British Airways, High Life, Fall 2020

“Did you try the orange and ginger jam with the goat cheese?” I asked my friend Jess, as I smeared both on a baguette. 

“I’m focusing on the salmon first,” she said before topping off my flute with bubbly, followed by orange juice.

Mimosas may be a no-no in France (you don’t ruin Champagne with mixers!), but we’re not worried about being gauche. After all, no one is watching us—and thank goodness because we’re also barefoot in bathrobes. Oh, and we’re floating in front of the château de Chambord in France’s Loire Valley.

We spent the night on a “toue cabanée,” a 14-meter former fishing boat that’s been outfitted for guests of the Relais de Chambord, a hotel that opened on the domain in 2018. This new room, which debuted in July, boasts a queen-sized bed, kitchenette and a bathroom with Fragonard toiletries. But its best-selling point is its view of the 16th century castle, a mere 50 meters from where the boat is moored and from where they drop off a breakfast basket in the morning to enjoy with nary another visitor in sight. That is, until the château opens at 9a.m. Then you may want to get dressed lest you be the subject of enviable stares…