Château Living France
A Luxury Château Estate Offering Paris, Golf & Wellness...1/8th Fractional in Château Villa Résidence "Belle Vue du Château"
at Le Château de la Trousse

Photos by Leon Klibansky

A 37-minute ride from the Gare de l'Est takes you to the town of Meaux, a commune of the Seine-et-Marne, on the edge of the Ile-de-France quite near EuroDisney. From Meaux, the drive is another 30 kilometers to the little town of Cocherel, crossing over to the Champagne region where the Château la Trousse sits quite regally.

It is here where Imogen Bonnet and her husband, Leon Klibansky, own a luxurious three-bedroom, three-level home in a 17th-century "orangerie" on the 40-acre estate with beautiful views of the château, the traditional baroque gardens and all the 'accoutrements' of aristocratic life. The home is currently available in fractions of eight, with complete usage of the amenities on the grounds.

I visited the magnificently renovated and decorated home and the grounds of the château in its entirety before sitting down to a sumptuously 'light' lunch prepared by Imogen and Leon. For a city girl like me, these few hours alone in such a serene environment, released a week's worth of stress. If there had been time, I would have gladly taken a sauna in the Canadian Red Cedar Spa or a steam bath among the bronze "Bisazza" mosaic tiles.

Learn more about "La Residence Belle Vue du Château" and how you can have one (or two) of the few remaining shares in this magnificent property:

History of the Château and Estate
by http://www.Chateau-la-Trousse.com

The 17th, 18th and 19th Centuries

The original Château plus the Orangerie and Cour d’ Honour were built between 1630 and 1640 by the family of Phillipe-August Le Hardy. The estate was owned and run by the Làle Hardy family until around the 1780s when the main Château went to ruin, whilst being dismantled and the building materials sold to help the family's financial troubles.

In 1791 Charles-Guillaume Baudon de Mony bought the estate. The Baudon de Mony family built the current Château in 1864 and had a small church built into the west front quarter. At around the same time the front of the Cour d’ Honour (in which our house stands) was converted into a stable block and throughout the 19th century it was a thriving working estate.

The 20th and 21st Centuries

In the 20th century the estate managed to change with the times converting other buildings in the Cour from Carriage and horse drawn equipment storage to automotive vehicle storage and workshops. All the estate buildings came through both world wars undamaged. The Château was occupied first by the Germans and then the Americans in the 2nd world war and there are pictures of exploded tanks on the driveway and in the surrounding fields.

The Château and estate belonged to the Baudon de Mony family until it was purchased in 1998 by the current Co-Ownership. The local villagers and Madame Baudon de Mony still visit on the first Sunday of every month for a church service.

(It may be possible to view the church during your stay but you will need to arrange this with the estate manager.)

Château La Trousse is not a holiday resort. It is a privately owned estate (owned jointly by 34 families) the majority of homes are used exclusively by the owners. The Owners have created a family friendly environment ideal to rest, relax and enjoy the peaceful atmosphere of the estate. Renters are made to feel welcome and in return we ask that you respect the aims of the ownership while you enjoy your holiday at the estate.

The Fractional Ownership property is a spacious light and charming villa with living room/dining room, open kitchen, three well-appointed bedrooms, two full bathrooms and powder room on three levels located right in front of the Château with its traditional baroque gardens with beautiful views of the landscape, antique lion garden ornaments and castle. The home is part of the historical Orangerie building of 1600, one of many buildings on the 40-acre well-maintained private estate. It was professionally furnished and decorated in a fresh and contemporary style with French charm and original accents.

The salon has huge hand carved fireplace; designer kitchen with bar, microwave/oven and dishwasher; large flat screen TV; DVD player; WiFi high speed Internet connection; furnished in a contemporary style with touches of fine art and antiques. A terrace on the gardens is equipped with Jardin de Bagatelle furniture and another terrace in the wind-free cobblestoned court yard is equipped with plantage teak furniture. A barbeque, sunbrellas, tennis rackets and beach chairs, crisp white bed linens and soft large towels are all there for every owner's convenience.

The luxurious bathrooms offer Jacuzzi with zen, toning or light programs, Canadian red cedar sauna, sound therapy, steam room and two large showers decorated with bronze "Bisazza" mosaic tiles.

On the Château estate owners may enjoy the large heated pool, a lovely walled kitchen garden of veggetables, fruits and roses. There is a tennis court on the grounds and various golf courses and riding schools nearby. Owners have privileged usage of the Château salon for relaxing, the castle kitchen (super for preparing al fresco meals or picnics in summer), a professional laundry and romantic chapel plus access to all the grounds which include an orchard, a pond and numerous idyllic paths.

Local shopping is done in the village three kilometers from the Château plus shopping malls and the TGV (Train à Grande Vitesse) you'll find near Euro Disney.

For sale are two property shares for €120,000 each. Each deeded share offers 6.5 weeks of private use and every year wonderful holidays during low, mid and high season. All costs are shared equally among the villa proprietors. Currently monthly fees are €100. All taxes, electricity and association fees are included. Notary fees and closing costs are additional.

Location of the Château

Ile de france, district Seine et Marne (77)

NEAREST LARGE TOWNS - Meaux (to the SW), Château Thierry (to the NE)
NEAREST SMALL TOWNS - Lizy sur Ourcq & Mary sur Marne
NEAREST AIRPORT - Charles de Gaulle 40 mins drive
NEAREST TRAIN STATION - Lizy sur Ourcq or Trilport
There are lots of places to walk or cycle to, though we would strongly recommend you have a car.

Château de la Trousse is rurally situated yet you can very easily get to:

• Paris – can be at Notre Dame in 45mins by train & metro.
• Champagne region - 10 mins drive.
• Champagne towns of Reims & Epernay - 30 mins drive.
• Antique markets & Depot Ventes all over.
• Euro Disney - 20 mins drive. (5 junctions along A4 motorway)
• Park Asterix - 45 mins drive.
• Town with large supermarket, restaurants, & train station to Paris - 5 mins drive. • Golf, Seine et Marne has 14 golf courses.
• Marne River & Orquc canal - 5 mins drive/15 mins walk
• Racecourse at Chantilly - 1 hour drive.
• 1st World War Memorials and battlefields at Château Tierry – 20 mins drive.
• Lake with sandy beach – 1 hour drive.

For more information and to reserve your share, contact: info@chateau-living-france.com or contact Adrian Leeds: Adrian@AdrianLeeds.com