yvonnehalling | Bed & Breakfast In Champagne - Luxury Accommodation

Boating in Champagne

On my theme of introducing you to non-champagne activities in Champagne this year, here’s a fun way to pass the time here.

On the River Marne, just on the outskirts of Epernay is the Municipal Camp Site. If you park your car at the entrance and walk through the campsite, following the signs for Blue Nautic, you’ll reach Christine’s great little boating business, right there on the banks of the river.

Imagine a summer’s day, your picnic in hand, perhaps a bottle of bubbly you picked up the day before when you visited the underground caves of a small champagne producer, and the kids in tow.

Christine will welcome you in English and help you into your life jackets. You step into your electric boat, take the wheel and you’re off! Crusing your own little boat down the river.

Over to the right is the famous village of Hautvillers where Dom Perignon the father of champagne, and his monks perfected the art of keeping the bubbles in the bottle by initiating the second fermentation. You could explore that village tomorrow, and stop by the wonderful Au36, a tasting room and shop dedicated to the smaller, unknown champagnes. Beyond the hills are more vineyards and pretty villages to discover. Another “maybe” for the next day, or the next…

You could spot a heron on the river bank, or some swans nesting in the reeds. Just relaxing on the river, letting the quiet engine sweep you along.

You’re travelling downstream towards Cumieres where they make not only great champagne, but also “Cumiere Rouge”, the red wine used to blend with the white champagne to make rosé. Maybe you’ll stop off at a small producer there tomorrow and discover another hidden gem.

What could be more relaxing and fun that this?

Champagne is not all about champagne

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Wondering what to do for a holiday with the children this year ? Finding a holiday that suits everybody can often be a challenge for families with different interests, so here’s some suggestions:

Boating on the river is a great way to involve the whole family. Armed with life jackets there are at least two choices in Champagne.

First there’s Blue Nautic in Epernay, where you can jump into an electric boat without a licence and take yourselves off down the River Marne. You might spot some herons, ducks, swans even, and each family member can take turns at steering the boat. You’ll be able to see the beautiful vineyards from the river, while enjoying your picnic aboard perhaps with a coupe de champagne. Or imagine sitting in the open air restaurant watching the wild life on the river while enjoying a delicious salad or light lunch on the river bank, before or after your trip on the river.
Christine and her team speak excellent English and are waiting to welcome you.

If you’re a bit more adventurous, why not try canoeing or kayaking at Tours Sur Marne. You’ll need to don a helmet for this trip as well as the life jackets, but it’s a lot of fun racing each other paddling downstream on the River Marne.
The bus picks you up at Tours Sur Marne and takes you down to Aulnay so you can make your way back down the river to pick up your car again. You can choose how long you want to be out on the river. The team at Aqua Gliss are waiting to welcome you here too.

Full details of both these fun activities plus loads of other great things to do and see in Champagne are available in our App “Champagne Day” here: http://champagneday.net/launch

Imagine this…

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You’re planning a special weekend getaway in France with your partner. You’ve no idea what to expect, so you surf the web looking for answers. There is so much information on the web, that you’re left feeling bereft and uncertain. You can’t find what you’re looking for. Where to stay, where to go, what to see, what to do? Too many questions remain unanswered, and so you just book the ferry/shuttle and hope for the best.

Sound familiar? Stressful isn’t it? And you’re supposed to be on holiday, taking a break…

This is what many of our guests describe when visiting us here at Les Molyneux. When they arrive with us, they are relieved to find that a) we speak English (in fact we are English) and b) we can help them plan their visit, putting them in touch with people and places they’d never find on their own. Guests feel like part of the family, and that feeling extends when we introduce them to our personal network of contacts, who are simply waiting to welcome them. An experience like this is so much more relaxing and enjoyable.

Wouldn’t it be great if you knew about this before you booked your trip?

Well now you can…

“Champagne Day” App is the essential Guide to the Champagne Region, answering questions and providing solutions, not just information. You can choose your “Day” and know that when you arrive, there’ll be a friendly face just dying to meet you.

We’re launching this App very soon, so to get yours at the special one-day-only price on Launch Day, go here:

http://champagneday.net/launch

See you in Champagne very soon!

Champagne Day

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We’re so excited today, because we’re launching our priority mailing list for anyone who wants to get our App “Champagne Day” for the special one-day-only price when we launch it soon.

