2024 Loire by ombiasy Wine Tours, led by Annette Schiller, took place from Sunday, June 9 to Thursday June 20, 2024. The tour started in Nantes and ended in Sancerre.

Château de Pray is a 4-star romantic hideaway close to the town of Amboise, in the heart of the Loire Valley. The origins of this Loire château dates from the 12th century. It is tucked away in a vast park with a nice pool and a terrace to relax.

As soon you step into this beautiful château with its gorgeous garden you leave the modern world behind and get carried back to the glory days of life in the Vallée de la Loire. This authentic Loire château is still privately owned. It was the first one that was converted to a hotel and restaurant in 1950. In 1992 it achieved its 4-star designation. Today there is a 1* Michelin restaurant on the premises. 

We stayed there on a Sunday night, when the restaurant is closed. But for hotel guests there is the possibility to be served a more simple dinner at Château de Pray. Unfortunately the weather did not allow us to take a swim in the pool before dinner and have dinner on the beautiful terrace. Instead, we started out with an aperitif in one of the gorgeous rooms of Château de Pray and then moved for dinner across the hallway to another, larger room. 

When Annette and I were here on the pre-trip, we had dinner the Michelin-starred restaurant. See: At Château de Pray, a Loire Château from the 12th Century and a Michelin Star: Overnight Stay and High-end Dinner in an Historic Setting (February 2024)

Château de Pray

Hôtel Château de Pray is a 4-star romantic hideaway in the heart of the Loire Valley. The origins of this magnificent Loire Château dates from the 12th century. It is situated a couple of miles from the town of Amboise and is tucked away in a vast park with a very nice outdoor pool and a huge terrace to relax. 

As soon as we step into this beautiful Château – close to the town of Amboise - with its gorgeous garden we leave the modern world behind and get carried back to the glory days of life in the Vallée de la Loire. This authentic Loire Château is still privately owned. It was the first one that was converted to a hotel and restaurant in 1950. In 1992 it achieved its 4-star designation.

Château de Pray

After a day of sightseeing, you can relax in the château’s cozy lounge among a 19th-century tiled fireplace, rich wood paneling, antiques, and leaded-glass windows, or linger in the garden with its lovely views of the Loire.

An attractive staircase leads to the charming guest rooms, many with four-poster or canopied beds.

The dining room at Château de Pray is highly regarded, and it’s wise to make a reservation. The restaurant is set in two rooms: one is all in shades of gold, while the second features stained glass windows, beautiful tapestries, and a fine, sculpted-wood fireplace.

Since the Loire is easy to cross at this point, the site has always been strategically important. A fortress has existed here since the 6th century. Named after Geoffroy de Pray, the Château de Pray has been home to a long line of families closely connected with the French royal court who resided at the Château d’Amboise.

This circa 1244 Renaissance house was built around the same time as the Château d’Amboise. Perhaps because of its small size, the Château de Pray always had an owner to protect it from the ravages of time: Elizabeth I’s commissioner of artillery in 1631, a councilor to the kings of Spain and France in the 18th century, and later, one of Lafayette’s officers.

Arriving

Walk in the Garden

Apperitif

Dinner

Breakfast

Bye-bye

At Château de Pray, a Loire Château from the 12th Century and a Michelin Star: Overnight Stay and High-end Dinner in an Historic Setting (February 2024)

See: At Château de Pray, a Loire Château from the 12th Century and a Michelin Star: Overnight Stay and High-end Dinner in an Historic Setting (February 2024)