Description
An immersive French experience for the curious traveller
Visit fairy tale castles. Explore the world-famous spectacular castles of the Loire
Valley
Oo la la the food! Start your day with fresh pastries from the
local boulangerie. Enjoy garden to table
food at Bumblebee Manor, picnic hampers full of fabulous French bread,
cheese and wine, and dine at iconic French restaurants
Discover Loire Valley Wines. Join wine expert
Martin for a wine experience like no other. Martin is well known and respected
in the region, giving you privileged access to vineyards, wineries and
winemakers
Dine like royalty. No vacation is complete without a chance to
dress up and experience something very special, maybe a meal at a grand
chateau, a Michelin starred restaurant, a quirky French dining experience, or a
degustation wine pairing dinner with us in the Manor House Dining Room
Lazy afternoons included. Take time to adjust to the slower French pace of
life with lazy afternoons by the heated pool, reading in the garden, or
exploring the local area on our Bumblebee Cruiser bikes
More than a vacation, this is a chance to experience the sights, food, wine and characters of rural France
| Sparkling welcome Bourgeois dinner at Bumblebee Manor | After a 300 km/h train journey on the TGV, you will
be picked up at the Saumur train station and taken to your private
self-contained cottage at Bumblebee Manor in Saint Macaire du Bois, your French
village for the week. A glass of bubbles awaits, along with a briefing on
the week ahead.
This evening we will dine in the formal manoir dining room with the
family porcelain and fine crystal glasses. You will help Sue prepare a
five-course gourmet meal in the classical French Bourgeois style, and enjoy
fabulous local wines. |
| Loire valley wine tour with lunch out Dinner in the manor house garden | Continental breakfast in your cottage then we meet
in the wine room with Martin for a primer on the wines of the Loire Valley, how
to taste wine and unravel the mystique of food pairings. You have privileged
access for a behind the scenes tour of several local vineyards and a chance to
taste a variety of 15+ wines using your new-found skills. Lunch is
provided at a local restaurant with wine of course!
|
| Relaxed morning Local castle visit French restaurant dinner | After our big day yesterday, we will take a moment
to slow down. You are welcome to take a bike ride to the boulangerie with Martin
to get the breakfast pastries for an extravagant brunch on the manor
terrace. In the afternoon we head
off to visit a local castle, we may even sneak in a wine tasting on the
way.
We will return to Bumblebee Manor leaving you plenty of time for a swim
and to get ready for dinner out at a casual French restaurant. |
| Grand castle visit Quiet evening in | A breakfast basket will be delivered to your
cottage so you can get ready for a big day at one of the premier Loire Valley castles.
We will leave early so we can explore the castle before the hoards arrive on
their day trips from Paris! We will take a picnic basket with us and find a
nice spot on the lawn to enjoy an alfresco lunch with a glass of wine.
After our big day out, you will enjoy a private 4 course dinner with
wine in your cottage so you can relax with a quiet evening in. |
| Free day Iconic French restaurant for dinner | A breakfast basket and picnic lunch will be
delivered to your cottage in the morning so that you can spend your day as you
please. You can relax by the pool, grab
one of our Bumblebee cruiser bikes and tootle along our quiet country lanes, or
head further afield and maybe take a balloon ride or a boat cruise on the
Loire. Let us know what you would like
to do, we are happy to help you with reservations and transport.
This evening it is time to dress up and head out to an iconic French
restaurant for dinner. |
| Troglodyte experience | A breakfast basket will be delivered for you to
enjoy at your leisure in your cottage. Mid-morning we will meet at the manor house. Bring a light jacket and good shoes because
today will be spent exploring underground! The area around Bumblebee Manor is famous for its
limestone caves, created when the blocks were quarried to build the beautiful
white castles and houses in the Loire Valley.
These caves are now being used for all manner of interesting activities. After a visit to a magnificent art installation, we
will enjoy a traditional cave lunch of stuffed mushrooms and fouets cooked in a
wood fired oven. The afternoon will be spent exploring an
underground habitation, and then it is on to a prestigious wine house where you
will descend into the caves where grapes undergo the metamorphosis into the
magical Crement de Loire sparkling wine, which you will get to sample of
course!
This evening we will enjoy an alfresco dinner together at Bumblebee
Manor. |
| Explore the town of Saumur Fabulous dinner | After breakfast in your cottage we will head into Saumur. This is also your time to explore Saumur, the castle, the sparkling wine caves, take a boat trip, or visit the Combier distillery, a local distillery producing incredible spirits and liqueurs on equipment designed by Gustaf Eiffel. Yes, THAT Eiffel. This producer only sells locally and to high end bars and gourmet stores abroad. Enjoy a restaurant lunch in Saumur. |
| Champagne Farewell | A champagne breakfast will be served in the dining room to give us a chance to reminisce about our week together experiencing this unique part of France. You will be dropped back to Saumur to pick up the TGV to take you to your next adventure. We won’t say “goodbye” but “au-revoir”, until we meet again. |
Day 3
