The Chambre d'Hote Experience

[Margaret Pilgrim]

The concept of staying in someone's home can be scary. In fact, we stayed in our first one quite by accident.

We had booked the best room at Reine Sammut's La Feniere in Lourmarin for 5 days, and had made the reservation many months in advance. When we arrived, we were told that our room was not habitable because a water pipe had burst. No, no other rooms were available, but they had booked us into a chambre d'hote in the next village. I began to experience some combination of rage, dispair and terror, but it was late in the aftenoon and we had no choice but to go check out the b&b.

We arrived at an attractive 18th Century country home with vineyard where we were shown to our very private suite with an independent entrance: a sitting room and bedroom, separated bathroom and commode. On an outside landing was our private deck with umbrella-table and chairs. Decor and furnishings were crisp and fresh Provençal-simple, a quality mattress and good linens. The bath was state of the art and emaculate; bath linens were new and lush. Views extended over the vineyard to Mt. Sainte Victoire in the distance. There was a sparkling swimming pool and comfortable salon. Breakfast (baguettes warm from the village baker, fruited cake, cheese, yogurt, hardboiled eggs, homemade jams, fresh orange juice, coffee and tea, hot milk) was served in the family's formal dining room. We were the only guests, and we ate alone. During our stay, Madame left several baskets of homegrown fruit at our doorstep. There was not daily maid service. The tariff was 450 ff a night or around $60. including the breakfasts. Madame actually deducted some amount from the total bill because we were not there for several breakfasts, nor did she charge for a bottle of wine from their vineyard! We enjoyed staying here tremendously, returned the next year for a week, and and will be eternally grateful to Reine's pipe (or whatever).

Our second experience with a chambre d'hote was also by default. I had tried to book early in Sault for the July lavender festival in Ferrassieres, but was told to write again in April. When I faxed them on April 2, they were "complet". We found a chambre d'hote within a half mile of the festival, this time in a chateau that the owner was/is restoring stone by stone. At the time of our visit, she had two sides habitable, a Japanese cook, a Chinese pastry chef, four rooms including ours that took up an entire floor of the tour, and a thriving tour bus lunch crowd! Our room was, again, very simply furnished, with thoughtful touches like lavender-filled pillows. The bath, again, was state of the art. Breakfast was simply bread, cake, juice and coffee. The table d'hote, which we took advantage of one night, was superb: all produce from the farm, and the best braised lamb we had tasted, grown within several hundred yards of the kitchen. The charge 600 ff, b&b. I can't remember the charge for dinner. Whatever it was, it wasn't enough.

By now, we were over our fear, and in addition had learned that we could find a chambre d'hote closer than a hotel to some of the events that were our travel targets. For an antique event in Barjac we lucked onto a wonderful 18thC townhouse owned by an elegant horsewoman and her ex-porche racer husband. Here we enjoyed an enormous two room suite, decorated in luxe and gorgeous fabrics, antique bed linens, sumptious duvets, ballroom-sized bathroom with whirlpool soaktub and fabulous shower. Breakfasts included warm housemade fruit tarts, fromage blanc with rose or almond syrups, peach soup, everyday something new, but everyday a selection of four homemade breads with housemade jams. Aperitifs on the terrace at 6:30 accompanied by slices of warm onion tart. We have stayed here twice, and return in April. 105 euros, b&b.

Gault Millau magazine had a feature on a woman in Quezac who ran a chambre d'hote and offered extraordinary table d'hote dinners. Last summer we had the opportunity to test her hospitality: an enormous room with designer linens, sitting area with TV at one end of the room. Designer bath; separate commode and bidet. Lush bathroom linens. Dinner was an unforgettable experience, from the housemade aperitifs through the all-home-grown fruits and vegetables we were served, the best magret we had ever had, wines and housemade liquours, excellent if sometimes bi or tri lingual conversation. Our room, dinner and breakfast for two people: 115. euros.

