Touring medieval villages, drinking Bordeaux wines = your life at Chateau de Pitray !
The details of this bicycling vacation at the Chateau de Pitray are simple. The trip is designed to maximize your biking and sightseeing experience here in the Bordeaux wine country (the Dordogne and Gironde, the southwest of France), while at the same time enjoying the experience of staying in a Chateau as though you were visiting long time friends. I think the comments from a past client sum it up best:
Everyday we will ride an "out and back" loop from the Chateau, and each day the ride route will be different. The rides are on average about 3 hours, and it is easy to improvise and make adjustments to lengthen or shorten the rides. The small country roads are empty of traffic and beautifully paved, and the landscape is magnificent with the Dordogne river and rolling hills dotted with small towns and beautiful buildings - some dating back 500 years or more. Believe me it is a fairytale environment for cyclists, you won't be disappointed, and what better way to sightsee than on a bike!
The view out of one of the rooms from the 2nd floor.
As for the accommodations you will be staying at the Chateau de Pitray, a family chateau. The Chateau is a private estate that is located east of Bordeaux, about 35 miles, adjacent to the medieval village of St. Emillion - a World Heritage site - in the heart of the Bordeaux wine country. It is of course a very spacious property and residence. The ceilings on the ground floor of the chateau, for example, are 20 feet high, and the property encompasses 200 acres, of which 70 are vineyards.
There is a large swimming pool (45 feet long and 21 feet wide) for you to enjoy. The setting is exclusive and the accommodations are magnificent, all wonderful gems to bring this fairytale to life.
Ah, the food and wine! I think it is safe to say that grand cuisine, great wines and France are synonymous. I believe that the only way you could possibly be disillusioned is if you hope to be fed hot dogs, and in that case you will be out of luck. We will be eating many of the meals at the Chateau and they will be prepared by our private chef, served with Chateau de Pitray wine. The other meals will be in wonderful local restaurants where you can taste the regional delicacies and traditional classic French food.
The rest is a bonus, right! How about visits to local historical villages and other chateaux, visits to wineries, wine tasting, relaxing by the pool. Believe me, there is an enormous amount of history and culture throughout the Dordogne and Gironde regions. We will exalt ourselves in exploring the culture that the southwest of France has to offer, that is after we take care of our riding addiction and dinning needs ...bonus!
Thanks again for a wonderful week. The best compliment I can give you; it never felt "transactional".
It was as if we were old friends from the this side of the pond, meeting to ride in your "neighbourhood"; eating in your old haunts, drinking wine and sipping coffee. The graciousness of you and your secret weapons (your aunt Alix and uncle Pierre), the owners of Pitray, is what made it so special. There aren't adjectives effusive enough in praise of "Pitray."
Grinding away on the flats adjacent to the river, the exhilaration of the hills, relaxing in a quaint cafe, it was truly invigorating, exciting and beautiful. The road network must be seen to be believed. The way you made every ride and every rider comfortable; that's a talent.
Your knowledge of the "just so right" restaurants and what was best on the menu kept it simple and delicious. St Emilion; the wine, the wine class, the fire works, wineries, "oh la la, c'est magnifique." Seth B. Arizona
The north-east corner of the chateau.
The sunlight at sunset from the west facade of the chateau, in one of the bathroomms.
