9 Best Hotels in The Loire Valley, France

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.

Its long and storied history is only part of the magic of this picturesque family-owned château that seems right out of a storybook. Renowned in the 1420s for the quality of its warhorses (Joan of Arc visited to refresh her troops), its generations of owners read like a French who's who. Today, the chateau's acres of glorious gardens are a delight to explore and even furnish the organic vegetables and truffles for the onsite gastronomic restaurant and café. The chateau is also known for its themed world-class art exhibitions, bringing together dozens of works by international contemporary artists. The accompanying hotel, housed in a 17th-century stone grange with beamed ceilings, flagstone floors, and antiques, offers all the charm of a medieval castle with 21st-century amenities. Perfect for a day or weekend, the hotel offers a range of activities, from walks and tastings of its estate wines to family events held in the garden.

This grand 17th-century castle—a listed historic monument—is now one of the Loire's standout lodgings, where all the pomp and elegance have been lovingly preserved and tastefully enhanced with contemporary designer furnishings, lighting, and state-of-the-art amenities. At the hotel's gastronomic restaurant Mémoire, you'll dine in splendor in the château's gilded and frescoed salons on dishes that feature ingredients from the domain’s own kitchen gardens and orchards. The Tata Harper spa, set in the former greenhouses, offers relaxing views of the gardens, plus a sauna, hammam, and a full list of luxury treatments perfect after a day of swimming in the two pools, playing tennis, or biking or walking on the many wooded and garden paths.

Soigné as can be, this stylish 18th-century manoir is lucky enough to preside over a Loire riverbank under the shadow of Amboise's great cliffside château, offering a calm oasis in a busy town center. Set within its own compound, it looks like it's on sabbatical from a Fragonard landscape. Inside, the grand staircase, dining room, and main salon are all a-dazzle in daffodil-yellow silks and gilt-framed mirrors, with ruby accents of Louis Seize sofas and bergères. The "classic," more modern guest rooms in the Pavillon are pleasant enough, but try to spring for the showpieces, such as the Suite Prestige (in a stunning blue toile de Jouy), or one with a view over the Loire River.

It's a winning formula: find a stately manor on a wooded estate in the middle of wine country, add a luxe restaurant and spa, and focus on sustainability and wellness, and this spot has nailed it. Les Sources is the third and most complete of Alice and Jérôme Tourbier's wildly successful hotel brand, where "emotional luxury"—i.e., caring for body and soul—is the mantra. Here, guests can relish the chateau's romantic mix of antique and modern design or opt for one of the ultra-contemporary wood-clad suites clustered around a pond, where wildflowers and tall grasses obscure your private outdoor terrace from view. Gourmet menus at the chic gastronomic restaurant or bistro and bar (or out on the spacious terrace) spotlight local, sustainable, and healthy dishes. Though surprisingly compact, the spa by Caudalie, one of France's top natural beauty brands—based on the restorative, anti-aging properties of grape seed—offers every opportunity for pampering, with both indoor and outdoor pools. There are also yoga, fitness, detox programs, bikes, and hiking boots at your disposal for those who take the credo seriously. Grab a bicycle (electric if you prefer) and peddle to Cheverny, Chambord, or Chenonceau châteaux, all within an hour-and-45-minute ride.

In business since 1846, the Anjou has vintage stained-glass windows in the Art Deco lobby and spacious guest rooms featuring high ceilings, double doors, and modern bathrooms. Reasonably priced prix-fixe menus are served in its fine Renaissance-style restaurant, La Salamandre, named for the symbol of the great Loire Valley king François I.

Filled with the mystery of the past—this was once the fabled redoubt of the Protestant plotters in the 1559 Amboise Conspiracy—Château de Noizay is fitted out with Renaissance chimneys and salons, a parterre garden, and guest rooms so regal that you may feel like bowing or curtsying to the staff. The adjacent 19th-century "Clock House" is a gracious pastel-hue haven. Noizay itself is a tiny, off-the-beaten-path treasure—don't miss the idyllic countryside hike down Rue François-Poulenc, past the famous composer's pretty 18th-century house, a troglodyte hamlet, and endless poppy fields right out of a Monet painting.

Far from their original role as monastic cells and even further from the Flintstone-influenced idea of cave dwellings, these luxe-prehistoric lodgings—with their limestone walls, Louis Treize seating, rich fabrics, carved fireplaces, gas lamps, finished marble steps, and riverside setting—exude a quiet luxury amid the soothing elements of stone and water. The 12 cave rooms benefit from large windows and naturally cool temperatures, even in summer. Some guests prefer the three rooms in the regular house—no cave-dwelling drama, but they're comfortable and air-conditioned. The gastonomic restaurant, with an enchanting terrace, offers elegant fare and overlooks the lovely pool. A favored country residence for rich Parisians, Rochecorbon is a treat (once off the main traffic road), thanks to its pretty town center.

Turreted and vine covered, this 18th-century hunting lodge on a 200-acre property features an antiques-filled grand salon, a lovely pool, an adorable swan lake, and guest rooms that more often than not are simply beige and elegantly suave; those in the adjacent coach house can be considerably more spectacular—the best have exposed-brick walls and timbered cathedral ceilings. Other amenities include a spa, a helipad, the most blissful air-conditioning in all Touraine, and a restaurant with a Michelin star that is famous for its style and quality—an evening here glows with sumptuous white bouquets, jeweled guests, and dazzling dishes like goose Rossini with mushroom risotto.