I didn’t know my surname would lead me to a château in France, but there I was… calling Christo Lindeque my “uncle”, sipping rosé at sunset and learning the story behind a dream that refused to end.
France (15 January 2026) – This is a story that sounds like it should come with a disclaimer because if I hadn’t lived it, I’m not sure I’d believe it myself.
A South African man. A castle in France. A dream that looked impossible on paper. And a place so beautiful it feels like it was designed specifically to make you breathe deeper and slow down. But this is not just a travel story, and it’s definitely not just a “look how fancy” moment… every fairytale begins with a tragedy. This one is no different. It’s about love, loss, and strength that keeps building even when your world falls apart.
And before I tell you about sunsets and rosé and tiny French villages that look like they’ve been lifted from the pages of a storybook, you need to know what Château de Montflour really is… and what it took to bring it back to life.
This château is not just a destination. It’s a promise kept.
A dream that started in 2020
In 2020, Christo Lindeque and his wife, Elbe, bought Château de Montflour in the French countryside, delaying their retirement plans and taking on a restoration project that most people would have filed under “nice idea, but no chance.” Their vision wasn’t small, and it wasn’t safe. It was bold and romantic and wildly ambitious… they didn’t want to buy a pretty property. They wanted to restore a piece of history and turn it into something alive again: bespoke events, unique accommodation experiences and a place where guests could step out of the chaos of life and into something calmer.
Château de Montflour is situated in the commune of Tardes, in the Creuse department of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, right in the heart of France. It’s an area that makes you slow down without even trying. Locals will tell you the air here is among the purest in the country and after spending time there you stop thinking it’s a nice line and start realising you can actually feel it.
Your shoulders drop. Your breath deepens. And you remember what it feels like to not be rushed.
People in the area also say there are over 40 South Africans who now call this part of the world home. Some permanently, others arriving for summer to escape our winter. After visiting, I understand it completely.
But none of that beauty tells the full story. Not yet.
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The castle that waited almost 40 years
Château de Montflour dates back to the 16th and 17th centuries and was once the seat of a lordship in the Combraille region. Later, between 1880 and 1895, Ludovic Souchard, a prominent lawyer from nearby Montluçon, added to the property. You can feel that old-world elegance in the details. It’s history you can touch. Stone you can run your hand over and think, “How many lives have passed through here?”
But when Christo and Elbe bought it, the château had been boarded up for nearly 40 years.
That matters because restoring a historic home is one thing… restoring a château that has been sealed off from the world for decades is a completely different level of undertaking. It isn’t only renovation. It’s resurrection. It’s bringing something back from silence. And they jumped in with both feet.
Some people love the romance of the idea… “Oh wow, they bought a castle”, but I don’t think most people realise what it actually looks like in real life. It’s not glamour. It’s hard work. It’s dust and admin and decisions you didn’t know existed. It’s standing in an old building trying to figure out what comes first, or next, or what’s urgent, what’s possible, what’s going to cost you a fortune and how to do it in a country that doesn’t work like home.
If you don’t speak the language fluently, everything becomes harder.
You have to find contractors who truly understand heritage buildings. You have to source materials that match what was originally there. You need artisans who can restore old stonework properly, electricians who can modernise safely without destroying history, and suppliers who can recreate shutters and fittings and details that haven’t been used in decades. Then there’s the paperwork, the regulations, the fact that every small decision turns into a process… and every process takes longer than expected, costs more than expected, and comes with surprises that were never in the plan.
While we were visiting, a plumber arrived to help with a call-out made 2 weeks earlier. It took him 14 days to “get to it”. By that time, Christo and his team had already fixed the pipe. What do we say? A Boer maak a plan.
And then there’s the winter.
“The winter was the coldest, there was no insulation, I think it was colder inside than outside,” Christo told me.
Colder inside than outside. Just pause and imagine that for a second. Thick stone walls holding onto cold for hours. A home that feels like a freezer. You wake up and you don’t only have to get through the day… you have to restore a castle in a foreign country, in another language, while you’re still learning how everything works.
And yet, they kept going.
Room by room. Dream by dream.
