L'Aubinière

L'Aubinière is a family-run 18th-century coaching inn converted into a 4-star hotel, spa and restaurant in the Loire Valley near Amboise; it has been a family property since 1913 and has been owned and operated by Odile and Jacques Arrayet since 1989. The house pairs comfortable contemporary interiors with a gastronomic dining room where the kitchen serves modern, precise cuisine that highlights seasonal produce and local producers. Odile, who acts as sommelier, has developed a traversing wine cellar that showcases Loire bottles alongside other discoveries. The establishment has earned three toques and 15/20 from Gault & Millau and is listed as a modern-cuisine address in the Michelin Guide. On-site facilities include a contemporary Sothys spa with indoor treatments, a hammam and sauna, plus an outdoor heated pool. The house presents elegant, refined décor that combines modern and warm elements; the spa area is contemporary and intimate, articulated in glass, stone and steel, and the dining room feels modern yet welcoming with a visible traversing wine cellar. The kitchen serves modern French cuisine with contemporary influences, concentrating on seasonality and products from local producers; the chef composes precise, flavour-driven dishes, proposes menus for the whole table and adapts preparations in consultation with guests to accommodate vegans or food intolerances. Chef Jacques Arrayet, originally from Réunion, trained at the École hôtelière de Biarritz and worked at major Parisian and regional houses including the Intercontinental, Crillon, Hôtel de Paris et de la Poste and La Rôtisserie Tourangelle before returning to lead the family auberge's kitchen. Specialties include pâté en croûte de canard truffé; Saint-Jacques in a ramen-style broth with shiitaké; Skreï with morels, peas and white asparagus; picanha-style veal with creamy risotto and gremolata; foie gras de canard mi-cuit; and poulet jaune fermier with cardamom and arabica sauce.