Why have we made an App?

Lots of guests who stay with us at Les Molyneux ask the same questions. These questions are usually, where can we taste champagne, which restaurants do you recommend, where can we walk in the forest, what can we do with the children, how can I meet some small producers, what are the opening times of the large champagne houses?

And so the App “Champagne Day” answers all those questions. Not only that, inside the App, you’ll actually get to see the places and the people who are just waiting to meet you, sometimes via video, before your next trip to Champagne.

We’ve collected our knowledge together and you can enjoy it in an entertaining and informative way, and I bet you’ll be planning your next trip to Champagne very soon. Inside, as well as Moet et Chandon, Veuve Clicquot, Pommery plus a personal collection of our favourite smaller producers, you’ll find activities for the children in Champagne, our favourite restaurants, food and wine festivals, champagne tastings and so much more.

So to get the App at the one-day-only special price when we launch, you need to get yourself on our priority mailing list by clicking here, and we’ll see you in Champagne soon

Yvonne

Reasons to come to Champagne in 2012

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If you’re wondering about when is a good time to come to Champagne in 2012, then let me help you. Anytime is a great time, but there are some special events happening this year that you won’t want to miss, especially if you love the bubbly as much as we do.

If you’re a real champagne aficionado, you won’t want to miss these two special tasting events in April, dedicated to smaller champagne makers:

Terres et Vins (actual date to be confirmed, but will be early April) and the other is Les Artisans du Champagne, Reims on the 17th April 2012 at Régates Rémois (Reims Rowing Club)

At each event, some 15-25 selected champagne makers present their champagnes and often the still wines from which champagne is blended. This is a truly fascinating experience, and whichever event you choose, you’ll come away with a brilliant insight into the skill of making champagne, making your next champagne moment amazing!

On the last weekend in May, there’s La Foire de la Gastronomie et du Vin in the village of Mailly Champagne. This is a fabulously French, informal and rustic fair and on a warm day, it’s magical. The roads in the village are closed off, and the champagne producers open their doors, set up stalls outside and welcome you to taste and discover. Just stroll around the village tasting food, wines from around France and of course champagne, and soak up the atmosphere.

The Fete Henri IV in Ay, only happens every two years, and it’s happening this July 2012. So don’t miss it or you’ll have to wait another 2 years. Come on down on the first weekend of July to sample the delights of the champagnes of the former capital town of champagne. There’s “open house” at many of the champagne makers, including Bollinger, street barbeques, open-air music, all sorts of food stalls and a great atmosphere.

The Harvest normally happens in September, but it really depends on the kind of weather we’ll be having, so I’ll keep you updated if you want to come and experience the grape picking . Last year it was all over by the end of August and I was lucky enough to be part of the team at Champagne Henriet Bazin for just one memorable day. We began the day with an Oenovasion Vineyard Tour in Nicolas’ Landrover Discovery where we literally went off the edge of a cliff into the vineyards! After a simple lunch of traditional grape-pickers’ fare, with champagne of course, we were whisked off into the vineyards again but this time to pick and harvest the grapes. If you want to know what it feels like to be part of the fabric of this region, then you won’t want to miss this experience. Watch this space!

With summer behind us, and the harvest taken care of, we can turn our attention to one of the best wine fairs I’ve ever seen. It’s the “Foire des Vignerons Indépendents” (Reims Wine Festival) and it’s at the Parc des Expositions in Reims from the 9-11^th November. Another great place to experience the atmosphere of Champagne, with not only champagne makers, but wine makers from all over France who gather here to meet with wine lovers like you. If you want to stock up on your wines and champagnes for Christmas, at prices you’d never see outside of France, then you won’t want to miss this event.

And to round off the year in true Champagne-style, the annual Habits de Lumières Festival in Epernay in December is a spectacular experience. It’s happening in 2012 on the 7^th – 9^th and it’s another great opportunity to be part of the fun of Champagne life. Many of the big Champagne Houses on the famous Avenue de Champagne open their doors to welcome us. There’s food, music, street entertainment and fireworks, and of course, champagne!

And we haven’t even mentioned all the champagne houses to visit and good restaurants to try, village festivals to enjoy and the culture and heritage to experience, at any time of the year!

