Lhomme Le Plus Tatoué De France

Review: Le Befouled

A new breed of French state hotel is born just 45 minutes exterior Paris—with stables, spa, and village pastimes.

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Set the scene.
A drive through the woods south of Paris leads to what feels like a Gallic Soho farmhouse, set up amongst meadows, with grain stores, big-roofed barns and a 19th-century mill transformed into a hotel, where Clark the canis familiaris supervises children modeling with dirt from the games closet, and piles of brunch-time charcuterie await in the solarium. What's the story behind it?
It's part of Marugal, a Paris-based mini-group that white-labels some of its backdrop for their respective owners, and is planning to take Le Befouled concept global—affordable, well-designed family-friendly rooms ready in compellingly natural landscapes, a brusk drive from the city. Shanghai may be next. What can nosotros expect from our room?
Parisian design studio Be-poles—other projects include NoMad hotels in New York and L.A.—has repurposed several Fifties barns into bedrooms with waxed canvas curtains, Shaker-style article of furniture and Frédéric Woods equus caballus sketches tacked to cork walls. Some have shared balconies overlooking a fishing pond. Bathrooms are sleek in matte black and white Metro tiles; white linen-sheeted beds were comfortable but the overall impression is one of Moonrise Kingdom summertime campsite rather than state pile. The tech is non-invasive and works well. How most the food and drink?
Rustic French with brunch tables heaped with local meats and cheeses, oven-toasty baguettes, and croissants alongside French salted butters and organic fruit jams. An outdoor grill fires up at weekends too, to the please of carnivores, but there are enough of fresh salads also. Breakfast is included. Annihilation to say about the service?
This is more than about the feel than the service, though information technology runs efficiently and living quarters are kept spotless. Food arrived promptly, the bartenders made fantabulous café au lait and, in the spa, the Indian yoga instructor volition knead abroad travel aches in silence. Who comes hither?
Parisians from the 6th, 7th, or 16th arrondissements, who seem to know each other already but not in a cliquey manner. Breton stripes and espadrilles won't seem out of identify. Is in that location anything interesting nearby?
Le Barn shares 500 acres in the Rambouillet wood with France's famous holistic horsemanship school, La Cense—just information technology'south best to explore the surrounding woodland and small villages by bicycle. Prepare the coordinates for Rochefort-en-Yvelines, Rambouillet, or Chevreuse. Anything we missed?
There is no bank check-in or check-out fourth dimension, and very oft you will see guests leaving with vegetables from the organic gardens or a jar of bootleg tomato plant sauce. Endeavor your manus at horse whispering, cooking lessons in the grass-roof kitchen, riding Friesian horses in the sky-lit modernist barn, or simply a clunk-click game of pétanque. Is information technology worth information technology—and why?
Yes. Guests feel comfortable enough to wear pajamas to breakfast, fifty-fifty to lunch. Aught felt affected and the natural setting sparks that nostalgic glow of childhood summers.

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