Fodor's Expert Review Hôtel de Biencourt

Charmingly set on the pedestrian street that leads to Azay's château gates, this shuttered town house has a delightful courtyard-garden that hides an authentic 19th-century schoolhouse, now converted into lodgings cozily furnished in traditional country style (complete with the stray blackboard and school desk). Guest rooms in the main house have a contemporary decor, punctuated with the occasional 19th-century neoclassic "Directoire" touch. The village has quite a few restaurants—if you don't want to stroll around and pick, ask the friendly owner Bruno Stachetti about the best.