Christmas in France

I have long saved Reader Recommendations and so I kept Geoffrey Hall’s recommendation for the “Le Petite Souper,� in France’s Loire Valley (Nov. 6).

My wife and I spent our Christmas holidays there and for the first vacation we can recall, came home relaxed and rested. It was like a tonic to stay in Karen Kennady’s 200-year-old cottage. While we mostly just enjoyed the complete peacefulness of the countryside, we did wander around the villages. There are farmer’s markets in every village and because we had our own kitchen, we could experiment with fresh local ingredients, such as eggs with huge orange yolks. We even roasted venison.

As a Christmas gift to one another, we went up in a hot air balloon, flying silently over the Montrichard Forest, landing at Chateau Chenonceaux. It was a remarkable two weeks and all for about $600 a week. Our accommodations included fluffy linens, all the firewood we could burn and a lovely bottle of wine awaiting our arrival. Even Christmas cookies!

P. BRANDS

Laguna Niguel