Chez Ric et Fer
Late-modernist vintage chic — 1960s-70s Scandinavian design meets French Picardie stone house. Personal, artistic, bookish. Feels more like staying at a well-traveled friend's home than a hotel.
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Why It Matters
Michelin Guide and Tablet Hotels selected. Tiny property — only 3 rooms — run by hands-on owners who treat every guest as a guest, not a booking. Won Booking.com Traveller Review Award 2026 with a 9.4/10 score. The building itself is historically significant: reconstructed from Coucy castle stones after WWI shelling.
Three rooms, two owners, one of the more interesting small B&Bs in northern France. Richard (Ric) and Fernanda (Fer) Gamba — he's a music manager and photographer, she's a plant and animal lover — left Paris and set up shop in one of the oldest stone houses in Coucy-le-Château. The building was the village pharmacy in the 1920s and was rebuilt after WWI using stones from the bombed medieval château next door. They filled it with vintage Scandinavian furniture, bold graphic wallpaper, stacks of vinyl, old cameras, and books. The look is somewhere between a well-curated Brussels apartment and a late-60s design magazine spread.
Where You'll Stay
3 room types available
The '70 Room
From EUR77 / nightThe most purely 1970s-inspired room in the house. King size bed dressed in wool, Knoll-era vintage furniture, a vintage Apple Mac used as the TV screen, and a wardrobe coat rack that doubles as a design statement. The bathroom has Horus fittings with a walk-in shower. Like all rooms, there's a Teppaz turntable with vinyl, flat-screen entertainment, and access to the house's library of books, films and games.
King Size
The Bedroom Teppaz
From EUR77 / nightNamed after the vintage Teppaz record player that sits in the room. Decorated with vintage Scandinavian furniture, colorful touches and bold graphic wallpaper — the look is warm and a bit 'Belgian cartoon', as Fooding put it. Has its own striking bathroom with Horus-brand fittings, art deco concrete tiles, and a walk-in shower. A vintage Apple iMac serves as a design object alongside the flat-screen TV. The room is stocked with books and films from the house library.
Double
The Suite
From EUR119 / nightThe showpiece of the house. Accessed via a majestic cast-iron staircase from the Eiffel era, the suite opens into a 50 sqm open-plan space with a King Size bed, an original oak and walnut desk, a vintage convertible armchair, and an original Teppaz turntable. The bathroom is under a custom-made glass roof fitted between massive exposed timber beams — with art deco concrete tiles, a Kubikoff clear armchair, and a large Italian-style walk-in shower. Garden and village views. Breakfast can be delivered as room service, served on the terrace, or taken downstairs.
King Size · 50 sqmThe Property
Eat & Drink
2 venues on property
Restaurant
On Property
How you'll actually spend your days.
The ruins of one of medieval Europe's largest castles are a 7-minute walk from the front door. The original keep — destroyed by German forces during WWI — was once the biggest tower in Christendom. The surrounding ramparts can be walked. The B&B building itself was reconstructed from the château's scattered stones after the war.
The Circuit de Folembray Almacar Pilotage racing track is just 2 miles away. Several TripAdvisor reviewers specifically stayed at Chez Ric & Fer to attend track days. The B&B is a natural base for motorsport visitors.
The Aisne department has quiet country roads and dedicated cycling routes. The B&B offers secure overnight bike storage in the garage — a detail cyclists specifically call out in reviews. Richard and Fernanda can advise on local routes.
Richard is a photographer and one of the house's quiet signatures is that he takes a portrait of departing guests — medium-format Fujifilm or Pentax, square format. The photos end up on the property's Instagram. Guests routinely mention this as a highlight. Completely optional but warmly offered.
Every room has its own Teppaz vintage record player and a curated pile of vinyl. The house is also stocked with books, DVDs, board games (Scrabble, cards), and old cameras. It's essentially a curated slow-travel living room. Films and music can be borrowed freely during your stay.
The Chemin des Dames — one of the most significant and brutal WWI French front-line routes — is nearby. Ric and Fer have become real experts on the subject and can guide guests on which sites to visit, where the major battles were, and how to approach the landscape respectfully. They can also advise on the Franco-American Museum at Blérancourt (14 km away).
Amenities & Practical Info
The details that matter for planning.
Available throughout the property in all rooms.
Full continental breakfast served daily 7 AM–10 AM. Homemade jams, fresh baguettes, artisanal ham, organic juice, garden produce in season.
Every room has its own original Teppaz record player and a curated selection of vinyl records.
All 3 rooms have flat-screen TVs and DVD players. Extensive DVD library available to borrow.
The property has a garden and terrace where breakfast can be served. Some reviewers mention a sun deck.
Richard and Fernanda can organise theatre, opera, and concert tickets, reserve restaurants in the Picardie area, recommend Champagne winemakers and tasting rooms in Reims, and provide tourist guidance on WWI heritage sites. Staff speak English, French, Spanish and Portuguese.
Bikes can be stored safely in the garage overnight. Specifically noted by cyclist guests.
The B&B is 100% plastic-free. Toiletries are paraben-free and organic where possible. Water bottles are thermos-style, filled from an EVA pure water fountain — no single-use plastic in the rooms.
Free public parking directly in front of the house. No reservation required.
A 32-amp Tesla-compatible EV charging station is available on site at extra cost. Listed as a featured service prominently on the official website.
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