5.3.2025 – 5.5.2025 || Reims | Epernay | Champillon || France
After two AMAZING days in Paris, we headed to the Champagne region. We had two points of interests in mind, Reims and Epernay. Specifically, we were going to Veuve Clicquot and the Avenue de Champagne! Once again, Souvenir & Far’s expert advice helped us lay out plans that maximized our limited time. From there, the guest experience team at the Royal Champagne Hotel & Spa helped with transportation and dining reservations. We departed Paris after breakfast and were in Reims in less than two hours. Reims is known for the home of Veuve Clicquot champagne. It also has a cathedral used for coronation of the kings of France. We had just enough time before lunch to get a quick feel for Reims.
We headed to Les Crayeres hotel for lunch at Le Jardin. Compared to the casual bistros in Paris this skewed more towards fine dining. Between the four of us we tried two different tasting menus. Dessert was extra special with a very large birthday candle!
Next up, Veuve Clicquot! We booked a 90-minute cellar tour and a rose champagne tasting experience. Everything was very much on brand glowing in orange from start to finish. The set of steps are marked with production years. They date all the way back to the late 1800s! We found some years that are significant to us – those must be great vintages! Check out Widow Clicquot to learn more about the champagne’s history. It is fascinating!
At the tasting we learned the proper shape for champagne glasses, which I then bought in the gift shop. We also learned the proper way to open a champagne bottle. Spoiler, it is not hacking at it with a large sword!
After the tasting it was time to check into my new favorite hotel of all time. The Royal Champagne hotel is set on a hilltop overlooking vineyards and has a modern look and feel. Upon arrival, we were offered champagne as we checked in. I was excited to learn that you can buy their branded mini champagne glasses pictured below.
There are less than 50 hotel rooms. They all have incredible panoramic champagne views of vineyards and Epernay and Marne valleys. We received a warm welcome from Souvenir & Far and the Royal Champagne guest experience team. It felt like a champagne dream come true.
After settling in we headed to the spa before dinner. It started pouring rain but that didn’t stop us from sitting under a covered patio. The views were still incredibly relaxing, even in the rain.
The highlight of our stay was the Michelin star meal we had at Le Royal. Their website perfectly described our experience as a culinary journey and a ballet orchestrated by their staff. We chose the Discovery menu and wine pairing which allowed the chef and sommelier to create our tasting menu. Every bite of food was elegant and an elevated experience from the first amuse-bouche to the final sweet treat. The seafood dishes stood out for me. There were bites of crab, oyster, and lobster. I even enjoyed smoked eel, which I didn’t realize I liked. The first four courses were artwork on a plate.
It wouldn’t be a French meal without a cheese plate. It was nice palate cleanser as we transitioned into the dessert courses. Yes, there were two, maybe three!
The sweets just kept coming but this is where our Michelin star experience ended.
Dining at Le Royal is a must if you are in the champagne region. We ate a lot of delicious food. We also sampled some new champagnes to consider for next time we stock our wine bars.
Up until this point in our trip we had a very structured itinerary. Our second day in champagne was the last day of our trip. We left it completely open to explore the Avenue de Champagne in Epernay. Well, except for the dinner reservation we had at Royal Champagne’s other restaurant, Le Bellevue.
Avenue de Champagne is the heart of the champagne region. It is a long street in the town of Epernay. Many of the region’s leading champagne producers have houses or store fronts there for tastings and purchases. We recognized Leclerc-Briant and went in for a tasting.
Next up was Moet where we tasted vintage Moët and Dom Pérignon from the 2012 production.
Perrier-Jouët had the best outdoor garden tasting experience along the Avenue de Champagne.
Our guide at Veuve Clicquot recommended #Brut, a champagne bar offering tastings and some snacks.
After lunch we explored the rest of the town. Most of the shops were closed on Sunday so we decided to head back to Royal Champagne.
The drive back to the hotel was picturesque. That’s the Royal Champagne on the hilltop above the vineyard. This is what I will be daydreaming about for years to come.
For our last meal of the trip, we dined a la carte at the hotel’s other restaurant, Le Bellevue. The star of the meal was the lobster linguine. SO much lobster and a fun foam that tasted to me like parmesan.
We had the BEST time! I loved everything about the Royal Champagne as our home base while in the champagne region. I wish we had stayed at least one more night here in the heart of a vineyard. Until then I will dream about coming back here one day in the future.
Question: Where was the one place you traveled to that was a total dream come true?
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