Auberge du Bon Laboureur

The Auberge du Bon Labourer is composed of five distinctly different, 18th-century buildings that include a former school and post office. Some buildings face a quiet lane in the center of the tiny village of Chenonceaux, but the rest of the grounds are accessed through a gate that leads to a cobblestone courtyard. This is a French country inn out of the pages of a storybook with a turret, slate, mansard roofs with dormers, boxwood-enclosed garden rooms, and climbing roses. The cozy, pale yellow lobby has an old, oak reception desk and a row of coat hooks. The lounge has peach walls and a beamed ceiling, feather-cushioned sofas and armchairs, a wooden bar, and stacks of books for guests to browse. One section of the lounge has tables where breakfast is served for a fee; it includes treats from the local bakery. The on-site Michelin-starred restaurant, with its cream leather armchairs and framed antique prints, opens to a well-tended garden. There's a kitchen garden on-site for the cook's convenience. The pool is large and surrounded by loungers and greenery. Guests, a largely international crowd that includes many couples on romantic getaways, are primarily tourists exploring the area's picturesque castles

Well situated in the Loire Valley, the Auberge du Bon Laboureur is a minute's walk from town, which has a tourist office, bar-tabac, bakery, hotels, and a gift shop. The pretty, busier town of Amboise is a 15- to 20-minute drive away. Sampling wine and exploring historic castles are the primary activities for travelers to the Loire Valley, and the Auberge du Bon Laboureur is perfectly located for just those pursuits: It's a 10-minute walk from Chateau Chenonceaux (a 16th-century castle built on the foundations of a former mill), a 40 minute-drive from Chateau de Cheverny, an hour drive from Chateau de Chambord, and a 35-minute drive from the vaunted Vouvray wines of Chateau Gaudrelle. Guests interested in catching live performances of medieval life can reach La Forteresse du Faucon Noir in about 30 to 40 minutes' drive. There are woodlands around the village for hiking and biking, and horseback riding through the Loire Valley woods at Dos d'Ane in Tour-en-Soulogne about two hours away. The train station of Chenonceaux is a 14-minute drive. The closest airport, Tours Val de Loire, is a 40-minute drive. The airports of Orly and Charles de Gaulle are, respectively, about two hours and 15 minutes and three hours away from the inn by car.

Each room at the Auberge du Bon Laboureur is distinct, yet all are decorated with comfort in mind. Rooms may have cream walls with soft sconce lighting and antique armoires in carved oak, or pink-and-green-striped Roman shades and accent pillows. Another may have a huge, contemporary coffee table surrounded by a quartet of Louis XIV chairs upholstered in chartreuse linen. Yet all rooms have heavy, carved oak doors and large, casement windows that open to pretty vistas, like a small garden with contemporary lawn furniture or an expanse of lawn near the pool. The views are of the lush pastoral grounds. Some of the rooms have fireplaces and large soaking tubs on platforms. Amenities include mini-fridges, coffee/tea facilities, air-conditioning, hairdryers, safes, free Wi-Fi, and flat screen TVs. The bathrooms are roomy, each with an armchair or slipper chair, and luxurious with all-glass stall showers or big, footed tubs, a line of decorative tiles, toilets in separate cubbies, and porcelain sinks set into dark-wood, antique cupboards. The eco-friendly toiletries are wrapped in pretty paper. One down note: Some guests say the soft lighting is too dim. 

This five-building inn has a surprising amount of on-site features for a historic property. There's an outdoor pool with loungers and lush grounds with elegant tables here and there for picnics. There are also bicycles to rent and long, winding roads to pedal on. The Michelin-starred restaurant and breakfast room serve, according to many past guests, delicious but pricey food. Surprisingly, the cozy inn has two meeting rooms and a conference room. Wi-Fi is free throughout, and there's a computer for guests' use. Concierge service is offered during limited hours, as is room service. When guests arrive and depart, the inn offers free valet parking in an ivy-covered garage.