The tragedy no fairytale prepares you for
On the 30th of May 2024, everything changed. Tragically and unexpectedly, Elbe passed away.
The love of Christo’s life. His partner. His person. The woman who was dreaming beside him, planning beside him, building beside him, imagining the finished château long before it existed. Suddenly she was gone… and the dream they had carried together was left unfinished.
That is the part that turns this from a beautiful story into something much deeper. Grief doesn’t arrive politely. It appears and takes over everything. And in Christo’s case, it arrived while he was in the middle of something enormous.
So he had a choice. He could give up. He could sell the château. He could walk away from the dream because the person he had dreamed it with was no longer there. Or… he could finish it. Not for the sake of tourism or business or a project on paper. For love. For meaning. For the promise they had built together.
Christo chose to continue.
And after spending time with him, I don’t believe it was because it was easy, or because he wasn’t shattered. But I think it’s because love doesn’t disappear when someone leaves. Sometimes love transforms into purpose. And that purpose was the château itself. It took many hours, endless hard work, and a level of determination most of us cannot even begin to imagine, but Christo did it. On the 1st of July 2025, Château de Montflour opened for its first guests. That date matters. It wasn’t merely an opening. It was a promise kept.
Finding out my “uncle” owns a castle
I genuinely had no idea this château even existed. I had no clue that a Lindeque had bought a castle in France, and when I got invited to be part of the first group to visit, I thought it would be “lovely”… I didn’t realise it would be unforgettable.
From the moment I arrived, I was blown away. The château is breathtaking, but not in an intimidating way. It’s grand, yes, but also warm and welcoming, filled with beauty that feels personal. The grounds are spectacular, with trees that look ancient and lawns that stretch out like a dream. Everywhere you turn, there’s another view that makes you stop mid-sentence, because your brain needs a moment to catch up to your eyes.
And Christo, my “uncle”is a host in the truest sense of the word. Someone who welcomes you like he’s been waiting for you, even if he only met you an hour ago.
When we met, we joked about the surname. I told him that he could possibly, very well be my uncle. We both laughed and went with it. From that moment on, wherever we went, every village, every café, every local spot and every encounter with South Africans living in the area, I introduced him as my Uncle Christo and he introduced me as his nephew. Nobody questioned it. Not even on social media. Especially not on social media. So I now have an uncle. And he has a beautiful château in the heart of France.
Elbe is everywhere, in the most beautiful way
It was incredibly heartwarming when I realised that Elbe is still present in the château in a way that feels gentle, not heavy.
In all the design, the décor and the details. The way each room feels considered. There’s a softness in the space you don’t always find in historic buildings. Christo told me that Elbe planned everything meticulously. She ordered what was needed and envisioned how it would feel. She curated the atmosphere long before it became reality.
“She picked out everything. She ordered it. All the decor was personally selected by Elbe,” Christo tells me.
And you can feel it in every corner. It doesn’t feel like a sad reminder. It feels like love stayed. Her dream is alive. Fully alive.
Day trips, small towns, South Africans abroad… and French rosé
The Tardes region is genuinely spectacular, and each day felt like a new little adventure. Villages are scattered around you, each one charming in its own way, and the drives between them are unreal… forests, fields, winding roads and views that make you want to slow down just to take it in properly. Often we did. Stopping for photos along the way.
We explored little towns, met locals who were friendly in that effortless French way, and spent time with South Africans living nearby, which felt like discovering hidden family across the world. We lunched with friends of Christo and drank French rosé with Louis Jansen van Vuuren (yes, that Louis), and we even went to Chez Sunell for a mad hatter’s tea party, which is exactly as whimsical and wonderful as it sounds. It’s one of those experiences that feels too perfectly strange to be real, and yet there we were, laughing through it, living it, knowing we would talk about it for years.
This trip had layers. France, but also community. Beauty, but also heart.
Sunset drinks and dinners with a South African flair
Every day ended with sunset drinks, sitting outside, watching the sky change colours while the château glowed in soft light, realising we hadn’t thought about stress or deadlines or traffic in hours.