We are completely sold on the concept of this kind of lodging. It gets us close to where we want to go. More likely than not, the room size, furnishings and bath are far superior than you would get at a small hotel, where profit is an important issue. Baths particularly tend to be absolutely modern and luxe, since if one is going to redo a property with a mind to hosting guests, a new bath is imperative, and one might as well go all out with amenities. You tend to worry about being in someone's home. But usually the private and public parts of the home are well delineated. The host is usually a very busy person who has little interest in taking up your time, but at the same time will take time to instruct you on things of local interest...if you ask.

Most chambre d'hotes are rated by Gites de France, and are given wheat sheaf (epis) ratings, 1 through 4. We have always stayed at 3s and 4s. 3 "epis" rooms always have private baths; furnishing range from simple to luxe. 4 "epis" facilities are supposed to be luxurious. Gites de France publishes a yearly guide of all their members (19 euros); as well, they publish departmental guides which you can get free by writing the departmental tourist office. These guides are in French, but are pretty easy to decifer.

One can find tremendous information by "googling" the area you want to visit and adding chambre d'hote (eg: dordogne chambre d'hote). In addition, there are many sites that offer lodging by area. These are but a few.

FrenchConnection

LikHom

Best of Perigord

Staying in a Chambre d'Hote can offer you a feeling for the real countryside, for France Profound, that we have never found in a hotel. When we pay our tiny bills at the end of a stay, we frequently feel that we have shortchanged our hosts because of all that they have unknowingly given us.

[Bux]

The concept of staying in someone's home can be scary.  In fact, we stayed in our first one quite by accident. 

We had booked the best room at Reine Sammut's La Feniere in Lourmarin for 5 days, and had made the reservation many months in advance.  When we arrived, we were told that our room was not habitable because a water pipe had burst.  No, no other rooms were available, but they had booked us into a chambre d'hote in the next village.  I began to experience some combination of rage, dispair and terror, but it was late in the aftenoon and we had no choice but to go check out the b&b.

Fascinating, as we'd have much the same feeling. Oddly enough the small hotels we've enjoyed the most are those where we've had the chance to get to know the proprietors just a bit and where there exists a personal warmth that comes from the owners. Yet I'd fear not being comfortable in someone's home and worse yet, potentially aware they'd sense that. Mostly, I'd fear being captive of someone who's at best a middling cook and wondering if there wasn't a professional kitchen nearby where I should have eaten should I choose a table d'hote. I suppose it's that I think of France as the one country where cooking has risen to the most professional. Restaurants in the US frequently tout themselves as offering home cooking. I've never witnessed that claim in France. Apparently, my fears may not be well founded if Margaret's experiences have been good enough to make her a fan of chambre d'hotes and a repeat user.

[marcus]

We actually stay in the Gites Ruraux, which are found throughout France, we've done it about a dozen times. Mostly, these are independent houses, and can be quite interesting, and are always good value. The major restriction is that most need to be rented on a Saturday to Saturday basis with a one week minimum, although there are weekend arrangements as well that I've never familiarized myself with. We've organized our trips to the countryside on this basis, moving frome gite to gite and useing each as a base for an area. For those not focused on swimming pools and luxury, or being in a major resort, these are much more fun and of course economical than going to a major villa rental organization like Vaccances en Compagne.

[Jonathan Day]

It seems that many of us end up in chambres d'hôte for similar reasons.

Many years ago, I was speaking at a conference at le Mas D'Artigny, a hotel near St Paul and Vence. My sister-in-law was flying over from the US with a friend, and we arranged a weekend for four at the Relais Cantemerle, another hotel in the area. Or that's what I had thought. Somehow the confirmation fax never got through, and when I called to check on some detail of our rooms, was told that the hotel was full.

So was every other hotel, gite, chambre d'hôte, boarding house, or room in the area, from Nice all the way over to St Tropez. Everything was full. I eventually tracked down a farmer who offered us rooms for one night ... and on the second night, you can move to my friend's house, who has converted a shed into a comfortable room, except that you have to walk a bit to the toilets, and there is no bath...it was not looking to be a happy weekend.

Then I stumbled across a new website, for le mas du Haut Malvan (www.hautmalvan.com), a chambre d'hôte in a lovely valley just outside of St Paul. The website was unusually elegant. The rooms looked attractive. The only problem was that the telephone number on the site was (1) hard to find on the site; (2) incorrect once you found it. Somehow I tracked the owner down. Yes, we have rooms. For some reason it has been very quiet. You would be welcome for the weekend.

