Luxury 17th Century Manoir near Amboise 7BR + pool

Beautifully renovated private 17th century estate - a 5 BR Manoir + 2BR apartment in a historic pigeonnier. Pool (inside a former barn), large pond, vast gardens. All-new gourmet kitchen, large outdoor dining terrace, formal dining room, sun-filled salon and fully-equipped gym. Just 5km from Amboise. The space We fell in love with bounty of the region (wine, produce, cheese) and the beauty (chateaux, vineyards, sunflower fields) and wanted to create a luxurious but comfortable place to celebrate it all. We love art and design and don't believe that spending the time in the country has to mean sacrificing nice things and making due with wonky furniture and uninspired decor. (If you're an experienced air bnb-er you now what we mean). We have created a place that we think is a fitting end to a day exploring this elegant region, and is also the perfect place to relax and spend the whole day at home. THE GROUNDS Two iron gates and a carved pillar will welcome you to La Restrie. At the entrance grounds is a 17th-century barn and a historic pigeonnier, which is a classified monument. (We have just completed a stunning 2 bedroom apartment inside. ) You pass under the pigeonnier and drive along a tree-lined path until you reach the house. There is a large courtyard with ample parking and a garage. There are several troglodyte caves across from the house - these house our wine cellars, tools and a former apartment that we are renovating. These caves are typical of the region and were the source of the stone that was used to build the house hundreds of years ago. THE HOUSE The main house is 2 floors, with the salon, library, kitchen, dining room, toilette and one bedroom with en-suite bathroom on the first floor. The second floor features two more large bedrooms with en-suites, and two smaller bedrooms, one with the bathtub in the room, and both sharing a toilet room. In the basement level there is a full gym and Nanny suite. All the rooms (even the kitchen) have working fireplaces and the house has thermostat-controlled heating as well. There is no air conditioning, as is normal in this part of France. It rarely is so hot you'll need it, and the stone walls do a great job of keeping out the heat. There are fans available for all the bedrooms in the summer if you'd like. THE ROOMS The house opens into a large salon, under 400 year-old beams, which has a huge firplace and seating for 10. To the left is a formal library filled with books - which offers armchairs and a leather chesterfieds couch as spots to relax and enjoy a book. There is also a large desk here (if you must do work while you're here). This room opens onto the main outdoor dining terrace, with dining space for 10 and a gas BBQ. Down the hall you pass the one bedroom on the ground floor, which has an en-suite bathroom with shower. Further down the hall is the formal dining room, which features traditional French carved woodwork called Boiserie, and seats up to 12. There is also a 1/2 bath /WC here. Lastly is our new kitchen, which is fully-equipped with anything you could want (steam oven, nespresso machine, juicer, etc) and has a breakfast bar that seats 3. We have drawers of spices and cabinets of ingredients and cookbooks, and offer those to guests to take advantage of the local produce and make a few meals at home. Up a separate small staircase is the private master suite - with large dressing area and en-suite bath with shower. This is the largest room and was just fully-renovated in 2017. There are three other bedrooms upstairs, accessible by the main staircase in the living room. There one very large en-suite with shower which overlooks the main garden/pond and gardens, a smaller room with a single bed designed for children, and the last room which is my fave - it features a pedestal bathtub in the room itself. (and there is a even a "secret passage" that connects this room to the dressing room/master suite). These two last rooms share a bathroom with toilet/sink. All the bedrooms (except the kids room) have fireplaces and all have windows which look out onto one of the gardens. There is also a separate "nanny suite" in the lower level - accessible only via an external door in the lower garden. It has a double bed, and en-suite with shower and a kitchenette. (This room is ONLY available for use on request if you have too many guests for the main house.) Guest access The house is VERY private and guests have access to the entire grounds - the house, the gardens, the pigeonnier, the barn/pool and the gym. (The caves are the only part not accessible.) The property is walled on three sides, and the fourth is a forest hillside. There are large electric gates at the entrance and you will be given a beeper for access. The pool is inside our historic barn - it is heated and usable year-round. There is a gym on the ground floor, with a Technogym elliptical, Technogym spin bike, Lagree Megaformer, TRX trainer, weights and yoga mats. We also have bikes, petanque and croquet and a hammock. There are two tennis courts in the village and several great running and hiking paths just steps away.