house. The king became famously enthralled by Leonardo da Vinci during a 1515 excursion to Italy, and he set up the painter in a gabled redbrick château -LRB- now a museum -RRB-, just down the road from his castle. 27 rue Rabelais, 011-33/2 -47 -30 -10 -20, leclosamboise.com, closed Dec. -- Jan., rooms from $98. LIMERAY Auberge de Launay Between the two of them, François and Hélène Thévard have honed their hospitality skills at some of the world's most well-respected hotels, including Le Meurice in Paris and the Savoy in London. After years helping manage other people's properties, the couple -- with their two small kids, Emma and Alexandre -- packed up their Paris apartment and bought an unassuming farmhouse in the secluded hamlet of Limeray to convert to a 15-room inn. I grew up in the region, so when we made the decision to open our own place, I knew that I had to come back to the Loire, says François. In keeping with the spare design of the house, the decor at the Auberge is simple -- bedrooms are outfitted with neutral suede sofas, blond-wood floors and minimalist photographs of daisies and landscapes. The duo oversees the daily lunch and dinner service at the on-site restaurant, which serves local specialties such as butter-poached Loire eel and chicken with mustard cream. The house dessert, a salted-caramel fruit tart, is baked with apples picked in the hotel's