CDG-IAD Air France Business Class

Robert helped us get the most of our Chase points by booking two non-stop return tickets on Air France business class.

We looked forward to the Air France business class lounge, and arrived a whole three hours ahead of boarding time to maximize our time at the lounge. We ate a few snacks, saving room for our meals on our flight home.

Air France business class lounge

On our flight, we were pampered by the flight attendants, and enjoyed the amazing food and drinks, as well as the amenities. The fully reclined seats were so comfortable, and the six-hour flight home went by too fast.

Air France business class from CDG-IAD

RECOMMENDATIONS: What an amazing experience! The business class treatment started right at the CDG airport, where we were whisked to a special check-in line, to the relaxing lounge, to the top-notch service during the flight. We were able to take advantage of a transfer promotion that gave us 25% extra Fly Blue points, and had to book our tickets one year ahead of time, but it was worth the work.

GIVERNY, FRANCE Claude Monet's House and Gardens

On our way back to Paris, we stopped by Claude Monet's House and Gardens in Giverny. Monet's Gardens were an hour away from CDG airport, so this was a rare opportunity for us to visit since we had a rental car.

Coming from the Loire Valley, we were looking for a quick lunch, and found Mason Bécam, a fast-food French bakery, serving pre-made food like baguettes, pizza, soups, flat breads, salads, and pastries. We shared a personal sized pizza, a salad, an éclair and an apple tart. The food was fast and good.

This gave us enough time to get to Monet's Gardens by 4:30pm, as they closed at 6pm. We were looking forward to visiting Monet's water garden, with a water lily pond and the famous Japanese bridge, that inspired many of his paintings. Sadly, we did not see any of the water lily or the famous nympheas, and the bridge was packed with tourists.

Maison Bécam (left) and Monet's Gardens (right)

RECOMMENDATIONS: Maison Bécam was a great choice for a fast-food style restaurant. We were disappointed with Monet's Gardens; the Japanese-inspired water garden was nothing like the photos shown on the website or brochure, and the Clos Normand, the flower garden in front of his house, was colorful but not exceptional.

AMBOISE, FRANCE Les 4 Saisons Crêperie

We visited a few more châteaux today before returning to Amboise for a late lunch.

In the morning, we visited Le Clos Lucé, which was Leonard de Vinci's last home. We also visited the "3 C's of the Loire Valley," which are the region's most famous and popular châteaux, Chambord, Chenonceau, and Cheverny.

Le Val de Loire

For lunch, we decided to go for crêpes, the French's version of very thin pancakes, since we have not had any on this trip yet. Les 4 Saisons was a crêperie on the main strip of Amboise, and they served both savory and sweet crêpes. We shared a shrimp crêpe, and for dessert, a simple sugared crêpe.

Crêperie Les 4 Saisons

A few doors down from the crêperie, we stopped by a pastry shop, and bought some very delicious looking Chaussons aux pommes, an apple turnover pastry. Warm it up in the oven the next morning, and it made a wonderful breakfast for our last day in Amboise.

Apple turnovers

RECOMMENDATIONS: The simple sugared crêpes are good; the savory crêpes are all right. I would come here for the dessert crêpes after having dinner elsewhere.

AMBOISE, FRANCE Bistrot L'Amboisie

After Mont Saint-Michel, we drove to Amboise where we stayed two nights to visit the châteaux in the Loire Valley. 

Our apartment rental was very cute and comfortable, and its location was in a quiet area yet within walking distance of the main street, with assigned private parking for our rental car.

We chose Le Bistrot l'Amboisie for our first dinner based on the high reviews and their specialty serving couscous and tagine dishes. The restaurant was very close to our rental, on a quiet street. We own a tagine at home, and have cooked a really good Moroccan Chicken Tagine dish with couscous. So we were very interested in a tagine dish professionally made in France.

It was a Sunday evening, and not too many people were out. The restaurant was able to seat us right away, and we asked for an outdoor table to enjoy the weather. We ordered a Couscous Royal for two and a salad to share. The Couscous Royal included chicken, pork, a large meatball, and a sausage. Vegetables and couscous came as a side. The spicy sauce gave it an extra kick that we enjoyed very much.

Bistrot L'Amboisie

After dinner, we walked to see our first chateau, the Chateau Royal d'Amboise, looking over from the opposite side of the Loire river. The sun was setting, and the view was breathtaking.

Chateau Royal d'Amboise

RECOMMENDATIONS: Highly recommended. A very authentic couscous meal, beautifully presented and delicious tasting. The best meal we had in the Loire Valley.