Looking for an overnight stay in the area, either at or connected to a chateau, in a few weeks time, preferably around Epernay rather than in Reims.
Does anyone have any nice experience and suggestions they could share please?
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We recently stayed in one of the Champagne houses on the Rue de Champagne, Epernay. The smaller ones at the fop of the hill. No evening meal, but plenty of restaurant choice in the town
House was âDe Venogueâ great lunch and breakfast
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Iâve stayed here(link) before. It was very lovely.
Caveat : someone else was paying.
Otherwise, although I am in Reims fairly regularly, we normally use the central Best Western, of which the only adjective that really rings true is âcentralâ, certainly not âbestâ anyway.
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The first option is full. Looks nice!
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Aw sorry. Donât think I can help then.
I stayed here (link) once, principally for the (astonishingly good) restaurant. Itâs not very far, if you have a car, and the Memorial and museum to Charles de Gaulle is a really well thought-out and absorbingly interesting place. Otherwise Colombey les Deux Eglises is a cute, if somewhat sleepy village, but beautifully situated.
(If you listen to the âRest is Politicsâ podcast, the de Gaulle museum was also rated - above all others(!) - by Alastair Campbell as a must-see.)
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Actually Iâve realised, itâs further than I thought. But well worth visiting.
Sorry Iâve got nothing further in Epernay or Reims, but the de Venoge place mentioned above sounds lovely.
In Champagne you must visit one of the Crayères cellars, and irrespective of what you might think of the wines, possibly the best visit is to Veuve Clicquot, as the cellar and maison has just so much history on offer, and they do it very well. Ruinart is also similarly good (and the wines top notch, obviously).
Enjoy!
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Has a three star restaurant too. Hotel prices vary quite a lot depending on season.
Very nice.
Lovely hotel just south of Epernay, quiet expensive but IMO worth it, or Royal Champagne on the way into Epernay which is now back to the top of its game and so are the âŹâŹâŹâŹâŹ
I tend to stay in Reims when with customers to be honest, just more to offer
Bollinger building a hotel in Ay but 4 years off, but nothing in Ay worth mentioning
On a campervan trip we passed through the Champagne area at the beginning of June, and stayed three nights. Obviously this is not a recommendation for a place to stay if you are looking for a hotel or similar, but the places we stayed were:
First was a small Champagne house called Lasalle Hanin, in Chigny-les-Roses between Reims and Epernay. As well as free overnight parking, with electricity, we had a free tour of the production facility with detailed explanation in English by the ownerâs daughter, and free tasting, coming away with 9 bottles of Champs, one of Marc de Champ (for cooking!) and one of Ratafia Chempenois. There were several other Champagne houses in that village, and at least one hotel and nice looking restaurant.
We then stayed at a campsite just north of Epernay, from which we went into the town to look around - didnât do any tasting there, but had a nice meal and interesting walk around. Rue de Champagne was uninteresting to us, but a map from the tourist info office gave a walking route to see other things, which we enjoyed. The tourist info office hosts tastings given by a variety of Champagne houses, but nothing actually when we visited.
Next day we had a cycle ride intending to lunch in Hautvillers, which weâd heard was worth doing - but we didnât realise it was so popular and booking was essential. No tasting there as the place was so crowded (it was a Sunday). It is an elevated and pretty village about 3 miles north of Epernay, and no doubt would be a lovely place to stay - but it seems that booking for tastings and eating may be essential, depending perhaps on the day of week and season.
We pressed on to go to the only Champagne house we could remember the name of from our previous trip 25 years earlier, Serge Gaudriller, where we had a free tasting. We intended to go on to sample from another Champagne house or two, but found that contrary to Google showing at least two on our route to be open that Sunday, they werenât, so it was a lightweight return to Epernay with just 4 bottles bought from Gaudriller. (I can carry a dozen bottles, at least I can with wine - maybe only 10 with Champs).
September is harvest time - could be anything from late August to late September. I guess a lovely time to visit if you want to see that side of things (we now have a standing invitation to do that, and join in, which we intend to take up one year, but probably not this year). Be aware that the small Champagne houses, which to me are the most interesting, could be run off their feet and struggle to find time to do tours or even tastings at the peak of the process,
We cycled past it!
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