A lot of my clients are looking for all inclusive, all-encompassing food and wine tour excursions with lodging. There are unlimited numbers of places all with different niche activities, so it can be hard to decide where to go! After landing in Bordeaux, if you wanted to rent a car and explore the countryside of Gironde and Lot et Garonne (towards Dordogne), check these two stops out. Both Rouge Bordeaux and Chateau Ladausse are owned by couples who excel in hospitality, offer traditional French cooking classes and day trips around the region. You’ll enjoy comfortable ensuite lodging in charming locations with hosts excited to share the best of their area!
ROUGE BORDEAUX IN AUROS, GIRONDE
This rural stay is about a 45 minutes drive on the highway from Bordeaux city centre. It’s tucked away in a small town famous for its foie gras cooperative near the Graves vineyards and about a ten minutes drive to Bazas. Over the years a lot of people I work with has been saying I need to meet Megan and Julien Martel…and recently I was finally able to! Megan comes from Minnesota in the USA and was always a bit of a Francophone, so it’s no surprise she ended up here! Her husband, Julien, is from Lyon originally and had studied law prior to his . Together, they chose this beautiful part of France 1as their home where they live with their two young children. They have made their work and home a labor of love, updating the two-hundred year old property and creating a wonderful space for entertaining.
Together, Megan and Julien offer cooking escapes in the SW of France to try your hand at all things duck, pastry and many other local or seasonal goods like grilled bazadaise beef over sarmets (grapevine trimmings).
They host group trips revolving around not only food, but also team building workshops or artist retreats, in addition to individuals and couples. Rouge Bordeaux / 3 rue de Tauzia, 33124 Auros / +33 (0)6 99 50 18 60
CHATEAU LADAUSSE IN MONFLANQUIN
Drive another hour and a half and you pass sunflower fields and rolling hills on your way to the bastide town of Monflanquin. Diane Anthoisson and I met in Paris over a decade ago, I was looking for someone to make my American style wedding cake and was gracious enough to do so! Diane had graduated from the same culinary school in Paris, Ferrandi, and we hit it off immediately. When I moved down to SW France we were able to reconnect and while I wasnt cooking much professionally anymore, she gave me work in the summer to help with weddings which I really appreciated and got me back in the kitchen!
Together with her husband, Eric, they are the warmest hosts and have so many repeat customers who enjoy the personalized service. Chateau Ladausse, their home and BnB, is a lovely old chateaux they painstakingly restored. There is a beautiful pool near the gardens and plenty of space to escape the world and reconnect with nature. Eric loves wine and enjoys taking clients to vineyards and wine tastings, from Saint Emilion to Cahors, foie gras farms and local markets. You might be greeted and be able to spend time with their sweet doggie, Skippy, who is the mascot of Chateau Ladausse.
Perfect for couples trips or the entire chateau can be booked for groups or small events. Chateau Ladausse / Lieu-dit Ladausse 47150 Monflanquin / +33 (0)5 53 36 71 63
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