🌿 Experience Joie de Vivre

Maison Meritage Spring 2026 • April 8 – 16

Join us for a curated experience like no other — a journey designed by hospitality professionals, for lovers of culture, cuisine, and connection. Depart just after Easter and celebrate le printemps in France with the Maison Meritage team.

Meet us in Paris… then, let us guide the way.

✨ Arrival in Paris (Avril 8 – Mercredi)

You’ll arrive in Paris this morning at Charles de Gaulle Airport, rested from your overnight flight and ready to begin. After clearing customs, you’ll take a taxi into the city for lunch at Les Deux Magots, one of Paris’s most iconic brasseries. One of our team will meet you there.

This is where your journey begins — a leisurely lunch of classic French fare, people-watching, and meeting some of your fellow travelers as they arrive from across the U.S.

At 14:30h, private car service will bring you all to Gare Montparnasse for your first-class train to Bordeaux. Glide through the French countryside, arriving at Gare Saint-Jean, where the Maison Meritage team will meet you and whisk you into the heart of Bordeaux.

We’ll stroll through old Bordeaux, stretch our travel legs, and then settle into your boutique residence in the Saint-Pierre quarter before a welcome dinner at a chef-driven gem that sets the tone for the days ahead. Chef Klein will be leading a small group - only 4 sets of couples. We will have two groups in France at the same time, as Desta Marée will be leading 4 individual solo travelers. This is hyper-small-group-travel, purposefully.

🍇 Bordeaux Immersion (Avril 9 – Jeudi)

Wake to rooftops and the scent of fresh coffee. After a relaxed breakfast, we’ll all explore Bordeaux together — from Les Halles de Bacalan for a lively market lunch to La Cité du Vin, where wine history, innovation, and architecture converge.

Return to refresh at your residence, then wander the Public Gardens, to join us for an intimate dinner at Luna, one of Bordeaux’s rising culinary stars. For our guests who are couples, we will be making intimate individual bookings as preferred, to find a balance between small group travel and intimate moments between couples. For our solo travelers, you will be dining as a small group of 6, with Desta & co. Expect laughter, discovery, and the first toast of many shared memories.

🏰 To the Countryside (Avril 10 – Vendredi)

We’ll begin the day at the local Marché, where rustic fare and regional specialties overflow. Chef Klein, Logan and our couples will enjoy lunch at La Tupina, a classic Michelin experience when in Bordeaux. We’ll visit a historic château and its gardens before continuing to the countryside estate that will be your home for the next several days — near Saint-Émilion. Enjoy dinner on-premise with our gracious hosts Natalie & Olivier, and settle into your suite overlooking vineyards and the Dordogne Valley.

Our solo travelers have a day packed full of adventure. Early to rise and get to Marché du Capucins, grabbing all of the necessary things for our “a la campagne” get-away; great butter, preserves, fresh eggs and maybe some leeks or strawberries, maybe a bouquet of fresh flowers, this is France in Springtime. Desta et ensemble, then walk through old Bordeaux en route, have an aperitif at Desta’s apartment in Bordeaux, then enjoy an elegant & contemporary Michelin experience for lunch, very recently added and vetted for you in 2025. We will then depart the city, and settle into the chateau. After a moment of respite, enjoy sunset at one of the best countryside restaurants in all of France, with a view and dining experience that will live in your memories forever.

🍷 Montagne & Sauternes Day (Avril 11 – Samedi)

Breakfast family-style in residence with a leisurely morning to enjoy your estate. Then, our couples will have the pleasure of lunch in one of the best restaurants in all of France, followed by a walk along an ancient Roman Wall to Franc Baudron, where winemaker, Sophie welcomes us for a private winery tour and tasting. Return for a peaceful evening at your residence — perhaps a wine-and-cheese exploration with your hosts, or a fireside conversation with new friends.

Our solo travelers will embark on their own field trip including a historic castle, the progress to Sauternes for a formal tour and tasting at a Premier Grand Cru Classé estate, followed by lunch in a beautiful setting and some lawn games in the shadow of the chateau.

🧺 Marché Day (Avril 12 – Dimanche)

Morning brings us to Libourne, where we visit the boulangerie and stroll the open-air market. Oysters and Picon bières are a must before we return to our residences for an afternoon of leisure and creativity. As evening falls, we’ll prepare a communal meals from our market treasures — an unforgettable night of wine, laughter, and shared hospitality under the lovely long days of Printemps in France.

🍯 Sauternes Day & Saint-Émilion Day (Avril 13 – Lundi)

Today our couples will travel south with Chef Klein & Logan to the golden hills of Sauternes for a formal tour and tasting at a Premier Grand Cru Classé estate. Enjoy a long lunch at La Chapelle at Château Guiraud, followed by lawn games and relaxation among the vines before returning to the chateau for a light dinner and peaceful evening.