The weekend was paradise. The landlord owns one of the largest and most interesting galleries in St Paul, and the property is old but decorated in exquisitely modern style; Each of their three suites had a kitchen attached -- the largest suite has a living room and a full, working kitchen. Breakfasts were superb. The landlord's son is an artist, and his works are featured in a number of the rooms.

Since then the mas has been written up in a number of fashion magazines, though its rates are still reasonable. If this is the future for chambres d'hôte, who needs hotels?

[bleudauvergne]

It was during this summer vacation. We chose our chambre d'hote because they listed that they spoke Breton and my husband was curious. His grandmother is from Bretagne. We arrived to the town after a long day of driving on crowded route nationals, and were hungry. The very nice lady at the B&B said that they were having a dinner at a church where there would be some dancing, and we were sort of luke warm about it. I wanted crepes. But we decided to go and see what was up. We could always get crepes if the church dinner was not exciting.

The search for the chapel was sort of long, but we finally found it, sitting on top of a big hill in the distance of a field that was full of waving wheat or rye. We sort of got swept into it, people were motioning for us to go into a cordoned off part of a lower field to park. We parked, paid our 10F entry fee, and hiked up to where the chapel was perched on the hill. There they had dug trenches and built huge roaring bonfires in them, and suspended large black cauldrons which had choucroute boiling in them. There was a long line for the food, but everyone looked so patient and confident in their waiting that we decided to stay and wait too.

We sat under a big tent on wooden benches elbow to elbow with everyone else and had large plates laden with charcuterie and lots of cider and wine too. This was the entire population of the town. Everyone knew each other and we were the only outsiders. As the darkness fell, we saw that the chapel had been lit with red and blue spotlights. We heard bagpipes and people began dancing in a circle up by the church. From the tent we saw this from a distance and it struck me as very strange.

From the dinner tent we then made our way past the cauldron fires, up through the field to the chapel and looked inside, where the rafters were all made of intricately carved wood. I felt like I was in the empty hull of a Viking ship! The figures carved in the wood were like nothing I had ever seen before, strange carvings of the most fanciful types of beasts.

Outside, the bagpipes had finished and a band had set up, and they were getting ready to play. It was seven beautiful wispy girls each with a stringed instrument. I thought at first I was hearing minimalist music when they began hitting the strings with their bows, very simple but repeated with a strong conviction, and harmonically quite abstract. But as they continued to play, an underlying rhythm was coming through and the music evolved and revolved, turned itself inside out in a way to come through with something quite thrilling and hypnotizing in its beautiful flailing but controlled progression. There was so much energy packed into precisely metered evolving phrases that we both felt like we were going to have to do something - dance in circles perhaps?

Everyone around us all began dancing at once, while we watched. It was a bit too complicated for us to participate! They took it very seriously and all seemed to be in kind of a trance. The music never came to a stop. The girls did not rest or lose their concentration, not once. As the rhythms undulated in their patterns, so the dances changed, and each time it seemed that the people knew instinctively what dance was coming based on a pattern that they could hear. It was really something. It began to rain and everyone just continued on through the rain. I was suddenly overwhelmed at one point with the sense that I had discovered my ancient roots in some way. Of course it was just the intensity of the whole long beautiful day from beginning to end, and the shock of such a rich and exotic experience (oh and that lovely cider) that hit us like a wave. We left while the festivities were in full swing. I was happy to end the day just at that point. People smiled and talked when they were not dancing of course. We heard that there had been fireworks soon after we left and we were sorry to have missed

them the next morning at the breakfast table.

She had that big wooden table and we sat by the fireplace. It wasn't lit because it was summer but I imagined that in winter it would be very nice to warm up there. The woman who rented us our room for the night spent a good two hours with us. She was pleased that I was interested in her cooking, and took the time to explain in depth about the very specific qualities of breton flour, sugar and butter (oh the butter) as she puttered about in the kitchen and she wrote for me her recipe for the gateau breton she makes, and specified exactly what kinds of things to use to make it just exactly the way she makes it. She noted that her daughter in law never gets it right and she keeps calling to know what she's done wrong, and its because she refuses to use the right kind of sugar, she knows that's the reason. I cherish the memory of that cake.

