A bucolic vision in the middle of the Charente region, Domaine des Etangs is quite inimitable – a rustic fairytale sprung completely to life. This meticulously restored 11th-century château and its medieval suites lie within a 2,500-acre nature reserve, with six isolated farmhouse cottages and seven rooms furnished in the utmost contemporary taste. Exposed stone walls, timber eaves and astronomical antiques meet sleek, minimalist furniture, floor-to-ceiling windows or maybe a freestanding copper bathtub with a view – smart design offset by a gloriously homely warmth.