A riverside hotel on the Loire, at Azay-le-Rideau.

Maison Rivière opened on the banks of the Loire in 1961. Our grandparents took in their first guests by accident, when the road flooded and two travellers were stuck for a week. They never really stopped.

It has grown a lot since. We grow vegetables in the walled garden. We light the fires in October. There are many more rooms now, and a proper kitchen behind the restaurant.

What has changed is who turns up. Guests come from Tokyo, from São Paulo, from cities we have never seen. So the hotel speaks more than one language now. So does this website.