15th Century Manor House with Pool

Manoir de Bonnivet details

Home description

Situated in the Indre-et-Loire, 5 minutes from Chinon, Bonnivet is a manoir set in beautiful grounds bordered by the Vienne river. The quietness of the riverside attracts many different species of birds; cormorants and herons, gulls, kingfishers and animals such as beavers. There are three canoes available to explore the river.

Chinon is a medieval town, which lies on the banks of the Vienne, crowned by an old fortress château towering high above it. The centre of the town has many lovely old houses, particularly around the Rue Voltaire and the Place du Grand Carroi, which has associations with such historical figures as Richard Coeur-de-Lion and Joan of Arc, who stayed at the inn here while waiting to be received by the king. The poet Rabelais spent his early years here, which inspired several of his poems; it isn't hard to imagine the town teeming with Rabelaisian life.

Chinon has all kinds of shops, markets every Sunday and Tuesday morning and a good choice of restaurants. It is also famous for its wine and there is lots of opportunity to taste or visit some of the vineyards and the wine museum.

Accommodation detail

The entrance to the house is via the original stone steps that lead into:

• Living/dining room - a large room, at the centre of which is a big stone fireplace with carved illustrations of the discovery of America. The whole house is decorated and furnished in period style. The salon also has a hi-fi.
• Kitchen - is equipped with all modern comforts, which include dishwasher and washing machine, oven and microwave, a fridge/freezer, toaster, coffee maker and kettle.
• Bedroom one - has double bed
• Bedroom two - also has double bed
• Bedroom three - has a single bed
• Bedroom four - has twin beds
• Bedroom five - also has twin beds
• Bathroom one - has a bath
• Bathroom two - has a shower

Outside:

The terrace has a barbecue and garden furniture and looks onto the garden, which has sun loungers scattered about, and there is a swimming pool. Both adults and children can enjoy trips in the canoes and discover the gentle, wild beauty of the river.

There are guides and general local information in English and French in the house.

About the location

Some of the greatest of the Loire châteaux are less than an hour's drive. Chenonceaux (45 minutes), built over the river Cher in 1520, is a must. Given to his mistress Diane de Poitiers by Henry II, it was later owned by Catherine de Medici, who created part of the gardens there.

The gracious Renaissance Château d'Azay-le-Rideau (15 minutes) is beautifully set amongst trees on the edge of a small village, moated by the Indre river. The gardens especially are worth seeing.

Chambord (1 hour), a forerunner of Versailles, is the largest and perhaps the most imposing of all with no fewer than 440 rooms and a huge staircase. Many of the kings of France came to spend the summer here and Moliére wrote several of his plays while staying here.

Chinon is a town of about 10 000 people where you can find nice shops, a cinema and some really good restaurants: traditionnal, italian and chinese.

Each Thursday morning a market takes place on the big Joan of Arc's place and every Sunday morning on the Town Hall place.

See Local guide and map for information on nearby towns and facilities.

Activities near by

Billiards, Bird Watching, Canoeing, Cycling, Fishing, Go karting, Golf, Gourmet dining, Horse riding, Pottery, Shopping, Swimming, Tennis, Tree adventure park, Walking, Wine tasting

See Activities and attractions for more information on nearby activities and places of interest.

How to get here

Airports

• Paris - 230 kms
• Tours - 50 kms
• Car hire available

Road

• A10 from Paris
• Tours - 50 kms
• Saumur - 25 kms

Rail

• Chinon - 3 kms (TGV)

See Local guide and map for information on nearby towns and airports.