The �departments� of Ard�che and Dr�me are both located in the region of the Rh�ne-Alpes region of France. They have little in common with their neighbouring Alpine �departments� and have more similarity with Provence to the south. These �departments� straddle the Rh�ne River with the Vercors and Alps to the east and the Massif Central to the west. Easy to reach by road from the UK and also by TGV and Eurostar, travel options also include low cost flights to N�mes, St. Etienne and Montpellier plus services to Geneva and Lyons. Great holiday destinations at any time of the year, these unspoilt areas of France have much to offer.
ARD�CHE
H�tels de charme Whether attributed with two stars or four, there are hotels in the region that offer certain amenities and levels of comfort that lend them to be included in the �h�tels de charme� category. They may be very different from each other but the use of local materials, the attention to detail and the way the properties reflect the local landscape is quite stunning. Many offer themed packages to their properties that make great weekend breaks at excellent prices.
Hostellerie La Cardinale**** (Baix) Belonging once to a local dignitary, this is an old mansion that sits on the banks of the Rh�ne, at the foot of the Ard�che mountains. This is an original Relais & Ch�teaux property steeped in four centuries of history. The quality of the cuisine, the fine wine cellar and the beautiful setting in twenty-four hectares of parkland mean that this is a hotel worthy of both a stopover and longer stay when travelling through this region.
Auberge Les Murets** (Chandolas) one of the Logis de France group, is a small hotel in a typical eighteenth century �mas� or farmhouse. The hotel sits in a three hectare park surrounded by olive trees and vines in the south of the Ard�che. The cuisine reflects local products and meals can be enjoyed either on the shaded terrace or in the vaulted restaurant. Visit the Pa�olive woods nearby with their petrified rocks and the famous Vallon-Pont-d�Arc bridge.
Relaxing Weekend Package � from �215 for two people sharing a double/twin bedded room on a B&B; basis for two nights. A gastronomic meal for two is also included as well as an �Ard�che� meal.
Autour d�une Fontaine*** (Charmes-sur-Rh�ne) is an unusual hotel that is like a revolving gallery with modern art exhibitions changing regularly. The artistic theme is also reflected in the kitchen where the owner Jean-Maurice Gaudry skillfully combines gastronomic tradition with exquisite flavours as his ancestors did for more than a century. Only the scent of herbs and flowers, the colours of the surrounding vineyards and olive groves invade this haven of tranquility.
Weekend �art de vivre� package � from �274 for two people sharing a double/twin bedded room on a B&B; basis for two nights. A gastronomic meal for two is also included.
Domaine de Rilhac*** (Saint-Agr�ve) Perched on a hill close to Mont-Gerbier-de-Jonc and Mont Mezenc, this granite walled farmhouse has been lovingly restored. Available in this area are open-air pursuits such as golf, mountain biking, horse riding, and fishing. The restaurant is a must! Visit the medieval village of Desaignes nearby or bathe in the Devesset Lake.
The Wellbeing �Discovery� package - �384 for two people sharing a double/twin bedded room on a B&B; basis for two nights. Two gastronomic �discovery� meals for two are also included.
Hostellerie Gourmande M�re Biquette*** (Saint-Pons) is nestled amongst chestnut trees and vineyards of the Mount Coiron valley. The wooden furniture, basalt walls and typical Ard�che fireplace all add to the atmosphere. Visit the medieval town of Alba-la-Romaine and the troglodyte caves of Montbrun nearby.
Chestnut Weekend package from �178 for two people sharing a double/twin bedded room on a B&B; basis for two nights. A gastronomic meal for two is also included.
Domaine de la Musardiere**** (Soyons) was once the home of a local politician. This bourgeois home was restored as a hotel in the late Eighties in the Empire style and houses a collection of �French Schoolmen� paintings. The hotel is close to the �Chemin de la Tour� that takes in some of the famous prehistoric grottos of the region. The archeological site of Soyons takes in 150,000 years of history.
Weekend �Bush� package � from �370 for two people sharing a double/twin bedded room on a B&B; basis for two nights. A gastronomic meal for two is also included.
Chateau d�Uzer (Uzer) has four �ears of corn� from G�tes de France. This castle is just a few miles from Aubenas and has a thirteenth century defence tower, fifteenth century vaults and a nineteenth century wing. The rooms are discretely decorated in different colours and themes. The wooden furniture is antique although the owner, who restored the building, has made some pieces. There is a lovely park surrounding the chateau and a pool in which to bathe before a typical Mediterranean meal in the restaurant.
Le Mas R�v� (Labastide-de-Virac) has four �ears of corn� from G�tes de France. The seventeenth century Provencal farmhouse now has Belgian owners who have tastefully decorated their four bedrooms in different styles. The g�te is in the Ard�che Gorge Nature Reserve with the towering gorge only a few hundred metres away. Meals are served in the rustic kitchen in a super family atmosphere.
