LE VIEUX LOGIS
Located in delightful Tremolat village deep in the castle-studded, cow-chewed Dordogne Valley in southwest France, this former priory is now the quintessential country hotel, with its ivy-clad walls, pretty gardens, mellow stonework and uneven roofline. Wooden floorboards groan, doors creak like poltergeists and open fires throw flicking orange light across walls. Soft sofas and floral patterns give guestrooms a somewhat English air. An old tobacco barn has been converted into the dining room, where a Michelin-starred restaurant serves a sophisticated version of country nosh, such as tete de veau and free-range chicken with truffle. See relaischateaux.com
HOTEL PARK & SPA GEORGES BLANC
Swimming pool and garden terraces at La Bastide de Gordes. Credit: Thibaut de Saint Chamas
This isn't so much a hotel as an entire village between Dijon and Lyon that pays homage to hometown boy Georges Blanc, for decades king of the French kitchen. The five-star hotel is set amid landscaped gardens and has enormous guestrooms. The restaurant, in a wellnigh impossible culinary feat, has retained three Michelin stars since 1981 and is surprisingly relaxed thanks to its country location. It serves resolutely traditional, rich French haute cuisine. Unpretentious sommeliers will guide you through 3000 wine varieties; the great chef himself often appears to greet diners. See relaischateaux.com
LA BASTIDE DE GORDES
Sumptuously refurbished and reopened in 2015, this hotel is lodged in one of Provence's best hilltop villages and might well now provide one of France's finest country getaways, complete with spa, three pools and gorgeous terraced gardens. It sits across four 12th-century buildings that ogle the lavender-scented countryside below and Luberon mountain on the horizon. The interiors are decorated in spindly, gilt-edged Louis XV style. You can dine on Mediterranean nosh at informal La Citadelle or go all-out in the pricey Peir on foie gras mousse, roast grouse or cod spiced with saffron. See lhw.com
ABBAYE DE LA BUSSIERE
This retreat in the Burgundian village of La Bussiere-sur-Ouche provides the tranquillity you might expect of a former abbey, but none of the austerity. It's housed in a glorious building of soft stone and mullion windows, peppered with gargoyles. Public rooms have gothic vaults and elaborate carving; talk to English owner Clive Cummings about the painful restoration process. Rooms, in contrast, don't have as much ecclesiastical character but ooze every modern comfort. The dining room is fabulous, offering modern French dining with a light touch and Asian influences. The degustation menu provides one of France's best meals. See relaischateaux.com
HOTEL LE CEP
This family-run hotel in the wine town of Beaune has a warren of guestrooms (named for Burgundy grape varieties, and all different) spread across two mansions centred on 16th-century courtyards. One courtyard has an Italian-style gallery that makes you want to re-enact Juliet's balcony scene. Other delightful period features include a dovecote atop a tower and a carving of a court jester. The lounge, with its wood panelling, giant fireplace and leather armchairs, is a fine place to kick back with a local red. The hotel has a new spa, and Michelin-starred Loiseau des Vignes is next door. See slh.com
CHATEAU DE LA CHEVRE D'OR
This hotel, with its sprawling, statue-dotted terraced gardens, occupies numerous buildings in a medieval hilltop village that provides the feel of a country retreat and yet is right above the glitz and glamour of the French Riviera. Views over Cap Ferrat and the Mediterranean are sublime. All its guestrooms are different but characterised by thick stone walls and beamed ceilings nicely contrasted with contemporary furnishings. As a founding member of the gourmet-focused Relais & Chateaux brand, the hotel's several restaurants are expectedly excellent, culminating in the formal, two Michelin-starred Chevre d'Or, where even the cheese trolley choices are magnificent. See relaischateaux.com
Brian Johnston was the guest of Relais & Chateaux, Small Luxury Hotels of the World and Leading Hotels of the World.
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