Our Solo travelers will take on Saint-Émilion, lunch at the beautiful L’Atelier de Candale, then a guided walk through the village including underground cellars, a grand tasting with guided purchasing to curate for your own cellar with Desta and team. We’ll close the evening with a sunset apéritif overlooking the village, and after a day of fancy, some casual nosh at L’Atmosphere to prepare for our adventure to the sea.

🌊 Arcachon by the Sea (Avril 14 – Mardi)

Breakfast together, then it’s off to the coast!
We’ll take the train to Arcachon, where seaside charm and salt air await. Enjoy a Michelin-starred lunch, followed by a private historic boat ride on the bay.

Sip an apéritif at Le Corniche as the sun sets over the Dune du Pilat, before returning to our countryside home for dinner with Natalie & Olivier.

(Solo Travelers led by Desta Marée will spend the night in Arcachon, enjoying an additional day by the sea — free to explore, reflect, and dine along the coast.)

🌅 Saint-Émilion & The Grand Finale (Avril 15 – Mercredi)

Our couples will begin the day with a TukTuk ride through vineyards and cellars before exploring Saint-Émilion, a UNESCO World Heritage Site steeped in history and beauty.

Lunch at Chez Pascal, a treasured little bistro at the top of the hill overlooking the village, followed by a visit to the Monolithic Church and tastings at ETS Martin.
We’ll close the evening with a masterful dinner at La Cadène (our favorite Michelin restaurant in the village).

Our solo travelers will be waking up in Arcachon with a day at the beach and on a private boat cruising to the Island of the Birds. We will make time to hike the Dune du Pilat, and reward our efforts with fine meals and incredible views.

🗼 Return to Paris (Avril 16 – Jeudi)

After breakfast, we’ll depart for Bordeaux’s Gare Saint-Jean, to board your first-class train to Paris. Check into your final accommodations, then take an evening Bateaux Mouches cruise on the Seine from the Eiffel Tower to Notre Dame, before dinner and soufflé at Chez Dumonet — a quintessential Parisian finale. Additional nights in Paris are your option, either on your own or with our itineraries - all to be determined at the time of your booking.

✈️ Departure Day (Avril 17 – Vendredi)

Take a taxi to the airport for your flight home — or continue your adventure with an extended Paris stay.
Whichever path you choose, you’ll leave with a heart full of connection, a deeper understanding of France, and a renewed sense of joie de vivre.

💠 Trip Overview

Dates: April 8 – 16, 2026
Programs:
• Couples Program — Chef Russell Klein & Logan
• Solo Traveler Experience — Desta Marée (overnight in Arcachon)
Locations: Paris • Bordeaux • Sauternes • Arcachon • Saint-Émilion
Spaces: Limited to 4 Couples + 4 Solo Travelers
Website: maisonmeritage.com/spring2026

COUPLES TOUR with Chef Klein - Double occupancy room: $6400 per person, all-inclusive (double occupancy)

SOLO TRAVELERS TOUR with Desta Marée: $7450 per person, all-inclusive (single occupancy)

What is included:

• Overnight accommodations, daily

• Breakfast, daily

• A grand lunch (sometimes best for Michelin restaurants and schedule) or Dinner with your hosts, daily

• Designated activities & gatherings scheduled

• Transportation, daily

What is not included:

• Gratuities - each staff member will have a “virtual tip jar”

• Money Exchange - we can help you find a solid Bureau de Change for personal purchases. Though we recommend simple use of ATM’s. And, you can elect to just have us handle and record your “miscellaneous” as a concierge derive with a 20% premium and have all simply added to the final invoice at the end of the trip.

• Miscellaneous stops chosen along the way. The 5 cafes stops you may want to make while we stroll through the streets of France. Though, as mentioned, you can choose to have us just “keep the tab open” for you so you don’t have a worry about it at all.

Pro-Tips & Details

Suggested flight options for the itinerary will be given as part of your confirmation process. *Airfare is not included with the package. Upon recent search this flight is currently about $1000-$1400, main cabin, roundtrip, non-stop, with Delta. DO NOT BOOK YOUR FLIGHTS UNTIL YOU HAVE BEEN CONFIRMED AND DEPOSITED.

• Once you are confirmed, much greater detail will be collected and sent to begin your journey with us.

• Additional activity menu will be made available upon your confirmation.

• Flights should be scheduled one day prior (they are overnight from the USA), and at least one day after (generally early day flights back to USA) - this tour April 7 - April 17+

• For additonal information & payment process, please review our Frequently Asked Questions.