麻豆传媒映画

鈥淚t鈥檚 a special place. Special in the English sense of the word 鈥� out of the ordinary,鈥� says Zandra McGillivray, the Franco-British owner of 10th-Century fortified house Ch芒teau de Sothonod in Songieu (Ain).

鈥淗ere we are in la France very profonde,鈥� she laughs, an area between Lyon and Geneva connected by no major roads. At 900m, winters can be snowy. 

Summers attract hikers, nature-lovers and occasional cyclists. 

The Tour de France often passes close by after tackling the Grand Colombier mountain, 25 kilometres south.

In the late 1990s, Zandra and her husband Alexander were looking for a second home in the Tessin region, the south-east part of Switzerland and that borders Italy.

However, they were persuaded to look at Chateau de Sothonod instead when they met its owners Marc de Seyssel de Sothonod and his wife Jeanne-Marie Guichard, then 84 and 79, through a mutual friend. 

The couple were trying to sell the property, which had been in the Seyssel family for six centuries, and the four bonded over a shared appreciation for history and heritage buildings.

鈥淵ou are exactly the people we鈥檙e looking for,鈥� Ms Guichard told them. 

They bought it in 2000, initially spending weekends and summers there, and holding occasional exhibitions of Zandra鈥檚 pottery.

It became the couple鈥檚 primary residence in 2018 when they retired.

Tragedy struck

A year later, however, tragedy struck 鈥� Zandra鈥檚 husband died.

She was faced with two choices: sell the chateau or turn it into a chambre d鈥檋么tes. 

She chose the latter鈥� and opened two weeks before the first confinement was ordered by President Emmanuel Macron in March 2020. 

鈥淭alk about timing!鈥� she laughs.

Renovation efforts followed 鈥� mainly replacing the old oil heating system with a state-subsidised heat pump.

Ch芒teau de Sothonod has five guest rooms, with an additional bunk bedroom. Each of the two floors have their own bathrooms and sitting rooms. 

Zandra and her new partner Guy live in a separate wing.

The ground floor has a kitchen with all amenities, a dining room with a fireplace, an entrance hall and a conservatory. 

There are also 12 acres of fields, woodland and gardens, with a trampoline and swings to keep young visitors entertained, as well as a 20-metre heated swimming pool in use from mid-May to October, lists the website.

A particular hit with guests are the vegetarian meals that Zandra prepares (with 48 hours鈥� notice) for those who request them.

Products are locally-sourced and as environmentally friendly as possible. A whole meal ranges from 鈧�28 to 鈧�40, depending on the menu.

Guests at Ch芒teau de Sothonod are often history and nature enthusiasts, and Zandra enjoys giving them a bit of background to the property. 

Scars of the Revolution

One story which invariably keeps her audience rapt concerns the nobleman who lived in the chateau during the Revolution. 

Initially seized and his home set on fire, he was subsequently released when villagers petitioned for his life. 

By the time he returned, however, the roof had collapsed and the property remained a ruin for 200 years.

鈥淵ou鈥檙e struck by the chateau鈥檚 history as soon as you walk in,鈥� Zandra says, referring to its ancient towers, chapel and a fa莽ade renovated in 1800.

To readers considering opening their own chambre d鈥檋么tes, Zandra advises reflecting first on their personality type.

鈥淚 am a very sociable person. I love welcoming people and telling them all this stuff,鈥� she says, insisting this is a prerequisite for any host.

In terms of keeping the chateau warm for guests, Zandra says only that heating bills are 鈥渉igh, obviously鈥�, not helped by the fact she also runs ovens for her pottery work.

Maintaining the grounds also takes money and time. 

Here, however, she has deviated from Mr de Seyssel de Sothonod鈥檚 methods and removed certain overgrown trees that were causing quarrels with neighbours. 

鈥淚 think Mr de Seyssel felt he ought to perpetuate the family鈥檚 history to the nth degree, hence his reluctance to tackle those trees.

鈥淭hat was his life鈥檚 calling. For me it is more about preserving memories.鈥