Chateau Richeux: A Decadent Escape from Paris

We don’t know about you, but we think we may just be starting to get sick of winter. Now that the novelty of bundling up in colorful tights, capes, gloves and scarves is starting to wear off, it’s time to turn our thoughts to the sweeter months and dream about once again lounging on café terraces, picnicking on the Pont Des Arts and taking weekend trips to La Baule. To help keep our minds on the prize, here is a lovely post by Andi (from the fantastic blog Misadventures with Andi) about what might just be the perfect springtime getaway from Paris…

Chateau Richeux, view of the chateau and a room (Courtesy of Chateaux Richeu)

If I could travel with anyone in the world, it would be with Anthony Bourdain. But since unfortunately that is not likely, for the time being I’ll just have to follow him on his excursions.  When I saw his show on Brittany where he highlighted Le Chateau Richeux owned by Chef Olivier Roellinger, I knew immediately that I must go there and experience it for myself.

And I was not disappointed. The harmony and aesthetics of this piece of heaven are unimaginable; every single sense has been accounted for. You must see it, hear it, smell it, feel it and taste it to understand.

Walking the grounds of the chateau, I noticed benches placed thoughtfully to encourage rest, relaxation and the errant daydream. I ran into a little cabin where bread is baked daily ‘a la tradition’, not only to service the hotel but also to satiate hungry wanderers such as myself.

Chef Roellinger’s Spices (Leafar.)

Passing through a garden of spices, I came upon a flower garden filled with dahlias and other floral species followed by a vegetable garden with tomatoes, peppers, basil and many species of pumpkin and squash — all this to service the chef’s restaurant, Le Coquillage, where garden finds accompany local seafood à merveille.

At Le Coquillage, multiple layers of delicate spices, about which Monsieur Roellinger is clearly passionate, accentuate each dish. Order two days ahead of time and you can indulge in a Plateau Royal the likes of which you have never seen.

The meal is completed with a beautiful cheese service — par for the course in nearly all good restaurants. The original touch here is that the dessert service follows the same principle! Olivier Roellinger believes you should feed your inner child, so why choose just one dessert?  Portion control doesn’t exist here with a dessert tray filled to the brim and no quantity restrictions accept for what your good conscience (and your waistline) will allow for!

The Dessert Tray… (Leafar.)

I assuaged my guilt by taking a long walk on the coast the next morning and wandering  the grounds in the afternoon all while breathing in the salty sea air. There is nothing here to rush or prevent you from enjoying the serenity of your surroundings.

Le Chateau Richeux is part of a collection of properties called Les Maisons de Bricourt located around the Mont St. Michel Bay.  At four hours from Paris it could be done in a weekend or a long weekend, but with a few extra days you will nearly forget another world exists.

View on the ocean (Andi Fisher)

Related Links:

• Shannon (Je ne sais quoi blog)’s million calorie weekend away from Paris
• Pia Jane Bijkerk’s weekend trip to check out a brocante in Brussels…

Written by Andi Fisher for the Hip Paris blog. Looking for a fabulous vacation rental in Paris, Provence, or Tuscany? Check out Haven in Paris.