Neauphle-le-Château: Le Clos Saint Nicolas

Set in a park of 100-year-old trees, this house in the pretty village of Neauphle-le-Château, in the Yvelines departement, has a proud look, with its Napoleon III facade and its conservatory, an ideal spot for breakfast. The Clos Saint Nicolas offers three upstairs rooms, full of charm, accessible by a separate staircase. Marie-France Drouelle has used color to liven up the rooms—red, yellow and green—and the furniture is a harmonious mixture of old and new (including TV and wireless computer access). All three rooms open onto a comfortable little salon decorated with early 19th-century portraits, where Parisians guests mingle with American, Dutch or Russian visitors. Since the village is only 22 miles from Paris, “many of our visitors come on the train from the Gare Montparnasse, especially to visit Versailles,” says Madame Drouelle, “but we also show them Montfort L’Amaury, Dampierre and Port Royal.”

33 rue Saint Nicolas, Neauphle-le-Château, 01.34.89.76.10. Doubles  €98. website

Originally published in the November 2009 issue of France Today; updated in March 2012