Le Moulin de Choiseaux

Old mills are usually delightfully romantic, with the bonus of a picturesque setting, and Le Moulin de Choiseaux is no exception. Your very gracious hosts, Marie-Françoise and André Seguin, bought this charming 18th-century water mill in the heart of the Loire Valley and meticulously restored it, retaining its wonderful old character. Many mills are quaint and tiny, but Le Moulin de Choiseaux is a large, cheerful, two-story, creamy-beige stone building with perky dormer windows accenting the roof. Flanking one side is a still-functioning waterwheel, powered by a small stream. The home is sweetly decorated in a simple, tasteful style, most appropriate for the heritage of the building. The fabulous stone floor in the entrance hall is many centuries old. Also very antique is the beautiful circular wooden staircase, which winds up to two of the bedrooms (three additional bedrooms are in the adjacent house where the miller lived). All are very nice, but because of its beautiful garden views, my favorite bedroom is the Vieux Livres. Marie-Françoise has decorated each of the rooms individually and since she is an artist, many of the walls are decorated with her paintings. Two pretty ponds enhance the parklike grounds and several romantic streams wind their way through the gardens. Only the song of birds disturbs the blissful silence.