COUNTRYSIDE

Hôtel & Restaurant
Les Près

Saint-Hilaire-le-Châtel - France

A nine-room country house in the Perche, two hours from Paris, with a garden restaurant, pool, potager and the Hoëne river below.

Countryside

Restaurant

Orchard

Pool

Living Room

Promenade

THE SETTING

Hôtel Restaurant Les Prés sits in Saint-Hilaire-le-Châtel, just outside Mortagne-au-Perche, in the Orne. Paris is about two hours away by car, but the change of rhythm happens much earlier: smaller roads, hedgerows, fields, old farms, villages in pale stone and the slow green hills of the Perche.

The house has lived several lives. Before the French Revolution, the Domaine de Pigeon was a hunting lodge for the Lords of Pigeon. It later became the home of the Marquise de Longueil, then spent around 150 years in the hands of the Sisters of Notre Dame de la Fidélité. That religious chapter explains part of the building’s quiet presence, but the place today feels warmer, more open and more lived in.

Stéphane Renaud and Éric Brossard restored the property and turned it into a small countryside hotel with nine rooms, a restaurant, salons, gardens, a swimming pool and a vegetable garden. The Hoëne river runs below the park, and century-old trees frame the house. It has the feeling of a private estate, but without the stiffness that sometimes comes with old houses.

THE ROOMS

There are nine rooms and suites spread over the first and second floors of the house. Each one has its own colour, furniture and atmosphere. The two classic rooms are tucked under the roof, with exposed beams and a cocoon-like mood. They are the smallest, around 20 m², but they have charm and feel slightly apart from the life of the house.

The superior rooms are larger, around 26 to 30 m², with larger windows, proper seating areas, and views towards the park, the river, or surrounding fields. Some keep original details such as tomettes, marble fireplaces or older floor materials; others feel more contemporary, with calmer tones and lighter oak.

The two junior suites occupy former master bedrooms on the first floor. These are the grander rooms of the house, with original woodwork, generous volumes, large bathrooms and views over the park. They feel closest to the old manor life of Les Prés.

Upstairs, the two suites under the roof are more architectural: double-height volumes, visible roof structure, Perche oak floors, large open spaces and a more contemporary mood. One feels like a loft above the countryside; the other carries the softness of sleeping under the beams.

THE FOOD

La Table des Prés is one of the main reasons to come.

The restaurant sits at the back of the house, under a glass-and-steel canopy, with the walled garden just outside and two smaller pavilion spaces for more intimate tables. There are around 30 covers, which keep the atmosphere close and controlled.

Stéphane cooks here. Before Les Prés, he trained as an architect and interior architect, and worked on hospitality projects where he crossed paths with names such as Paul Bocuse, Joël Robuchon, Alain Ducasse and the Guérards. Later, he trained in cuisine and pastry at the École Escoffier at the Ritz in Paris before opening this project with Éric. The cooking is seasonal, concise and tied to local producers. The menu changes often, with a focus on good ingredients, clear flavours and dishes made for sharing. The potager supplies herbs and vegetables when the season allows, and a newly planted orchard should eventually bring more fruit into the kitchen.

THE STAY

The pool is set directly on the grass, with a wooden terrace and pool house nearby. Guests can choose a lounger in the meadow, sit by the water or disappear into the garden with a book. The park is arranged in different moods: graphic grasses, old trees, a path towards the orchard and gardener’s hut, the vegetable garden, lawns, stone walls and the Hoëne river below.

Inside, the salons give the hotel a family-house feeling. You can sit, read, have a drink, wait for dinner or stay indoors when Normandy decides the garden has had enough attention for the day.

AROUND LES PRÈS

The Perche is one of the best countryside escapes close to Paris. It is not only pretty fields. There are forests, manors, markets, antique shops, horse country, small towns, abbeys, gardens and old roads that make short drives interesting.

Mortagne-au-Perche is the nearest town and a very good first stop: old streets, shops, market life and enough architecture to understand why the Perche has such a strong identity. Bellême, La Perrière, Rémalard and Longny-au-Perche can shape easy days out, each with a slightly different village atmosphere.

The Parc naturel régional du Perche is known for its bocage landscapes, forest hills, quiet roads, manor houses, gardens, local produce and Percheron horses. Walking, cycling and horse riding are all natural ways to explore. The Véloscénie, linking Paris to Mont-Saint-Michel, also passes through the wider region.

Les Prés is also practical for a longer Normandy itinerary. Alençon, Le Mans, Caen and Honfleur are all possible by car, but the most convincing days are local: breakfast, market, village, lunch, nap, garden, dinner.

THE OWNERS

Les Prés is run by Stéphane Renaud and Éric Brossard, and the project clearly carries both of them. Stéphane’s background in architecture and interiors gives the house its sense of proportion, colour and atmosphere. His move into cooking gives the restaurant its personal direction. Éric is part of the same restoration story: bringing the Domaine de Pigeon back to life, preserving the building’s past, and turning it into a place that feels elegant without becoming formal.

The result is a house with several strong identities held together: old estate, countryside hotel, restaurant, garden, weekend refuge, and local address for people who live nearby. That mix gives Les Prés its charm.

GOOD TO KNOW

The restaurant, La Table des Prés, usually opens Wednesday to Saturday for dinner and Sunday for lunch. It has around 30 covers, so booking ahead is strongly recommended, especially for weekend stays. By car, Paris is around two hours away, Alençon around 30 minutes, Le Mans around one hour, Caen around 1h30 and Honfleur around 1h40. The nearest useful train stations include L’Aigle, Nogent-le-Rotrou, La Loupe and Le Mans TGV, with taxis or car rental needed for the final stretch.

Rates usually start at around €140–€160 per night for a double room, depending on the season, room category, and booking conditions. Suites are priced higher.