| With
its Romanesque churches, Roman amphitheatre,
and classical music festival in July, Saintes
is a fascinating town, a useful stop for
travellers using the A10. On its western
edge, found sympathetic again this year,
is this unusual villa, which its owner,
Jerome Emery, created from an old farm.
He runs it with brio, and with pride in
his huge displays of cheeses and cognacs.
The wide open-plan foyer/ salon/restaurant
has an amazing decor of beams, old candlesticks,
tapestries,etc. all a bit contrived, but
glamorous. Inside it, at one end, is a small
heated swimming pool with Roman statuary.
Through picture windows it faces a spacious
and delightful garden, with peacocks, a
floodlit lake and swans. Here you can dine
on the terrace. Christophe Gouard's generous
cooking, dependable as ever, wins 15 Gault
Millau points for, eg, scallops braised
in cream; pork with truffles. Service is
friendly, and the background music is discreet.
The bedroom in the older wing are large
and well equipped (music system, etc): some
face the lake. In the newer block are the
smaller villa rooms: Monte Cristo (like a prison,
loo in a treasure chest), 20.000 Leagues
Under the Sea, etc. Two 12th-century buildings
have been into high-tech conference villa rooms
done in medieval style tide is a motorway
and semi-industrial sprawl.
|