Culinary Weekends in the Ard�che
Cooking classes in the Ard�che in the spa town of Vals-les-Bains. Staying at the three star Hotel du Vivarais, an interesting 1930�s property, you will learn all about Ard�chois cuisine from Christiane Brioude, a highly respected chef, as well as how to prepare dishes that give a special flavour to local produce.
On Saturday morning you will have your first lesson in cooking �a la Ard�chois� and for lunch will enjoy the fruits of your labours! In the afternoon, visit the local maker of chestnut caramels and the winery of Vinezac. Dinner on Saturday evening is followed on Sunday morning by a tour of Vals-les-Bains visiting the local market and the �Intermittent Spring�! Another �must do� is a tour of the Bourganel Brewery next door to the hotel where chestnut beer is made.
Cooking Package from �420 for two people sharing a double/twin bedded room on a half-board basis for two nights.
Menus Curieux is a new association of professionals who share their love of the local area with visitors. The emphasis is on the superb flavours of the Ard�che. Those interested in cooking or simply in botany can enjoy tasting the numerous wild, edible plants and delicious local fruit and vegetables. You stay in bed and breakfast accommodation and share in your host�s way of life, their interests and activities. The weekend breaks change slightly with the seasons so that in spring you may go in search of edible wild plants by the wayside, whereas in autumn it may be a visit to local farmers who will explain the use of their various crops and introduce you to forgotten and exotic fruits, vegetables and herbs. At the end of the day you will learn how to prepare the very plants you have gathered and make a meal with your hosts. The programme is very flexible so you could be enjoying a botanical walk, discovering the local flora with a gourmet botanist as a guide, starting your own dried flower collection or visiting some of the picturesque villages nearby.
Menus curieux packages start from �250 for two people for two nights sharing a double or twin bedded room on B&B; basis in a �chambre d�h�te�. A picnic or hot meal at lunchtime on Saturday and an evening meal, both with drinks is also in the package as are the services of your hosts as guides on the walk.
Weekends in Chestnutland The Ard�che is the prime producer of chestnuts in France. Chestnut farming has changed the landscape and the way of life of the people. This weekend of chestnut discovery is hosted in luxurious bed and breakfast accommodation at a nineteenth century silk mill furnished with period furniture. You will visit a chestnut grove and pick chestnuts destined for jam making. You will also visit the Bourganel Brewery in the spa resort of Vals-les-Bains where chestnut beer is made. You can either make jam that you will be able to bring home with you or visit the surrounding area including the Ray-Pic Waterfall, a typical village of the Cevennes and the volcanic heritage of the region. There is time to visit the Chestnut Grove Museum in Joyeuse or the Chestnut Tree House in St.Pierreville. There is time to taste the chestnut sweets, chestnut jam, chestnut liqueur, chestnut shortcake, chestnut beer�
The Chestnut Package is �169 per person for two nights sharing a double or twin room on a full board basis. Guides for the walks and cookery classes are also included in the price. Weekends are available between October 5th and November 5th 2003.
The British come to the Ard�che
Nigel Farrell and Nippi Singh bought a three hundred year old house in the Ard�che and their restoration of the property was filmed for Channel Four, broadcast last October.
Geraldene Holt is a famous food writer living in St.Montan, whose second book has just been published in the UK. Geraldene writes about the local herbs and plants and how to cook the most delicious recipes using them. She also evokes the village where she resides, her friends and neighbours, the climate and landscape.
Christine Wood is an artist and restorer of antique furniture, a decorator who has been living in the Ard�che since 1997 in a stately home bought by her parents in the �40�s. Her skills are in much demand recreating the Proven�al interiors of yesteryear, now fashionable once again.
Diana Little from Croydon married a Belgian, moved to the Ard�che and opened a charming bed and breakfast in the village of Labastide-de-Virac, a true �home from home� in what was a fifteenth century silkworm farm!
Diana and Aubyn Howard acquired and restored the eighteenth Ch�teau Chavagnac, redecorated, refurnished and opened as a bed and breakfast establishment plum in the middle of the Rh�ne wine country.
Graham Murphy from Surrey decided to open a gite in the Ard�che thus moving there over twenty years ago. Graham can organise themed holidays for his clients based around prehistory, painting, mushrooms, hiking�
Carol Cameron from Rugby and her Scottish husband bought a set of ruins near Largenti�re ten years ago and miraculously turned them into a series of g�tes. They chose the Ard�che as it seemed fewer British people lived in the area compared to the Dordogne and Provence.
Prehistory in the Ard�che
Villages of Character
There are forty or so villages in the Ard�che renowned for their exceptional qualities, typical of the area. Two new villages have just joined the eight original �Villages de Caract�re�.
Naves is a medieval village in miniature, nestling in olive grove clad hills. The seventeenth century Romanesque church was restored in the seventeenth century.
Vinezac with its winding streets, red and grey houses and boules played under the mulberry tree is another medieval village surrounded by vineyards.
F�tes and Festivals � a selection
For more information contact:
Adriena Daunt, Account Manager
Tel: 020 8875 2850
Email:
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