She kissed me before we left and waved from the drive until we were out of sight. We got on the road again very much behind schedule but happy and the both of us stuffed full of cake. After visiting some ancient mound tombs, it was about time to eat again and since we hadn't gone far we went back and had our crepes at the place she recommended. It had been our second night on the road of the breton leg of our 3 weeks of touring this summer, and it really set the scene for our continuation up the coast and discovery of that magical region.

I recommend les chambres d'hotes. While we toured, we found that the ones rated by the green guide as only 2 epis were very comfortable and the price was not expensive, I think we paid about 200 francs, which is about 30 dollars for the both of us to stay in her 2 epis place and that included breakfast.

[Bux]

Don't get me started on buerre fermier from Brittany. It can be magnificent. We've had some that makes the best French commerical brands taste like mediocre margarine. We've also experienced those small town outdoor dinners with friends in the Bas Languedoc, albeit with more prosaic bands.

My only expereince with chambres d'hotes however, is of seeing one whose owner we met by going to his excellent artisanal distillery. We didn't get to see his home until we had the full tour of his computer graphics studio. His specialty was the design of labels for truncated cone packaging as one commonly sees on dairy products--yogurt, cottage cheese, etc. That tour only came after tasting all of his many eaux-de-vie. With each taste came lectures about distilling and the appreciation of fine eaux-de-vie. All of this in slow patient French. After the tasting came more blind tasting games to see which flavors we could distinguish. We did fairly well, by the way, with Mrs. B doing a bit better than I. It was mid afternoon when we started and pitch black when we stumbled out of the distillery into the studio. His home, we discovered when we finally got there and met his wife--who was a bit less garrulous than he, a small clue to his interest in capturing strangers for conversation perhaps--was quite large and upscale if a bit over decorated. I don't recall if it was his bath or the guest bath that had a large sunken tub. I suspect we would have stayed for the night had he also operated a table d'hote. It was a long way to the nearest restaurant and we already had reservations at a hotel some distance away. We were also starving and needed some solid food after a bellyful of spirits. He was a charming man. An early dinner and a "tour" of the distillery late in the evening with a comfortable bed at hand would have been nice.

[rpdkpd]

This also responds in part to Margaret's separate posting about Rodez. Twenty years ago (!) we took a gite adjacent to a farm house outside Rignac (about 10K from Rodez as I recall). Our children were small and our budget was smaller. The patron and his wife were wonderfully welcoming -- teaching our children how to milk the cows, haying in the meadow, etc. We took day drives throughout the Aveyron and over to Cahors, where we started a relationship with the unfiltered vin noir from that region. We also encountered a true local fair along the banks of Le Lot, with an extraordinary variety of homemade pate, bread, saucissions, pastry and cakes, and even some backyard wine.

One day we stumbled on Le Vieux Pont. In those days you could find a decent menu touristique at a price affordable by a young family. Our children soon were released from the table to play near the water and chase the ducks. Perhaps to show their appreciation for our good sense to dismiss the children from the dining room, the restaurant subtly upgraded the rest of our courses ("Si monsieur pourrait nous aider" etc.) and wine. Mme and I flipped a coin to decide who would drive and who would have a digestif. A quiet drive back to the farm then followed, with two children asleep in the back and Mme asleep beside me. We have traveled extensively throughout France since then, and we have enjoyed hotels and meals de luxe, but our Aveyron gite experience was wonderful!

Edited February 28, 2004 by rpdkpd (log)

[Bux]

The least expensive menu these days at le Vieux Pont is 26 euros. I wonder if the daughters were in charge of the place twenty years ago. I can't remember the year we were first there. I know it was before they built the little hotel on the other side of the little river. The Aveyron is a lovely area.

I'm not sure of the difference between a gite and a chambre d'hote, but I sense a gite is more of a rental for some period of at least a week, where one sets up housekeeping and the latter is more of an overnight place, or shorter term accommodation. I'm sure there's overlap and some same sense of communion with the region.

