Les Sources de Cheverny – a Loire château reborn as a hamlet of its own

Thirty minutes south of Blois, where the gardens of the Loire give way to the wilder forest of Sologne, Les Sources de Cheverny gathers a renovated period château and a scatter of new timber hamlets inside one wooded estate, around a lake, an old forest and stone farmhouses rebuilt as rooms. It opened in 2020 as the second address from Alice and Jérôme Tourbier, who had launched Les Sources de Caudalie among their family vineyards at Château Smith Haut Lafitte in 1999, and it was conceived as a 'Palace des Vignes' for the Loire. The MICHELIN Guide awards the house Two Keys, its recognition for a genuinely exceptional stay, while the kitchen of Le Favori carries a MICHELIN star. With 49 rooms and suites, two restaurants, a wine bar set in the estate's old cellar and a Spa by Caudalie built under an open timber frame, it reads less as a hotel than as a hamlet that happens to take guests.

01The house

The estate reads like a small village built around a single idea: a period château, a hamlet of elegant cabins, a lake ringed with gorse and old stone houses, all coexisting as though the Loire had always arranged itself this way. This peaceful retreat, created by Alice and Jerome Tourbier, is the ideal place to relax, unwind, and enjoy the finer things in life, built on the back of two decades running Les Sources de Caudalie, which Alice and Jérôme Tourbier launched in 1999 in the heart of the family-owned vineyards of Château Smith Haut Lafitte.

Cheverny followed in 2020, when, as the group's own history records, a second five-star retreat, inspired by the concept of a 'Palace des Vignes', came to life in the heart of the Loire Valley vineyards. The design threads the new buildings through the old: the architecture is inspired by local Loire Valley heritage sites and the estate blends perfectly into the surrounding environment. Guests sleep across named hamlets — Le Hameau du Marais, La Maison des Fleurs, La Grange aux Abeilles — each keeping something of a family country house about it.

02Rooms and suites

The 49 rooms and suites are split into four clear categories, each with its own scale and character. According to the hotel's own figures, there are 10 Superior rooms from 13 to 28 m² with a maximum capacity of 2 adults, 17 Prestige rooms from 28 to 37 m² with a maximum capacity of 2 adults, 8 Junior Suites from 31 to 44 m² with a maximum capacity of 3 adults and 13 Suites from 37 to 54 m² with a maximum capacity of 4 adults. Furniture is chosen piece by piece rather than matched: carefully selected antiques sit against fabric and materials picked to tell the story of the region room by room.

Insider tip

A few minutes from Château de Cheverny; book Le Favori ahead as it serves only five sittings a week.

The estate's Signature Suite, Le Baron Perché, stands apart entirely. Perched on stilts above the lake, this magnificent solid wood suite embodies the bucolic charm of Les Sources de Cheverny, and from the top of its tower it majestically overlooks the entire hamlet, offering a panoramic view of the estate and its orchards, with a private Nordic bath promising moments of relaxation. The house also keeps three rooms designed for guests with reduced mobility.

03Where to eat

Le Favori is the estate's gastronomic table and holds one MICHELIN star. The kitchen is led by chef Pierre Frindel, whose approach was shaped while working with Nicolas Masse, two-star chef at La Grand'Vigne, developing a deeply product-driven and intuitive approach, a path that, as the restaurant's own page puts it, led him naturally to Les Sources, where he continues his journey today, committed to excellence with authenticity, intention, and heart. On the plate, the cuisine moves between the Loire Valley, a true royal garden of France with its generous produce, and the rich, wild and mysterious forests of Sologne, with wine chosen by head sommelier Paul Rybard. Gault&Millau rates the room 15.5/20, noting that the restaurant is led by a young, motivated chef who trained within the group under Nicolas Masse in Martillac after a stint at Pavillon Ledoyen under Alléno.

Downstairs in register, L'Auberge is the country table: a rotisserie, an open-plan kitchen in white tile and a fireplace sit inside old stone walls, with a tour of the Loire Valley that draws on vegetables from a market gardener in Mont-Près-Chambord, strawberries from Sologne, and roasted Roi Rose de Touraine pork loin by the fireplace. In summer the dining room spills onto a terrace under a pergola, and snacks run through the afternoon, with a Saturday tea time of cakes, cookies and madeleines.

04The bar

The estate's bar lives where the château once stored its wine. Located in the former cellar of the estate, the bar of the Auberge is a colourful and multi-faceted place, just like the Romorantin vines that ripen their grapes in the sun on the other side of the estate — a nod to the local white grape that gives Cour-Cheverny its singular wines.

05Spa and wellbeing

The Spa by Caudalie sits under its own timber roof at the edge of the forest. Under a magnificent wooden frame with a commanding view of the surrounding nature, a relaxation pool and a hammam promise minutes of relaxation stretched to infinity, alongside a sunbathing terrace and unlimited herbal teas. The tourism board of the area notes the full scope of the facilities: The Caudalie Spa offers an indoor thermal pool and hammam, an outdoor swimming pool and jacuzzi, as well as six treatment rooms.

Treatments lean on the house's grape-based Caudalie formulas, from facials to full-body rituals; in October 2026 the spa listed its Full Ritual, a 30-minute scrub with massage and facial, from €340 on weekdays. Access to the facilities is from 16 years old, with a treatment reservation, or through a 2-hour access to the relaxation pool and hammam by reservation, subject to availability (42€/person). Outdoors, the heated outdoor pool is open from mid-April to October, depending on the weather, for guests only.

06The neighbourhood

The address earns its postcode: Les Sources de Cheverny is located in the heart of the Loire Valley, just a few minutes from Château de Cheverny, in a preserved natural setting between forests and vineyards, with Château de Cheverny in the immediate vicinity, while the Châteaux of Chambord and Blois are easily accessible by car. The whole valley carries UNESCO status, since the Loire Valley is renowned for the richness of its historical heritage, the diversity of its landscapes, and its art of living.

Families gravitate to the ZooParc de Beauval, ranked among the most beautiful zoos in the world, while wine lovers stay closer to the estate: the Cheverny and Cour Cheverny appellations are renowned for their elegant and authentic wines, with several growers nearby open for tastings.

07Making the most of a stay

Beyond the dining rooms and spa, the estate runs its own calendar of outdoor pursuits, from forest walks, yoga or sophrology sessions, forest therapy, and perfecting a golf swing to horseback rides, hot air balloon flights over the vineyards, and a visit to the ZooParc de Beauval. Cyclists can pick up the house's own itinerary along the Loire à Vélo cycle route straight from the gate.

Practicalities are handled with the same care: pets are welcome for an additional charge of EUR 30 per night, though they must be kept on a leash and are not allowed near the swimming pools or inside the restaurants, and free, secure parking is offered with a free valet service. Breakfast runs as a buffet every day from 7:30 am to 10:30 am in the restaurant, or delivered in a basket to your room from 7:30 am to 11:00 am, priced separately when not included in the room rate, as read on the hotel's site in October 2026.

For a weekend. For a lifetime.