Bastille Day in the country

With the national holiday came a break in Sarah’s schedule and an opportunity to escape the city. Having been in Paris for three weeks both of us were longing for nature and thought this a perfect time to trade in horns and scooters for birds and bikes. Escaping the city on a national holiday isn’t a novel concept, and thus we found it difficult to find nearby hotels with vacancies, but we decided to spend the weekend at Château De Villiers-Le-Mahieu.

In the suburb of the same name an hour west of Paris lies this charming old château. The ivy-covered building, set back on a long entrance, and surrounded by a moat inspire historical prominence. Outside the city, even within hospitality, English is less spoken. I’ve been able to get by with some basic phrases: “Sorry, I speak English”; “Do you speak English?”; “Do you have the wine list?”. Even without knowing French, context clues allowed me to check in to the hotel. Interestingly, passport and credit card were not required. I suspect the latter because Château De Villiers-Le-Mahieu has an ‘all-inclusive’ business model (more on that later).

Nearby, several other newer buildings with more modern touches are indications of the villa’s popularity and expansion. It was in one of these building where we walked through the restaurant and up the stairs to find the typical bank of hotel doors, and our room for the weekend.  The room showed its age but was satisfactory for the short stay. The plan was to spend more time at the pool than the room anyway. Having arrived in the early evening we set off to the self-service aperitif bar. As part of the all-inclusive, it was a ‘help yourself’ style for cocktails, and buffet style for all meals. Staff was available to bus tables or answer questions, but I presume the hotel requires fewer people with this model, and that people may be hard to find in the suburban areas.

This “honor bar” (literally) was a stark illustration of the differences between my experience of all-inclusive (namely mega-resorts in Mexico) and the French variant. I suspect at the root is the tipping culture in North America, steering guests towards staff to place orders and pass the leather folio to add tip as a room charge. Contrasted with the tipping culture in Europe means more openness with alcohol, as was also evident at the buffet meals where dozens of wine bottles or liquor was available. I did appreciate an Armagnac after one meal.

Another culture shock for me was watching the parenting at the Château. Villiers-Le-Mahieu attracted families; during our two nights stay I counted six pregnant women, and I lost count of the number of children. This resort felt like a summer camp for families.  One could row a boat around the moat, play table tennis, bike around the resort, or even work on one’s short game at the golf practice area.  We came for relaxation, so we opted to lounge at the pool, which became the most popular activity in the late afternoon at the height of the heat. 

Villiers-Le-Mahieu doesn’t offer luxurious amenities, Michelin stars, bellhops, or concierges.  Instead, it feels like a country commune for urbanites.  I suspect that if we knew the language, it would make for a great backdrop for conversations, and opportunity to develop friendships.  Or if we had children, a great venue to let them blow off steam chasing ducks.