La Mercy Dieu

A Château in Northern Burgundy — 1 hour 20 south of Paris, by train or by car/ 25 mn from INSEAD Campus ( Fontainebleau)

Sleeps up to 14 adults and 10 children

An 18th-century château of 500 m², square-built and set in its own park, in the northernmost reaches of Burgundy.

The bedrooms. Seven double bedrooms for couples, two of which take an extra single bed. For teenagers and young guests, three further rooms: one with a futon, one with two single beds, and a dormitory sleeping five children.

The setting. The house opens onto the best of two worlds. To the north, Paris and its southern approaches: Fontainebleau and Vaux-le-Vicomte half an hour away, and a wealth of museums — the Musée Rosa Bonheur, the Musée Camille Claudel, and many more. To the south, northern Burgundy, from the cathedral town of Sens to the vineyards of Chablis, an hour from the gates. The station is an eight-minute walk away, with around fifteen trains a day to Paris, one hour to one hour thirty depending on the service — easy enough to spend two full days among the city’s treasures and return each evening to the quiet of the countryside.

Sport and summer. Golf courses lie within 15 minutes in every direction. The village offers a tennis court and a football pitch, free to all. In summer, one of the most secluded and beautiful rivers in the region — ten minutes away — invites riding along its banks and swimming in its waters.

Inside. Each room has been decorated with care, in the spirit of the French art de vivre. Two kitchens, eight bathrooms, six lavatories. The principal dining room seats twenty-four, the second twelve; the two adjoining drawing rooms receive some thirty guests. The billiard room is a pleasure in itself. In the park, BBQ on a huge terrace that can fit up to 25 guests for dining, ping pong...

On request. Private kitchen, Cookery classes, yoga sessions, tennis/ golf/ wake boarding coaching, accrobranche, climbing sessions in Fontainebleau, canoea in Moret sur loing sessions, wine tastings, baby sitting, extra cleaning services during your stay  can all be arranged.

The park is as handsome as the house, set well apart from the courtyard, where four or five cars park with ease.