A tree-lined avenue leads to the chateau that has watched over this place since the Empire???? This is the Pays d'Auge, a land of orchards and stud farms, whose many pleasures are distilled in this retreat. The apple orchard provides home-made cider; the aromatic garden perfumes the restaurant, whose veranda looks out over the old cider press. The bedrooms, including those in the half-timbered manor house, face directly south into the 25-acre park with its kitchen garden and swimming pool. Noble materials, works of art and a thousand places to relax the terrace, the garden, a hot-air balloon ride, a cookery lesson, or a massage.