Children grow up so quickly, it only seems like yesterday, or the day before, or the week before when they did not know that word yet, they did not have that face feature yet, they did not know how to do that yet. In this fast-paced world filled with endless to-do lists, Les Sources de Cheverny stands out as the perfect getaway for your family holiday in France to leave behind the daily grind and reconnect with that family bond.
Nature at the heart of a family holiday in France's unique region : The Loire Valley
Les Sources de Cheverny is not your typical hotel: the 5-star domain welcomes its esteemed guests in a hamlet of luxurious cottages and stone houses sowed across the Loire Valley preserved nature. Our family suites have all been designed with ‘serenity’ as their paramount guideline. With ample space for families, big and small, our family suites’ have comfortable bedrooms, including connecting rooms, and all the equipment needed such as baby beds, high chairs and children’s games for you to have the best holiday in France. The central piece of each suite is the living room which is to be used exactly as they are intended to: to live. To live together, bouncing laughs from one wall to another, spending precious time together planning walks around the domain’s acres and acres of meadow grass and century-old forests.
Because rooms are nestled in uniquely preserved and diverse nature, a family holiday in Les Sources de Cheverny is the perfect occasion to embark on an adventure in the Loire Valley’s bountiful fauna and flora. Going for a walk or a bike ride as a family is the best way to take in what Ligerian nature has to offer, for all five senses are awake: melodious leaves rustling, the oddly enjoyable mustiness of fresh oak-moss and decaying leaves, acorns cracking under the foot and wind gently stroking the skin, the ever-changing palette of elm, willow and oak leaves or bluebells and grass lilies. When it comes to taste, nothing beats honey as nature’s nectar! Families can spend an afternoon with Rafaèle, the dedicated beekeeper who is in charge of producing Les Source de Cheverny’s very own honey, to discover in small groups what beekeeping entails. After learning about bees, parents and children alike are ready to get into their most elegant bee suits and get close to the hives to see the bees at work. When the adrenaline drops, hungry stomachs start to manifest themselves and it is finally time to taste Les Sources de Cheverny’s honey.
Each Saturday, the domain’s family-style restaurant L’Auberge offers an afternoon tea which will satisfy sweet teeth, no matter if the tooth fairy has visited you yet or not. Scrumptious sweet delights are lovingly prepared and served from 4.30 to 6 PM: cakes, cookies, madeleines and seasonal fruits for everyone’s delight. The restaurant L’Auberge is the perfect place for lunch and dinner for families: it has a relaxed, homey ambiance with a menu that caters both for picky eaters, special diets as well as for wine-lovers.
The ultimate family holiday in France : something for everyone
Did someone say “Marco”? “Leonardo” would be more suitable for a family holiday in the Loire Valley! Guests have exclusive access to the hotel’s outdoor pool, where children can swim and lounge by the pool. For treasure dives, the battle shall be as fierce as Francis 1st’s rivalry with Henry the VIIIth, yet the only treasures to be found dug out of the water would be priceless memories of this family holiday spent in France.
The Cheverny Château is only a 10-minute bike ride away from the hotel. It is surrounded by gorgeous gardens and a playground for children to be physically active and for parents to lovingly watch them while taking a long-deserved break in the Loire’s fresh air.
Bikes, both children and adults’s sizes (with helmets biensûr) are at the guests’ disposal to cycle across the domain’s bountiful nature. For those who would rather ride a horse than a bike, Les Sources de Cheverny has a privileged partnership with the Haras des Châteaux, where riding lessons can be organized for boys, girls and adults via our devoted concierge service.
The Loire Valley's culture : best kid-friendly spaces for the best family holiday in France
One unmissable place to visit with children is the ZooParc de Beauval. Only a thirty-minute car ride away from Les Sources de Cheverny, the Zoo de Beauval holds the promise of an amazement of a life-time for both children and their parents. Home to more that 35,000 animals, including endangered species, the zoo is divided into various areas and greenhouses to respect each animal’s specific needs, but also for young visitors to marvel at the koalas, sloths, reptiles, white rhinos, giraffes, white tigers and of course, the Zoo’s shining stars, the giant pandas born in 2021.
Visiting cultural sites with children can seem like a daunting endeavor for parents. Guests at Les Sources de Cheverny are very fortunate insofar as the Chambord Château and the Chenonceau Château, which cannot be missed during a family holiday in France, both offer interactive visits, which are adapted to younger visitors using Ipads that helps foster their curiosity with 3D renditions of what life in the French Renaissance was like.
Only a half-hour drive from Les Sources de Cheverny, in the city center of Amboise, is the Clos Lucé: the ultimate family holiday dream. As Leonardo Da Vinci’s home, parents and their children will be able to discover the work of the Renaissance genius by taking part in a thrilling and fascinating escape game. And because it would be a sin or, as we Frenchmen say, a crime of lèse-majesté, for adults to come to the Loire Valley without taking well-earned delight in local wine culture, the Clos Lucé offers wine tasting sessions in its buoyant vineyard with an educational part on how wine is made and - perhaps most importantly - wines for parents to taste and premium grape juice for children to drink. That is most certainly what ‘serenity’ tastes like.
For more information, please get in touch with our wonderful team who will be delighted to inform you with the current activities for you and your children and to tell you more about Les Sources de Cheverny’s Château Family Life offer tailored for family holidays.
