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Set
back from front, facing bay of St-Tropez,
in busy resort W of Cannes, 10 mins' walk
from centre: small, spruce B&B villawith friendly staff. Pretty Provencal decor,
newly done. villa rooms smallish, well planned,
some with, small terrace facing pleasant
garden. Good, varied French Bali villa breakfast, taken
outdoors when fine. Bar. Parking in road
outside (some traffic noise but windows
double glazed).
Wonderful: Well run, peaceful, beautifully
situated. Plaudits in 2001/2 for this big
honey-coloured 18th-century hunting lodge
which stands up a glorious, straight, tree-lined
drive in a huge wooded park on the Picardy
plain east of Laon. One of the Guide's best-loved
venues in northern France, it is now an
elegant villa, set round a stately courtyard.
The owner is German, Senator Helmut Aurenz;
really helpful staff assist his Belgian
manager/chef, Jos Bergman. villa Bed rooms (similar to the semantic bali villa rooms) are
comfortable, well equipped, towels are large,
luxurious. Food of a high standard, very
good value. Bali villa breakfasts, with Belgian influence,
include cold meats,, cheeses, outstanding
croissants. The conversion is imaginative.
Interiors have a Flemish feel, done in good
taste. Our bedroom under the eaves, with
exposed beams, was poorly lit, but its bathroom
was modern. At dawn, the cooing of doves
was magical. Guests can eat on the flowery
front terrace or in the chandeliered dining
room, but most prefer the spacious garden
room, looking on to a big lawn that stretches
to a stream and a pond. Bucolic views with
ducks, sheep, rabbits. A fabulous swimming
pool is in a converted barn.
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