Les Molyneux is your home from home in the heart of Champagne. We welcome guests from all over the world, helping you to discover the hidden gems through advice, tours, tastings and luxury accommodation. Visit our website to book your next trip

http://bedandbreakfastinchampagne.com

Happy Christmas from Champagne

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It’s almost Christmas and I just wanted to take a minute to wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas from all of us here at Les Molyneux. Thank you for choosing to stay with us in Champagne and we really hope to be able to welcome you again in 2012. It snowed here overnight and the vineyards look beautiful. If you’re driving to the mountains over the holidays, we’ll be here and we’d love to see you.

In the meantime, on behalf of myself and my family, and of course, Pepper, HAPPY CHRISTMAS!

Yvonne

German Christmas Market in Reims

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It was a wet Sunday afternoon today, but that didn’t deter us or other Christmas market enthusiasts from taking in the atmosphere and goodies on offer at the German Christmas Market in Reims, now on until the 24th December. The array of chocolates, cheeses, sausages and unusual gifts did not disappoint, and even though it was wet and cold, the Christmas spirit was definitely in the air.

Unlike last year, to date there’s no snow in Champagne, but there’s an ice-skating rink set up in Place du Forum anyway, and snow has been forecasted for the end of this week. Are we happy about that or not? Maybe…. As I often say, snow’s great when you’re ski-ing, but otherwise… well it can be a bit of a nuisance. What do you think?

Les Molyneux Christmas Gift Shop is now OPEN!

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Christmas is less than 4 weeks away, and if you’re anything like me, you haven’t even begun present-buying yet. I know that I struggle with thinking of what to buy for people, especially as I have a large number of people in my family and friendship group that I don’t see very often, but who are important to me.

I wanted to find unsual and original gifts that they certainly wouldn’t be receiving from anyone else, so that’s when I came up with the idea to offer gifts from Champagne. Sending the bubbly around the world can often be a challenge, but champagne related gifts, directly from the region itself can be shipped anywhere. Brilliant, I thought. But where can I find those gifts?

That’s when I thought of my friend Laurette Barnaut from Champagne Edmond Barnaut. Laurette has a marvellous gift shop in Bouzy where you can find all kinds of unique gifts, plus you can taste the champagnes while browsing. Perfect! So I went to see her and she agreed to partner with us. We put the gift boxes together from items from her shop, and she takes care of the shipping.

So when you order your Christmas gifts from us, you may get a little surprise inside, from Laurette. Isn’t that what Christmas is all about?

Enjoy!

Gifts for foodies – Champagne Gastronomie

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Our Champagne Gastronomie Gift Box is perfect for all those foodies in your life. Packed full with Champagne regional specialities you simply won’t find anywhere else, we’re certain that this gift will delight and surprise anyone who loves to enjoy good food. Here’s what you’ll find inside

Fossier Savoury Biscuits made specially to be enjoyed with champagne
3 different flavours of mustard from local producer, Clovis – curry, cucumber, tarragon
Fossier chocolate and almond biscuits to enjoy anytime
3 different flavours of vinegar to spice up your salad dressing – mango, raspberry, prune
Chocolates filled with champagne liqueurs – marc, fine and ratafia
Unique and delicious salad-dressing oil made from the pips, skins and stalks of the champagne grapes

A delight to the tastebuds and all wrapped up in a beautiful gift box for any appreciative palate.

Price includes all contents, gift box and shipping

Champagne Gastronomie

Our Champagne Gastronomie Gift Box is perfect for all those foodies in your life. Packed full with Champagne regional specialities you simply won’t find anywhere else. Click on the title to read more

Gifts for Him – Champagne Connoisseur

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A quirky selection of great champagne related gifts all beautifully presented in our Champagne Connoisseur gift box. Inside you’ll find:

A book for keeping the labels of your favourite champagnes, plus a unique system for removing the labels all in tact from the bottles
A little book for writing down your notes on all those wonderful champagnes you’ve tasted, so you’ll know what to look for next time
Test your knowledge with this fun champagne trivia quiz (in English) to amuse you and your friends at your next party
A hermetically sealed champagne stopper, for when you really can’t finish the bottle
A pourer to make sure you don’t spill a single drop
And a lovely apron to protect your clothes, just in case you do spill a bit

All beautifully presented in a gift box for yourself or for the special champagne connoisseur in your life

Price includes all contents, gift box and shipping

Champagne Connoisseur

A selection of unusual gifts to delight and inspire the Champagne Connoisseur in your life. Click on the title to read more.