[docsconz]

Is the Chambre d'Hote the French equivalent to an Italian agriturismo? I am certainly sold on agriturismi. I would think a French counterpart would be equally fun. I find that they are a great way to get a sense of the land, people and culture that one simply cannot get in a regular hotel.

[ann]

You're exactly right, Bux -- gite literally means "home, resting place, quarters" and the term implies a rental of at least a week of what the British call a"self-catering" unit, with cooking facilities. A chambre d'hote is a guestroom, pretty much the equivalent of our B&B. Some of the most charming B&Bs in France can be found in western France -- here is a link to the website of Bienvenue au Chateau: http://www.bienvenue-au-chateau.com/. "Agriturismo" in Italy means a farm holiday and can be the equivalent of either a gite or a chambre d'hote/B&B.

Edited February 29, 2004 by ann (log)

[Margaret Pilgrim]

A chambre d'hote is a guestroom, pretty much the equivalent of our B&B. 

And you, Ann, are exactly right. At the same time, there is an enormous intangible difference between an American B&B and a French chambre d'hote. I have not infrequently felt that subtle awareness of being held hostage to the grand plans of an American innkeeper to which Bux alludes. In fact, we have probably stayed at our last domestic B&B.

We have never felt this tension in France, although we have always felt the security of knowing that our host was at our disposal should we have specific needs. Our French hosts seem to understand that we do not need their constant attention or entertainment.

Bux does bring up the point that when you visit a producer who is interested in promoting his product, a slightly different relationship might exist.

[John Whiting]

For years Mary and I have stayed and often eaten at French B&Bs. The accommodation offered is always, by English standards, a bargain at the price. This is because, by law, they must be inspected and the price to be charged is fixed by the inspector relative to the amenities offered. Compared to those in Britain, they are incredibly cheap, inasmuch as the quoted price is for the room, not per person.

The most reliable, informative and generally useful guide in English is that published by Alastair Sawday. We started using his French B&B guide several years ago when it first came out, and found the tastes of his inspectors compatible with our own.

Edited February 29, 2004 by John Whiting (log)

[Jonathan Day]

Restaurants in the US frequently tout themselves as offering home cooking. I've never witnessed that claim in France.

Terms like "fabrication artisanale" or (more rarely) "fait maison" are sometimes used to signal that the products involved were not been made industrially, or were made at the restaurant itself. The term "cuisine bourgeoise" (as distinguished from haute cuisine, which is seen as exclusively something that happens in restaurants) also turns up, though I agree that it doesn't have the connotations of American "home cooking".

In general there is a sharper line in France between dishes you might make at home and things you probably would not, such as bread or fancy pastry.

[John Whiting]

French chambre d'hote that serve dinners are likely to cook to a standard commensurate with the quality of the rooms they offer, which can be very good indeed. Many are on farms and make use of their own produce. Those that are not tend to make use of the produce of farms in the vicinity.

Mary and I had the best quiche of our lives staying at a French farm. The flour was locally milled, the eggs were from their own chickens, the milk and cream were unpasteurized and from their own cows. Quiche from Plato's Heaven.

[Bux]

Bux does bring up the point that when you visit a producer who is interested in promoting his product, a slightly different relationship might exist.

I trust I was clear that M. Doubesky never pushed his product at Saint Gayrand, his distillery. Although his prices were high, his product was superb. There was no pressure to buy. I was never sure if he kept opening bottles and producing new glasses out of pride in his work, or to seduce us into staying for the company. I don't know what his profit margin is, but it couldn't be much on our purchase. My memory of the afternoon was one of leaving a table the size of a cardtable absolutely full of dirty brandy snifters. It was a thoroughly hospitable afternoon, but not one for abstainers or even those who drank moderately.

[Margaret Pilgrim]

Bux does bring up the point that when you visit a producer who is interested in promoting his product, a slightly different relationship might exist.

