As tennis season reaches its fever pitch with the US Open fast approaching, aficionados of the sport – and its lifestyle – are turning their sights beyond the stadiums.
One destination in rural southwest France is quietly rallying for attention, not with crowds or clamour, but with serene spectacle and historic charm. Domaine des Étangs, an Auberge Resorts Collection property in Massignac, offers what may be one of the world’s most poetic places to play: a floating tennis court suspended over a lily-fringed pond.
Set within a 2,500-acre tapestry of forest and field, the 13th-century château blends refined architecture with pastoral stillness. Formerly the holiday estate of the Primat family, Domaine des Étangs is a masterpiece of French hospitality, restored with meticulous care and curated modernity. Its floating court—just steps from a Thermal pool house and nestled beside shaded benches for slow-watching—is more than novelty. It is a tranquil stage for tennis reimagined.
From the moment guests step onto the court’s gently bobbing surface, the experience offers both physical exhilaration and visual delight: mirror-like water, rustling leaves, and the soft thud of a match played in harmony with nature. For spectators, the game becomes a meditation; for players, a match becomes a memory.
Off-court, the charm continues. Multi-story guest rooms carved from 18th-century barns and the Michelin-starred Dyades restaurant, where Chef Matthieu Pasgrimaud crafts seasonal plates that read like handwritten letters to the land, ensure every detail reflects the château’s core philosophy: art de vivre. Add a gallery of contemporary art and a spa infused with mill-history and thermal wisdom, and this tennis retreat becomes an immersion into a rarefied rhythm of French elegance.
Whether you’re planning a post-Open getaway or simply chasing a new way to celebrate the sport, Domaine des Étangs serves up something sublime: tennis that floats, history that holds, and nature that plays along.