And every dinner was more special than the last. French/South African dishes filled with flavour and love, where food didn’t feel like a meal, it felt like a gathering. Like connection. Like someone wanted you to feel held.
France… with a South African soul. And it worked beautifully.
If you want to escape South African winter, this is your sign
If you’re South African and you’re dreaming of escaping winter for a French summer, and you want something different, something unforgettable, something storybook-worthy… Château de Montflour should be on your list.
You don’t just visit it. You feel it. You arrive as a stranger and leave feeling like you’ve been part of something bigger than you expected… something meaningful, hopeful, something that reminds you dreams still happen, even after life breaks your heart.
Elbe is gone and that will always matter. But her dream is alive, living in every guest who walks through those doors and feels the magic of what she and Christo created together.
And sure… Christo might not actually be my uncle. But he’s the sort of person who makes you feel like family anyway. So maybe, in the end, he really is everyone’s uncle.
And Château de Montflour is proof that even after tragedy… fairytales don’t always end.
Sometimes they transform.
Travel Guide: How South Africans can visit Château de Montflour (and do it properly)
If reading this has lit a spark in you, if you’re sitting in South Africa thinking “I need this escape”… let me help you turn that feeling into a plan.
Château de Montflour is in the Creuse area, which is peaceful, green, and beautifully rural. This isn’t the France most people post about on social media. It’s slower, calmer, more soulful. But my uncle owns a castle there… and it is open for visitors.
When to go:
This part of France is made for summer. If you want to escape South African winter, aim for June, July, August, or early September, when the days are long, the weather is warm, and the region comes alive. This is also when you’ll really experience the grounds properly. Breakfasts outside, slow afternoons and golden-hour sunsets that make you stop what you’re doing and just stare.
But Winter is just as spectacular. The grounds change but not the feeling. The building is no longer cold inside. You can visit this castle and still feel the warmth and love.
How to fly from South Africa:
I flew with Air France and I’m not exaggerating when I say they treated me like gold. The service was exceptional, the experience felt seamless, and it genuinely felt like the holiday started the moment I boarded the plane, not only once I landed. If you’re planning France, Air France is a solid option and absolutely gets my vote.
Where to fly into:
Your easiest gateway is Paris (Charles de Gaulle). From there, you can either take a connecting flight closer to the region, rent a car or catch a quick train , which I highly recommend if you want to soak in the scenery and enjoy the adventure of it.
How long to stay:
I’d suggest at least four nights, and if you can do five to seven nights, even better. This is not a rushed, tick-the-box destination. This is a place that rewards slowing down.
What it’s like staying there:
It’s intimate. Personal. Special. It doesn’t feel commercial or crowded. It feels like you’ve stepped into someone’s story, and Christo’s hospitality makes you feel like you belong there.
Expect long meals, unforgettable sunsets, rooms filled with Elbe’s touch and a deep calm you didn’t realise you needed.
Day trips you should make time for:
The region is full of charming villages and small towns, markets, cafés, and locals who make you feel welcome. You don’t need a packed itinerary; you just need time, curiosity and a willingness to wander. Christo and the team curate many of the day trips (all included), so if you get the chance, say yes to experiences like long lunches with friends of my uncle, meeting South Africans living nearby, sipping French rosé with fascinating humans, and quirky hidden gems like Chez Sunell’s mad hatter tea party.
What to pack:
Pack for warm days and cooler evenings. Bring proper walking shoes, something nice for dinners and something comfortable for lounging on the grounds. Also bring a good camera. You’re going to want to capture this properly.
Why this trip is worth it:
This trip is worth it for so many reasons but mostly because it feels different to the holidays we’re used to. It’s not the typical tourist route where you rush from one landmark to another and come home more tired than when you left. It’s an experience that slows you down and reminds you to actually feel where you are. You’re not just visiting France, you’re stepping into a love story that survived loss and still chose beauty and that makes everything about the stay feel deeper and more meaningful.
Not every holiday has to be a wild adventure or a packed schedule… sometimes the best escape is the one that restores you, softens you and reminds you that life is still full of wonder.
And if you do go, please give my “uncle who owns a château in the heart of France”, a big Lindeque hug from me.
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