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IN a previous era of French history you might well have lost your head for being the owner of the Chateau Houetteville. These days all you’ll lose is your heart.
On second thoughts, if you are part of a family group you might also lose the youngsters for days at a time while they indulge themselves in a plethora of activities that will have them screaming for more as your dream holiday draws to a close.
And you can always placate the youngsters with the promise of returning next year knowing that it’s a behavioral carrot and not an idle promise. Such are the joys invested upon those who become part-owners of one of the most romantic and historic buildings in France. The golf is a golden bonus.
For “part-ownership” you might read “executive timeshare” but it’s somewhat incongruous to consider such a celebrated building in the terms used for selling mass produced apartments on the Costa del Concrete.
The chateau, now almost totally restored, dates to the mid-14th century and is surrounded by 30 acres of woodland and impeccably maintained gardens. It is some 20 miles south of the ancient city of Rouen, where Joan of Arc met her fate, and an hour from both Paris and Le Havre. At first sight it could be a towered, fairy tale castle, its spires rising from a pink tiled roof, such as might be found at nearby Disney World.
It’s a film set waiting to happen and it wouldn’t lack for interior shots, either. On three floors, it has 25 or so self-contained rooms and suites, all sumptuously furnished, with silks and satins, toe tingling carpets and four poster beds and with bathrooms to kill for. There are terraces and galleries and huge fireplaces just itching for winter; there are bars and a dining room, all oozing history and a romantic ambience. It’s like a five star hotel, only better. It even has a company-owned Bentley Turbo and a driver available upon request! They’d love it in Hollywood.
Those 25 rooms and suites (in total there are 44 twin/double bedrooms) are all different in style, décor and size and the latter holds the key to cost. The smallest room, The Edinburgh, is 250 square feet in size and is available at £7,500 for a selected week for a 20 year renewable leasehold period.
The largest suite, sleeping six, is The Oxford: it has 775 square feet of space and is available at £30,000 for one week per year. That’s also for 20 years so the mathematics are simply stated. It’s a holiday home at bargain rates.
If Normandy sounds incongruous as a holiday destination your first sight will dispel any doubts. There’s oodles to do, no matter your age. The chateau has a spa and leisure suite and an indoor pool; there are jogging and cycle tracks in the woods, plus tennis courts and a children’s play area. Nearby there’s horse riding and angling and there are several good quality restaurants in the nearby villages.
Not least, there is golf on four neighbouring courses with many others less than an hour away. But you won’t want to wander. The local courses are first rate and inexpensive, thanks to discounts available to chateaux guests.
But see for yourself: visit the chateau’s website at www.poshchateau.com and you’ll want to see it all at first hand. Then you’ll be hooked!
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