La Domaine des Hauts de Loire

Description:

• Less than 3km (1 3/4 miles) from the Château de Chaumont, this Relais & Châteaux property sits on the opposite side of the Loire. The manor house was built by the owner of a Paris-based newspaper in 1840 and called, rather coyly, a "hunting lodge." It's the most appealing stopover in the neighborhood, with rooms decorated in Louis Philippe or Empire style. More than half of the rooms are in the slightly less desirable half-timbered annex that was originally the stables.

  The stately dining room is open to nonguests who phone in advance. Its well-prepared food is a local favorite. The menu includes a salad of marinated eel with shallot-flavored vinaigrette, scampi served in celery-based consommé with roasted chestnuts and fried ham, carpaccio of scallops with Iberian ham, roasted pikeperch with parsley sauce and coconut, and pigeon roasted with rutabaga and served with the oil from smoked nuts. Main courses range from 46€ to 66€ ($67-$96), with fixed-price menus offered at 75€ ($109), 90€ ($131), and 150€ ($218).

• © Frommer's 2012

Awards:

Frommer's

•  Highly Recommended 2010