foot from our house (www.parc-loire-anjou-touraine.fr/Article-Visiter.php?lang=ANG&idcat=AEEA&idarticle=290). "

'Le Saut aux Loups Mushroom Caves, Montsoreau'
"You must visit at least one set of caves during your stay in Montsoreau. Why not saunter along the road to the celebrated mushroom-growing caves of "Le Saut aux Loups"? Quarried out of the limestone cliff overlooking the Loire, the kilometres of caves house an interesting exhibition of the stages of mushroom cultivation for which the Saumur area is the principal region in France. You can also buy mushrooms, including rare varieties, and sample them in the restaurant (www.troglo-sautauxloups.com). Other cave experiences nearby include producers of "pommes tapées" (dried apples) along from neighbouring village on the "côte Saumuroise", Turquant (www.cote-saumuroise.com), Saumur's fizzy wine makers, the Château de Brézé, and old troglodyte houses at Rochemenier and Doué-la-Fontaine. "

'Val de Thouet swimming pool, Saumur'
"Sadly, it won't be possible to enjoy covered swimming in the modern, airy and clean municipal Val de Thouet pool in Saumur from 30 June 2010 until the end of December 20101 as it will be closed for renovation. Until then, there's a flume in the children's pool, a separate pool to do your lengths in and a balcony area upstairs for lounging around. Men beware: the gimlet-eyed attendants won't let you into the pool wearing anything resembling "shorts"; only "trunks" are allowed (as in all French pools for hygiene reasons). The pool at Avoine near Chinon is also a good modern one. There's a slightly older, but popular, open-air pool near the campsite on the island in Saumur. "

Markets and Shopping

'Aux Pains de Diane, Montsoreau'
"A leisurely stroll down for morning croissants and pain au chocolat from the friendly baker’s opposite the Loire in Montsoreau. Closed on Mondays, when the VIVECO grocery does a depôt de pain. Boulangerie du Portail Louis on the street of the same name in central Saumur is also very popular. Fontevraud village has two bakers: the one on the corner opposite the entrance to the Abbey (and also the nearest ATM to the apartment) is the best, but the one at the bottom of the hill is open late, until 9.30 p.m."

'Aux Saveurs de la Tonnelle, Saumur'
"This well-stocked wine cave on Rue de la Tonnelle in the centre of Saumur is a great place to stock up on wines to transport to your home. The knowledgeable, English-speaking caviste keeps hundreds of Loire Valley wines as well as a selection from Bordeaux (and there's an excellent little cheese shop just round the corner). The wine department in the Leclerc supermarket in Saumur is also recommended. We haven't seen Gérard Depardieu's wine (he has a château nearby in Anjou) on sale in either shop, though! If you prefer to steer clear of the gendarmes, you can do your 'dégustation' of a variety of Loire valley wines 'à pied' in Montsoreau and Candes, by visiting the local caves, or Domaine La Perruche (along from the bakery), to taste and buy some Saumur-Champigny. "

'Les Puces de Montsoreau'
"Every second Sunday in the month, from 9 am to 6 pm, dozens of "brocante" dealers set up stall along the Quay de la Loire at Montsoreau selling secondhand goods of all descriptions: just the place to find a souvenir to take home. If you miss the one in Montsoreau, the peripatetic brocante market is held in Chinon every third Sunday in the month, from 7 am to 8 pm, and on boulevard Béranger in Tours every fourth Sunday in the month. "

'Weekly Markets in Montsoreau (Sunday morning) and Bourgeuil (Tuesday morning)'
"Low food miles and high quality produce at these popular markets. Montsoreau's is held on the main square every Sunday morning. Regional cheese, fresh fruit and vegetables, meat and charcuterie, and mushrooms picked the same morning from local caves. One of our guests told us the free-range chicken, organically reared near Loudun, he bought at the market was the best he'd ever tasted! We have even seen a Chinese camera crew filming the market! At 8 miles from Montsoreau, Bourgeuil's market on Tuesday mornings is renowned for its local produce and rustic atmosphere. "

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Page Last updated: 19 Dec 2011

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