Special Places to Stay - More than a bed for the night

An artist-owner in a dreamy place, and an 18th-century Burgundian house and stables. There is an understated elegance here, as if everything has been designed but quietly so, an appealing mix of old stone floors, limestone walls, high beamed ceilings and colour in small doses, a crisp sense of light and space. The house has been divided neatly into three apartments, each with its own entrance and some stone stairs; rent them separately or in one whole. The largest living room, cosy with cream sofas, blue armchairs, books, candles, is dominated by a handsome stone fireplace. Good art hangs on the walls, kitchens come in various sizes, Karen's sculptures dot the grounds, and the Stables comes with its own terrace. The pool, its loungers and its lawns bathe in sunlight, and there’s plenty of outdoor fun: badminton, table tennis, table football, barbecue. Beyond, fields and woodland stretch across the hills. This part of France, sometimes compared to Tuscany, is beautifully unspoiled, and lovely Marc and Karen, who do B&B in the house next door, will help you discover the region.