Château de Saint Paterne

Château de Saint Paterne is a 15th-century château that had long stood abandoned before coming back to life 25 years ago, driven by Charles-Henry and Ségolène de Valbray. In the 16th century, King Henri IV of France is said to have spent a night here — the château was once home to one of the king's mistresses. Since Charles-Henry de Valbray inherited it in 1989, as a long-abandoned shell, he and his wife have spent three decades restoring it with authentic period touches and eclectic charm.

Today its 11 rooms and suites sit within the château itself, with a chic, relaxed atmosphere, alongside "La Datcha," an independent luxury suite in a larch-wood cabin in the park, with a private sauna and rooftop jacuzzi.

The château's documented abandonment before its 1989 inheritance, followed by three decades of restoration by the same family, gives Saint Paterne a specific modern revival story distinct from estates that passed continuously through inhabited ownership.

The tradition of Henri IV's overnight visit, and the château's said association with one of his mistresses, ties the property to 16th-century French royal history predating its current restored form by centuries.

The presence of "La Datcha," a genuinely separate luxury cabin in the park, means one unit on the property sits entirely outside the château building, even though the large majority of rooms remain within the historic structure.

The château's position on the outskirts of Alençon, at the boundary of Normandy and Pays de la Loire, gives guests staying at Saint Paterne convenient access to both regions and the wider Loire Valley château route.