A Festive Bastille Week with Amanda Strydom

Now open for reservations

Overview

It is the week of Bastille celebrations and the glorious summer activities are in full swing. We visit magical places of interest in the verdant countryside during the day, and in the evenings Amanda Strydom will enchant us with her magical performances, each evening a different show. Bastille Day will be celebrated with a seductive dinner feast in the shimmering park. Champagne will be flowing, the music will entice you, and the summer celebrations will be in abundance. Come celebrate with us!

Cost Breakdown

La Creuzette holiday programs are carefully compiled to ensure that you have the ultimate, hassle-free luxury holiday experience. Our all-inclusive land arrangement means that everything aside from flights, Schengen visas, train tickets, and personal expenses are taken care of as follows:

• €3 500 per person sharing
• Collection from Châteauroux train station on the 9^th July and transfer to La Creuzette
• Luxurious accommodation at La Creuzette for the 5 nights / 6 days
• Full board accommodation (i.e. all meals with drinks, also at restaurants we visit)
• All excursions including entrance fees and gratuities
• All cooking demonstrations and guest chefs
• All musical concerts by Amanda Strydom, and Bastille festivities
• Transfer back to Châteauroux train station at the end of the week at La Creuzette

A non-refundable deposit of €1 000 secures your booking with the balance due on or before your arrival at la Creuzette. A single supplement of €650 for the week applies for single occupation.

Itinerary

Day 1 (Wednesday, 9 July)

Collection from Châteauroux train station where the group will arrive between 11:00 and 12:00. Just outside of Chateauroux, we stop for a delicious lunch at the famous l'Escale Village. From here we have an hour’s drive to La Creuzette, your château residence for the week. We arrive at La Creuzette and are welcomed in the formal lounge for tea/coffee and macarons. Take some time to settle in, relax and explore the grounds. We meet at 19h30 for a glass of champagne in the garden, followed by a four-course dinner in the private cellar dining room.

Day 2 (Thursday, 10 July)

Today is our local market day in Boussac. Breakfast will be served at 09:00 in the formal dining room of the château. After breakfast, we stroll through the abundant market stalls, which are laden with fresh fruit and vegetables, colourful plants and flowers, and artisanal products from the region. We also visit some of the small boutiques in town, many owned by South Africans. Using the fresh produce selected at the market, lunch will be prepared and enjoyed at the long stone table in front of the La Creuzette summer kitchen. After lunch, we take a short drive to the Priory garden at Notre Dame d’Orsan (the inspiration for the garden design at Babylonstoren in South Africa and now also The Newt in Somerset, UK). We spend the afternoon in this creative and peaceful garden, and visit their beautiful garden shop, before heading back to La Creuzette. This evening we meet in the château lounge for a private concert by Amanda Strydom and her pianist Coenraad Rall. A five-star dinner follows in the summerhouse dining room.

Day 3 (Friday, 11 July)

After breakfast, we drive to the picturesque village of Aubusson, the Tapestry capital of France. This beautiful village is filled with rich history, and it is here that French tapestries and carpets have been woven and restored for centuries. The newly re-opened Cité de la Tapisserie (expanded during 2024) with superb collections of ancient and contemporary tapestries will be our first experience. Here you will learn all about the ancient method of tapestry weaving and admire the many magnificent tapestries on exhibition. We enjoy lunch at a restaurant on the bank of the river and after lunch, we visit a master weaver’s studio and Chantal Chirac’s cartoon (tapestry pattern) museum and shop. Back at La Creuzette we have some time to rest and to get dressed up for our evening concert. Champagne and the music concert by Amanda Strydom will be enjoyed in the lounge. Dinner will be served at a magically set table in the garden in front of the summer house this evening.

Day 4 (Saturday, 12 July)

After breakfast, we venture into nearby Montlucon to walk through the weekly market in the old part of the city and to shop anything from wonderful tablecloths and kitchenware to perfume, clothes, fresh produce, etc. You might be lucky and find a good vintage Louis Vuitton at one of the antique shops. We visit our wine merchant at his tasting room for a special wine tasting and a traditional French lunch. After lunch, there will be an opportunity to buy some special wine, which you may wish to take home with you. This evening we meet in the summerhouse kitchen for a hands-on cooking session by a French guest chef. Dinner follows in the summerhouse dining room.

Day 5 (Sunday, 13 July)

After breakfast, we all take a short drive through the beautiful countryside to spend the morning at a Brocante (antique fair). We participate in the French pastime of finding treasures amongst the Bric-a-Brac and antiques on offer. If we are lucky we can find some antique silver, embroidered linen serviettes, porcelain from Limoges, etc. After we did some bargain hunting we enjoy lunch at a nearby restaurant. We return to La Creuzette where you will have some relaxing time and time to pack. We meet in the château entry hall for champagne before we sit down for a magical concert by Amanda in celebration of Bastille. A dinner feast in the garden follows, and a pre-Bastille day surprise is on the program this evening.

Day 6 (Monday, 14 July)

Today is Bastille Day! After breakfast, we have some relaxing time at La Creuzette. Late morning, we depart for Châteauroux train station from where the train back to Paris departs.

Please note that this itinerary may be amended to accommodate suppliers, service providers and the weather.

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