Les Prés, a hotel of calm, luxury and serenity

The best decisions are often the most carefully considered. The proof is in Éric Brossard and Stéphane Renaud, who settled in the Perche region over fifteen years ago, gradually discovering its landscapes and culture, and taking an active part in local life. Both were keen to go further, with the desire to create a meeting place to share the beauty and serenity of this region, which had become their absolute passion. In 2021, they decided to take the plunge and unearthed a sublime 17th-century hunting lodge that had become the refuge of a religious community.

After two years of refurbishment by trained architect Stéphane Renaud, Hotel Les Prés - inaugurated last April - is already a sell-out. The explanation lies first and foremost in its geography - the building is tucked away in a magnificent park shaded by tall trees and refreshed by a small river. But its success is due above all to a restoration that respects the past yet is full of spirit, giving the place a new lease of life. The nine rooms and suites, spread over three floors, have preserved intact the traces of history, while adding contemporary touches. Exposed beams, stonework, columns, terracotta floor tiles and wooden shutters combine magically with sleek, modern materials - glass and metal - to create a lively, harmonious atmosphere, with large windows opening onto the park, swimming pool and vegetable garden.

This atmosphere can be found in the living room, warmed by the fireplace, as well as in the dining room under a large glass roof, the building's former colonnaded gallery.the building's former colonnaded gallery flanked by two small pavilions - the pantry and the winter garden, designed to accommodate large tables. Here, you can enjoy simple, tasty, country-style cuisine, created in a short circuit and punctuated by the seasons and market returns. From Wednesday to Sunday, this is the place to be for locals and lovers of the Perche region, who have made it their new HQ, not only for the quality of the cuisine, but above all for the warm, intimate atmosphere of a family home where you feel recognized and welcomed. A successful gamble for Hotel Les Prés, and so much the better, in a region where the supply of accommodation still falls short of expectations and needs.

Three questions to hotel owners Eric Brossard and Stéphane Renaud

How did you discover this former hunting lodge, and what attracted you to it?

Eric Brossard: We'd already had a house in the Perche region for fifteen years. We'd been talking about this project for ten years, but we didn't start visiting places until 2021. We quickly discovered this former hunting lodge and fell in love with the place. As Stéphane is an interior designer for the luxury hotel industry, he wanted to carry out the restoration project himself, preserving as much as possible of the history of the place, the original parquet floors, the old floor tiles...

What work did you carry out? With which craftsmen?

Stéphane Renaud: The restoration took almost a year and a half, and we used only local craftsmen. Maison Mousset carried out all the joinery and cabinetwork, including the furniture I designed - the bathroom basins, the bar in the ground-floor lounge... The extension to the house, which houses the restaurant, was entrusted to Atelier de la Verrière, in Chalans.

What spirit did you give to this house?

E.B.: We didn't want to open yet another hotel. Rather, we wanted to offer a refuge where people could feel truly at home, and not at home with us. In fact, we've kept our own house, which is just a stone's throw away. Our aim was to make the rooms truly intimate and cosy, but we also put a lot of work into the restaurant. The restaurant welcomes locals and tourists alike. Open all year round, it's alive all the time and brings different people together. It's a place where locals meet up and, after dinner, some of them join us at the same table for a chat and a drink. That's exactly what we wanted, to create a place where people could meet and exchange ideas.