Avid followers may have noticed that I am absent from ‘A Model Recommends’ HQ once again. I am in France with very little internet access, and have been therefore very quiet on the twitter/social media front!

But just look at where I’ve been staying! The chateau in the photograph is the beautiful Villa des Arts, a sympathetically restored eighteenth-century manor just eleven kilometres from Le Mans. It has wonderfully romantic gardens, with secret walled areas and tiny ornate bridges crossing a stream.

I spent a lovely afternoon basking in the sunshine on a picnic blanket, catching up on my reading! Those of you who are obsessed with hotel toiletries (I am – in fact, the brand of toiletries on offer often sways my decision about where to stay!) won’t be disappointed. La Vila Des Arts provides handmade goodies that are a step beyond the usual l’Occitane or Molton Brown; a box of fig-scented bath infusions and another large box filled with finely milled French talc grace the bathroom cabinet!

I’m not sure that there is a vast amount to do in the immediate area (in truth, I just sat about eating Mirabelle plums from the gardens and soaking in the tub!) but Le Mans has a racetrack if you happen to own a Ferrari… This would be a great ‘mid-way’ stop for anyone doing the long drive down to the South of France – a truly relaxing haven that makes you feel as though you have stepped back in time. Christine is an exemplary hostess and provides a breakfast with so many courses you could sit eating until lunchtime!

There are only five rooms at La Villa des Arts, so you do need to book – but it’s definitely one to keep in mind for the next time you hop across the channel for your hols!

For more info on the Villa Des Arts, you can have a look on the website HERE