Hotel review: Loire Valley Lodges – living galleries in the treetops

Like something out of a fairy tale, deep within the heart of France’s Loire Valley region, you will uncover a French hunting lodge of pale stone and burgundy-shuttered windows: the magical Loire Valley Lodges.

Hidden within 300 hectares of private woodland in the Touraine region of France, this experiential retreat blurs the boundary between architecture and nature. Here, design dissolves into the landscape.

For travellers arriving from the UK, the journey is effortlessly elegant — a smooth glide beneath the Channel aboard the Eurostar to Paris, followed by a gentle onward transfer through the French countryside. From the very first mile, the rhythm shifts, setting the tone for an unhurried escape that awaits.

Image credit: Julien Deprez

Born from nature

Much like the centuries-old woodland that surrounds it, the Loire Valley Lodges’ design philosophy is both story-telling and oh so organic. Co-founded by Anne Caroline and Bertrand Frey, the concept behind the lodges is deceptively simple: allow guests to fully experience the forest in every season without sacrificing comfort and indulgence.

The guiding principle — ‘let the forest enter you’ — underpins every design decision, resulting in spaces that encourage contemplation, sensory immersion and a slower pace of living. And, rather than positioning luxury as separate from nature, the property reframes it as proximal to it. The entire estate feels curated around this ethos, from the architecture by Isabelle Poulain to the guided forest bathing, food menus, and the contemporary art scattered between the trees.

Image credit: Geraldine Martens

The beating heart of the estate

The main lodge sets the tone for the entire retreat. Home to the reception, it also houses a carefully curated boutique offering thoughtful keepsakes such as estate-produced honey and the retreat’s signature essential oil blend, which captures the scent of the surrounding fir forest with remarkable authenticity.

Beyond the shop, the space unfolds into an open-fire-warmed bar — a cocooning, tactile environment that feels deliberately designed to slow time, ground guests and invigorate the senses. Sumptuous velvet seating invites guests to sink in, while natural timber furnishings and layers of impossibly soft textiles soften the space further. Whether settling in with a book, bottle of wine, or reaching for a pack of cards, the room is designed to suit quiet afternoons or softly glowing evenings illuminated by flickering firelight.

Just beyond the bar sits Ardent, the Michelin-key restaurant which cleverly balances contemporary colour and culinary palettes with subtle nods to the building’s wild heritage as a hunting lodge; animal busts line the walls and large windows frame views across the grounds, the permaculture vegetable garden and into the woods that lay beyond.

Yet, despite the scale of the surrounding forest, the main lodge creates an atmosphere of warmth and familiarity. Set within such vast woodland, you will find real peace within the Loire Valley oasis.

Architecture that frames, interiors that narrate

From the main house, the treetop lodges remain almost entirely concealed — a deliberate design choice that preserves the illusion of untouched wilderness —  while guests are encouraged to borrow one of the complimentary bicycles or wander quietly along woodland paths to discover their suite.

Sixties lodge, designed by Anne Caroline Frey | Image credit: Geraldine Martens

Perched four metres above the forest floor, each nest-like lodge is shaped around a dramatic single-panel bay window in the guest room. Stretching more than five metres across, the window elegantly frames the forest as it shifts with the seasons, weather and daylight.

I stayed in the Lost Lodge — not a forgotten place but one of 18 individually curated suites, each shaped by the imagination of a different contemporary artist. Unique murals, installations and works ensure no two lodges feel alike.

The Lost Lodge tells the story of a globe-trotting pup and his artist owner, Aurèle. Washed in rich cerulean hues, the space is affectionately watched over by an an original sculpture of the dog that resides within the lodge’s master bedroom. Elsewhere, lodge themes span from sixties glamour to urban graffiti expressions and soft, feathered, angelic reveries.

Though the varying interiors can feel playfully contemporary and urban, the floor to ceiling windows and private balcony-terraces, complete with hot tubs (and saunas in select suites), mean that you are never far from a view of the sunrise or the stars. This connection to nature is underpinned by the lodge’s materiality, with exterior structures crafted from locally sourced Douglas fir and interiors featuring chestnut-lined walls and solid oak flooring. The emphasis on natural materials encourages tactile interaction with the surroundings, reinforcing a sensory design philosophy where texture, colour and scent play an integral role in the guest experience.

Beyond the lodges

Across the estate, architecture and design continues to explore the intersection of art, wellness and ecology. A biodynamic ‘Zome’ structure, built using a double-spiral geometry inspired by natural forms, hosts immersive sound therapy experiences designed to heighten sensory awareness.

Wandering through the woods and grounds, guests encounter art in its many forms — from a two-dimensional portrait of Marilyn Monroe to a life-sized rhinoceros sculpture, ‘La Pisseur‘, an enormous reclining female figure on the lawn, and even a golden, butterfly-shrouded skull. For lovers of art, abstraction and free-flowing joy, Loire Valley Lodges is a captivating escape where you will be awed and inspired in equal measure.

Elsewhere, the property integrates a permaculture garden, a bee lodge designed around active hives, and outdoor Nordic bathing facilities, all reinforcing the estate’s holistic design identity. Even communal spaces, including the private spa and swimming pool aligned beneath towering oaks and firs, follow the same philosophy of architectural subtlety within nature.

Image credit: Geraldine Martens

In a world increasingly defined by speed and noise, Loire Valley Lodges offers a totally unique experience where architecture, design and joyous creativity becomes a medium for storytelling and sensory immersion. Every element, from the elevated lodges and panoramic views of woodland life, to the careful use of raw, local materials, is designed to dissolve the boundary between interior and forest, allowing nature to shape both atmosphere and emotion.

Far, far more than simply a place to sleep and eat, the retreat is a living, breathing ode to design and the transformative experiences it can create. Deeply authentic in both vision and execution, Loire Valley Lodges has devoted itself to the reimagining of modern luxury as something deeply connected to landscape, art and the restorative power of stillness – and oh boy does it do it well.

Main image credit: Geraldine Martens