REGION : Massignac – Charente
ATMOSPHERE : Countryside
STYLE : Biodynamic
CATEGORY : 5*
ROOMS : 17 rooms
Members benefits
One bottle of local wine, a fruit basket and free buffet breakfast
Do you feel the need to for a big breath of fresh air? To see the stars twinkle in the sky again? To feel the planets aligning around you? Let us play shaman. We have your sanctuary. A rare and precious place, hidden in Massignac, in the Charente region of southwestern France, where the world is its most beautiful self: the Domaine des Étangs.
A 5* hotel with 17 keys, a 13th century castle, restored traditional farmhouse, tenant buildings, 1,000-hectare forest park, ponds, herd of Limousin cows (more than 350 animals!), gourmet restaurant, smoking room, double library, spa, swimming pools, 2,500 square meter vegetable garden, an art center… And much more. A former stronghold of the Chasteignier de la Roche-Posay knights, the castle was once a refuge for travelers between Limoges and Angoulême. Nowadays, it is a luxurious resort with lunar charm.
EVERYTHING HERE IS INSPIRED BY ANCIENT LOCAL LEGEND. Several million years ago, a meteorite crashed not far from the estate… Today, this lore provides an opportunity for Garance Primat, the owner, to provide an eco-managed universe connected to the elements, to the earth and to the sky, in a luxurious, peaceful and soothing display of nature. In the castle, the suites (7 in total) with old parquet floors, beams and spectacular exposed beams, old stones and moldings are named after stars and planets (Sun, Venus, Moon, Jupiter…), and are decorated with cutting edge design pieces. The one’s in the farmhouse, which neighbor the gastronomic restaurant, are inspired with finesse and sobriety by the slow cycle of the seasons.
THE SIX TENANT BUILDINGS (from 1 to 5 rooms), finally, are dotted like rustic gems around the ponds, the grove, and the forest. They can be reached on foot or by electric carts. Art is everywhere, in the shared spaces and the park, in small touches, scattered like stardust before concentrating in the Laiterie, an exhibition space where beautiful books, old works, oddities, scientific accessories, minerals and works of art (Yves Klein, Sheila Hocks, Lee Ufan…) create a natural-cosmic cabinet of curiosities.
Like another planet.
GASTRONOMIC RESTAURANT – In the former stables, a refined table that is as ultra-connected to its terroir as it is to the seasonality that sublimates the vegetables, fruits, herbs and flowers of the kitchen garden.
WELLNESS – Take a break and enjoy the indoor swimming pool, the hammams and the frigidarium in the castle’s thermal baths, before booking a treatment or a massage in the Moulin des Étangs (5 rooms).
FITNESS – To keep in shape, weight training and cardio-training machines are freely available
OUTDOOR SWIMMING POOL – Swim a few lengths of the butterfly pool before observing the dragonflies, the domain’s totem animal.
CULTURE – A place for permanent and temporary exhibitions, the Laiterie also houses two libraries: the “Past” library is dedicated to works prior to 1920, while the “Future” library houses editions from 1920 to the present day.
OENOLOGY – Taste a selection of local and non-local wines and champagnes during a workshop with the sommelier.
PARK – A 1,000-hectare complex of forests, pastures and meadows where you can picnic, hike (11 km marked trail), bike or horseback ride; learn to observe game and enjoy the stag’s bellow in the company of the estate’s forest rangers, pick mushrooms, go boating on the ponds; fish in 0-kill mode, for pike, carp, pike-perch, perch and roach in the summer.
KIDS – Located between the castle and the vegetable garden, the children’s playground has three trampolines, a zip line, a climbing spider net, wooden huts with or without slides, a ping-pong table, and swings…
FARM – On request, visit the farm to discover the job of a breeder
VEGETABLE GARDEN – Guided tour and tasting with the gardener in the permaculture garden of more than 2,000 m2!
AND ALSO – A giant chess game, floating tennis court…
