Fodor's Expert Review Château de Pray

Like a Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud, this hotel keeps purring along, decade after decade, offering many delights: a romantic twin-tower château, a Loire River vista, tranquil guest rooms (four of the less expensive are in a charming "Pavillon Renaissance"), and an excellent restaurant. Fifty years ago Loire Valley guidebooks praised this domain, and things have only gotten better. Chef Arnaud Philippon's Michelin-starred restaurant is set in two salons, one in brilliant golds, the other lighted with chandeliers and stained-glass windows, lined with tapestries, and spectacularly centered on a neo-Gothic, sculpted-wood fireplace. Be sure to reserve in advance.