Marriage proposal in the French countryside (Burgundy/Loire Valley)
 

My girlfriend and I are going to Paris for a week in February, and we're planning to do a short get-away in.Burgundy or the Loire Valley.for a couple days.. I'm planning to propose during this part of the trip so I'm looking for some help in finding the perfect place.. My girlfriend is the type that would prefer this to be a more private moment, so I'm thinking that somewhere in the country would make for a more memorable experience than doing it in Paris..

My ideal would be to stay at a nice chateau or inn with beautiful grounds where we could take a walk (understanding it will be winter!) and then have a long.celebratory dinner afterward.. I'm looking for a place to stay that would be special, so I'm willing to spend a bit as long as it's not extremely expensive (no more than 300 EUR/night).. We'll have a car so we can go somewhere off the beaten path but I don't want to go too far from Paris.
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We're both into good food and wine, so I was thinking that Burgundy may be a great choice.. I have also been to the Loire Valley and thought that staying somewhere there may be memorable, as we would both love to tour some of the chateaus there.. Does anyone have any recommendations for places to stay or perfect proposal ideas?. Many thanks in advance.

I've stayed twice at a chateau in the Loire valley, south of Tours. It's a very romantic setting, with spacious, beautiful grounds, and a lovely restaurant.

http://www.tortiniere.com/

Of course the weather in February might not be ideal for strolling the grounds.

Best wishes to you both!

The most romantic place I've ever been is the Chateau de la Verrerie:
www.chateaudelaverrerie.com

It's on the edge of the Loire Valley, and looks like Sleeping Beauty should live there. I've stayed there several times and have always been delighted. I've never been in February, though...

Thanks to both of you for the recs. They both look amazing and just what I had in mind. Unfortunately they both appear to be closed for the winter until March 1. It's proven very difficult to find country spots that are open in the winter, especially in the Loire Valley.

Have you checked out the Relais et Chateaux website? This link goes to the Burgundy/Franche-Comte region but there are a few other areas around Paris to check out.

That's a good one !
Also in the area of Bourgogne is the Chateau de Gilly.
Other network of nice hotels (not as luxury usually but also a bit cheaper than Relais & Chateaux) is Chateaux & Hotels Collection, which will give you a list for the Loire and Burgundy regions.

Also close to Paris, you might want to try Reims, the main city of the Champagne region, (40 minutes by train) and there's a nice Relais & Chateaux there as well: Les Crayères. And you could do a nice Champagne dinner as the restaurant is supposed to be quite good.

By the way: congratulations on taking the big step !

Thanks everyone for the suggestions (and congratulations). I ended up booking a room at L'Abbaye de la Bussiere, a Relais & Chateaux property: http://www.abbaye-dela-bussiere.com/home.shtml!

I live in Burgundy. There are a lot of very nice romantic places around here. And several castles you can walk the grounds on, although most are private and only have a few days open to the public.

This is a super nice place for a high end romantic dinner. http://www.bernard-loiseau.com/ and there is a hotel there too. If you join Club 5C (free for Amex Centurion) you get a nice upgrade and other bennies. The town is very special and there are several castles nearby as well as a huge national park.

if you are interested in wine, you should propose in the vineyards at richebourg. i have been there a couple times in february, and the weather was usually quite decent. i can think of no place more famous than the top vineyards of Vosne-Romanée. when i have been there in winter, one can walk through the vineyards.

i would look for a michelin 2* restaurant in the area and possibly west of where you are staying for the proper dinner.

i would suggest using one of the other ratings, but sadly, most of the other rating agencies have fallen by the wayside.

going to loire and burgundy is like going to florence. it is the dream of every american tourist.

i would look in nevers or moulins, as even modest restaurants near Vosne-Romanée are going to cost well over €200

Huh? Going to Paris is the dream of the American tourist. It is relatively rare to see Americans in Burgundy.

Going to Burgundy is the dream of the French tourist. And a lot of Belgians, Dutch, Swiss, Germans, etc. And living here is the dream of many French in general. At least 80% of the French I meet are in some way jealous that I get to live here.