Karen Brown's FRANCE, Charming Bed & Breakfasts 2005 Guide, and web site at www.karenbrown.com

Set in the center of the sweet town of Amboise, within walking distance of the famous chateau, Le Vieux Manoir is almost too pretty to be real.  At first glance it looks like a painting of a storybook-perfect little French manor house, enhanced by lush lawns, carefully trimmed shrubbery, lovely trees, and beautiful flowers in perfectly manicured gardens.  A high wall shields the property from the street so it is not until you enter the gates that you see the adorable, creamy-white home with pretty blue shutters and a steep slate mansard roof accented by perky dormer windows.   Gloria and Bob Belknap (who previously owned one of Boston's most elegant bed and breakfasts, the Terrace Townhouse) saw the property while visiting friends in the Loire and, with the dream of someday moving to France,  looked beyond the dilapidated exterior and saw a potentially lovely home.  Skillful renovations have transformed the house and now it is beautifully decorated and as perfect inside as out.  You come into a charming comfortable lounge with a beautiful handcrafted copy of a 19th-cnetury conservatory, which looks out to another exquisite little garden.  Gloria has decorated the cute bedrooms with loving care and great taste, using wonderful antique pieces.  If you are staying at least three days, you can rent a suite with two bedrooms, a kitchen, and a darling little living room.  Private parking is also a welcome convenience.