19-Apr. 1, rooms from $94. CHITENAY Auberge du Centre When Gilles Martinet's grandmother found herself widowed at the end of World War I, she started selling milk and eggs to make ends meet. One thing led to another, and her home eventually became a guesthouse and restaurant specializing in French country fare, like chicken sautéed in fresh cider. Three generations later, Martinet is now proprietor and chef of this inn, which has 26 brightly decorated rooms in shades of sage and rose, as well as a flower-filled garden terrace out back. He has kept the breakfast area much the way his grandmother designed it, with rustic stone walls, an ample fireplace and simple country furnishings. There are bicycles available to rent -LRB- $14.50 per day -RRB- for excursions to the Château de Cheverny, about five miles away. 34 Grande Rue, 011-33/2 -54 -70 -42 -11, auberge-du-centre. com, closed Feb., rooms from $78, entrées from $17. Loire Basics A two-hour drive southwest of Paris, the Loire Valley is known for its earthy cabernet franc wines and hundreds of majestic castles. It's impossible to see them all -LRB- a visit to one château can take half a day -RRB-, so it's wise to focus on the worthy ones: Chenonceau, the graceful riverine palace that once belonged to Henri II -LRB- chenonceau.com, $13 -RRB-; Chambord, which has a double-helix staircase inspired by the designs of Leonardo