Fodor's Expert Review Domaine de Primard

This storybook 18th-century chateau (once the country home of Catherine Deneuve) has everything you need to experience the beauty and magic of the French countryside far from the hustle and bustle. And yet it's only a 50-minute drive from Paris and 35 minutes by car from lovely Vernon and Giverny, making it the perfect spot for a weekend getaway. Once here, there's little reason to leave the wooded 74-acre property, complete with flower gardens, an outdoor pool, woodland walks, and a farm fully equipped with livestock, orchards, and vegetable gardens. Rooms are the epitome of contemporary elegance, with views of the gardens or the nearby Eure River. The restaurants on the property, a gastronomic dining room run by chef Romain Meder and Octave bistro, both make good use of the garden bounty. Round off your idyllic stay with a relaxing spa treatment at the Susan Kaufmann spa set in a former woodshed.