Cécile Sepulchre
Forget Paris at Etangs de Corot, in the countryside around Ville d'Avray
The buzz of Paris fades as soon as you step through the door. A bucolic setting, a view of wild ponds... Visitors are transported into another space-time. That of painter Camille Corot, the illustrious neighbor who in the 19th century painted the magical greenery in which Ville-d'Avray is nestled.
Breton architect Christophe Bachmann imagined a naturalistic décor, with a backdrop of moss green, lake blue and ochre, carpets dotted with flowers and antiques (hanging boats, wicker fishing cages...). A luminous sculpture of a giant koi carp lights up the entrance, while a vintage tandem bicycle invites visitors to take a stroll.
Since 2022, the hotel, restaurant and straw huts overlooking the water have been transformed into a 4* Relais & Chateaux after eighteen months of embellishment. The 42 rooms and suites, all different with their Corot-inspired frescoes and paintings and their zellige-covered bathrooms, offer, in some cases, private terraces overlooking the pond. Antiques here and there add a retro touch.
But the most picturesque spot is located beyond the wisteria-covered patio. It is the terrace over the water, with its balustrade made of intertwined dark beams, designated as a historic monument. Its lower level has been transformed into a series of private hot tubs where guests can sip a cocktail while listening to the birdsong. Further down, there is also the 500-square-meter spa and its eight treatment rooms with large windows opening onto the pond.
While the hotel features three dining venues, the most popular is the Michelin-starred restaurant Le Corot, which is celebrating the tenth anniversary of its star this year. Its Charente-born chef, Rémi Chambard, has created a special eight-course menu called “La Grande Balade” for the occasion, available through the end of June, with four menu variations presented in a farandole-style sequence. Osciètre caviar, placed on a miniature puff pastry from Belles de Fontenay, is paired with a Jura wine whose subtle nutty complexity lingers on the palate; the confit trout blossoms in a sorrel cream with perfect velvety texture.
In a skilful ballet, his team composes scallops, opened in "choleric" bloom, onion tarts topped with mushroom petals and creamy pike mousses. A truffled vanilla ice cream, backed by a chestnut mousse with ribot milk, punctuates the ball. The food and wine pairing is de rigueur, tailor-made being the signature of this timeless escapade.
And to mark the 150th anniversary of Impressionism, an exhibition by Véronique Vincenti, inspired by Jean Baptiste Camille Corot, is on display until the end of August, in homage to the artist who produced his first works in Ville d'Avray
Just fifteen minutes from Paris...
Les Etangs de Corot
55, rue de Versailles, 92410 Ville-d'Avray, France
Photo credits © Christophe Le Potier
