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Where to stay in ‘France’s Home Counties’ — this hotel has it all
Dec 13, 2024
A stroll along the Seine in Paris. A cocktail on the beach in Cannes. A sip of Bordeaux in, well, Bordeaux.
I’ve spent plenty of time in France’s vibrant and varied cities – its rural areas, though, are the road less travelled for me.
So, as I headed south of Paris deeper into Île-de-France, I was more than a little intrigued by what I might find.
Île-de-France has been called ‘France’s version of the Home Counties’ – made up of eight regions, or ‘départements’, that surround its capital city.
I was on my way to the département of Yvelines, to stay near Bonelles – a town described by TripAdvisor as ‘a mix of modern and charming, tried and true.’
I might have expected rolling hills, artisan food and, of course, wine from the French countryside, but it was full of surprises.
Getting to Bonnelles
My destination is Le Barn, a countryside hotel in the heart of the Haute Vallée de Chevreuse Regional Natural Park.
I fly British Airways from Heathrow into Charles De Gaul, from which it took around one hour and 45 minutes to get to Le Barn via taxi.
The hotel also offers to arrange taxis from Station Paris Austerlitz-Dourdan (RER C) or Paris Montparnasse-Rambouillet on request, or there are bus links to Bonelles if you prefer.
The hotel manager also tells me that some guests even prefer to arrive via bicycle – we are in the country of the Tour De France, after all.
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