Anne-Caroline Frey talks slow travel in the Loire Valley
As travelers increasingly seek authenticity, silence, and space, Loire Valley Lodges has emerged as one of France’s most innovative escapes. Set in a private forest and infused with contemporary art, the retreat reflects the personal journey of its founder, Anne-Caroline Frey—once a hyperactive Parisian, now an ambassador of serenity.
In this exclusive interview, Anne-Caroline Frey shares how nature, sensory awakening, and artistic expression intertwine to offer guests a truly transformative experience.
What was the moment or feeling that made you realize you had to leave Paris and bring your vision to life in Touraine?
To be perfectly honest, leaving Paris was first and foremost a family lifestyle choice… We have seven children and lived in Paris. In 2010, six of our children left home at the same time… we were left with only one, and it was he who asked to move to the countryside! He preferred cycling, football, and his friends to the metro and his two elderly parents!
Once I left with him, I discovered the luxury of living far from the city, surrounded by nature…
How did your background in art and communications influence the way you conceived Loire Valley Lodges — both visually and experientially?
Art and communication are two worlds where feelings, implication, the unspoken, and the implied are crucial. They are fields where the subjective is more important than the tangible. And in both cases, you’re using your right brain! This experience has certainly given me confidence and influenced me. It has allowed me to trust my intuition more than the conventions of the profession. Coming from a different background has allowed me to break the rules.
You describe yourself as an “over-achiever and over-booked Parisian.” How did that past self shape the calm and balance you now champion in the forest?
Yes, I was indeed a hyperactive and overworked Parisian. Raising seven children while working full-time is a high-level sport… but one that can’t be practiced forever. The calm and balance I feel today are all the more profound. I appreciate it for what it is and its great necessity, as do most of our guests.
The idea of “disconnecting to reconnect” runs through your philosophy. What does that phrase personally mean to you today?
It’s essential for feeling good. We’re bombarded with stimuli in our urban lives, our everyday lives. Screens, alerts, noise, stress… all of this naturally leads us to protect ourselves by “shutting down,” overusing our eyes, and closing our ears… Covid also forced us to neglect touch and its benefits (less human contact, distrust of objects…). To restore each of our senses to its rightful place, it’s therefore necessary to disconnect from all of this, to forget the daily grind and reopen our senses. To reconnect with what’s essential: ourselves and our vital energy.
Loire Valley Lodges blends contemporary art and deep nature. How do you ensure they complement, rather than compete with, one another?
Why try to oppose them? For me, contrasts are always a source of richness and emotion. I also like, for example, mixing styles. Putting contemporary paintings in a very classical setting, in a castle.
The lodges are built around sensory experience — the sounds, scents, and textures of the forest. How did you approach design with the five senses in mind?
I first considered the materials, then the textures. It was essential to use local wood species, found in our Loire Valley forest, such as Douglas fir, oak, pine, and chestnut. The wood gives off a natural scent, especially since our wood is untreated. I also wanted our guests to walk barefoot in the lodges, to rediscover the sensory receptors beneath their feet (our poor feet are constantly enclosed…). For the furniture and furnishings, I chose soft materials, pleasant to touch and caress.
Sustainability and luxury are often seen as a paradox. How do you balance the two at Loire Valley Lodges?
It’s a preconceived notion that is thankfully fading away. The definition of luxury is evolving. People are becoming aware (and Covid accelerated this shift) that nature is vital, that space is vital… they represent freedom, life. Human relationships are essential, as are kindness, listening, and empathy… I think we are moving towards a new definition of luxury, more focused on thoughtfulness, respect (for nature and others), space, and silence…
You’ve described forest bathing and sylvotherapy as central to your concept. How have guests responded to these practices — especially those unfamiliar with them?
Yes, the forest and the discovery of the benefits of trees seem important to share. If our guests feel relaxed and at ease so quickly after their arrival, it’s thanks to the trees. They soothe, they calm, they welcome. Our guests feel this, and some are indeed interested in seeing how much the forest can bring them comfort, solace, and serenity… compensating for and redirecting our usual needs to satisfy our own needs.
As a mother of seven, how has your relationship with nature influenced the way you raise your children or think about family wellbeing?
Nature was central to the building of our family. Going on holiday alone, without television, without video games, without a phone… alone together the children rediscovered the pleasure of simple things, of playing hide and seek, of inventing games, of fishing with a can of coke and a piece of wire… they became a real tribe with memories bigger than themselves.
Have you found parallels between your former world of contemporary art and your current life in the forest — in terms of creativity, presence, or observation?
Walking in the forest is a source of creativity. It’s while walking that my ideas come to me, that my energy grows, that my desires take shape. The forest, like art, is also a mirror. We find there the answers to questions we don’t ask ourselves… and which are often the most important ones.
In forest therapy, when we lead forest bathing sessions, we guide our guests to disconnect and open their senses. We help them listen to sounds, not noises; to look, not just see; to feel, to experience.
What emotion or state of mind do you hope each guest takes away when leaving Loire Valley Lodges?
Serenity
Could you share a story or moment from a guest that reaffirmed your vision for the project?
Oh, I could share hundreds of stories! I love talking to clients at check-out. My pleasure comes from seeing them leave calm, serene, smiling… they want to chat with me, they’re receptive, whereas when they arrived, they’re impervious, rushed, and completely closed off. That’s what thrills me. Knowing that in 24 or 36 hours, I’ve given them a taste of the pleasure of slowing down!
How do you curate the rotation of artists and chefs so that each stay feels fresh and new while remaining true to the essence of the place?
I remain true to my very simple philosophy… I either like it or I don’t… The hotel isn’t meant to be an art gallery or a vast collection. Art has its place here because it evokes emotions. They can be positive or negative… the important thing is that they exist!
The Loire Valley is known for its history and châteaux — yet you’re offering something much more contemporary. How does your project redefine what it means to experience this region?
The Loire Valley is renowned for its history and châteaux – yet you offer a much more contemporary experience. How does your project redefine the experience of this region?
The experience we offer is primarily culturally different. Châteaux in France represent the epitome of luxury. Grand buildings, terraces, shutters, fabrics… we are much closer to Japanese culture, where luxury resides in the garden, and the subtle boundary between house and garden symbolizes wealth.
How do you see Loire Valley Lodges fitting into the growing global movement toward slow travel and mindful hospitality?
Absolutely. For me, it lies primarily in smaller spaces, offering more intimacy, in personalized service, and in simplicity in the sense of authenticity, of “real” things. Customers are increasingly seeking sincerity. In hotels as well as on the plate. A simple tomato can evoke more emotion than caviar. If it has been grown with love…
What advice would you give to travelers who want to reconnect with nature in a meaningful, lasting way?
To forget their phone… to forget time and to live at their own pace, at the pace of nature, the seasons, the sun.
Finally, what’s next for you — or for Loire Valley Lodges — in this evolving conversation between art, nature, and wellbeing?
To begin with, we are expanding our immersive offering with the opening of three new lodges — and therefore three new artistic experiences — as of March 1st, 2026.
Next, new artworks will be added to the monumental sculpture trail throughout the estate, following the example of Philippe PASQUA’s bronze olive tree, which found its place in the park this summer.
Finally, we are working on a spa project that will be very open to the outdoors, allowing guests to enjoy this immersion in the heart of Nature even during the winter months
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