I trust I was clear that M. Doubesky never pushed his product at Saint Gayrand, his distillery. Although his prices were high, his product was superb. There was no pressure to buy. I was never sure if he kept opening bottles and producing new glasses out of pride in his work, or to seduce us into staying for the company. I don't know what his profit margin is, but it couldn't be much on our purchase. My memory of the afternoon was one of leaving a table the size of a cardtable absolutely full of dirty brandy snifters. It was a thoroughly hospitable afternoon, but not one for abstainers or even those who drank moderately.

In no way did I mean to insinuate that your or any producer was "pushing" his wares, but rather that any one who has a passion for his work and his product will relish sharing both the product, his knowledge and his enthusiasm for both work and product.

I posed your generous distiller in contrast to the CdHs we have visited where the husband had a profession outside the home or property, and therefore less energy to invest in conversation with his (or his wife's) guests.

[ann]

Margaret, is the chambre d'hote in Quezac by any chance "La Maison de Marius"? We're staying in/near the Gorges du Tarn in May and found this place in Sawday's guide but have read nothing about it elsewhere. Thanks for the help.

[Margaret Pilgrim]

Margaret, is the chambre d'hote in Quezac by any chance "La Maison de Marius"?  We're staying in/near the Gorges du Tarn in May and found this place in Sawday's guide but have read nothing about it elsewhere.  Thanks for the help.

Yes. Maison de Marius I am not sure how current all of the information is on this website. As I posted above, I read about it in a feature article in Gault Millau Magazine, probably sometime in 2002.

Edited March 1, 2004 by Margaret Pilgrim (log)

[menton1]

Bux, you have missed quite a bit, IMHO, by not staying at a chambre d'hote in France. As a tourist in a hotel there is really limited contact with the actual culture of a country. You meet only people in the business of catering to tourists.

At a Chambre d'hote there is somewhat more of an immersion into the culture. You have the feeling of staying at someone's house, they cook you a meal, and the "Family style" meal is truly a great experience in itself. In the places we have stayed, one time there were 10 guests at the table, 6 were French. The conversation that ensued (they tried to speak English and we tried to speak French) can give one a real feel for the lives of the natives in France. A little politics, a lot of movies, schools, roads, taxes, etc. As well as participating in basically a home-cooked meal.

Of course, these Chambres d'Hotes can be quite different-- sometimes you have to be lucky, sometimes you need a recommendation. Also they vary by region-- the Southwest abounds in these B & B types, in Provence they are much more rare and not as good. A good starting point is the "Gites de France"guides, in the bookstores or on the web. Make sure you go to one with a "Table d'Hote" , or the communal meal, an important element of the experience.

N.B. The Moulin de Fresquet that I have recommended on a previous thread is the best one I have ever stayed at in terms of the historic building, comfort level, food, and hospitality of the proprietors. It was great fun!!

[Bux]

Bux, you have missed quite a bit, IMHO, by not staying at a chambre d'hote in France. As a tourist in a hotel there is really limited contact with the actual culture of a country. You meet only people in the business of catering to tourists.

Well as abstract advice, I will agree with your point. In our case we have both French and American friends in the Languedoc and they have friends with whom we socialize when we are there and we have our daughter's in-laws in Brittany. Thus we not only get to eat in people's homes, but cook there and shop in the local markets as well.

At the same time, we have a professional need to meet as many people in the business of catering to tourists as we can. So that's not a problem either, although it should be noted that chambre d'hote people are also in that same business. It's just the scale that's different.

[menton1]

French chambre d'hote that serve dinners are likely to cook to a standard commensurate with the quality of the rooms they offer, which can be very good indeed. Many are on farms and make use of their own produce. Those that are not tend to make use of the produce of farms in the vicinity.

Mary and I had the best quiche of our lives staying at a French farm. The flour was locally milled, the eggs were from their own chickens, the milk and cream were unpasteurized and from their own cows. Quiche from Plato's Heaven.

This type of meal is more often found at a "Ferme Auberge" rather than a Chambre d'Hote, I believe. The Fermes Auberges are regulated by the government, all the food they serve must be grown on the premises. I've also had some fabulous meals at these, but never stayed at the rooms overnight.

Also, these FAs vary by region. I have found them to be most ubiquitous in the Southwest as well. I suppose Provence is too "uppity" to have very many of the Fermes Auberges or the Chambres d'Hotes.