Best for wine lovers
Abbaye de la Bussiãre, Beaune, Burgundy: This old Cistercian
monastery, with antique-filled bedrooms and two restaurants, is surrounded
by parkland. Many of the best Burgundian vineyards, from Nuits St Georges to
Gevry Chambertin, are on the doorstep, and tastings can be arranged.
Standard rooms cost from £99 a night.
Details: 00 33 3 80 49 02 29, www.abbayedelabussiere.fr
Le Mas Rosemerry, Beaumes-de-Venise, Vaucluse: The house is surrounded
by vineyards and feels as if it’s in the middle of the countryside.
Beaumes-de-Venise, however, is just a short walk away, allowing you to
indulge without the worry of driving home. The interior is Scandinavian
minimalist, and there is a pool, poolhouse and summer kitchen. Sleeps six.
From £955 a week with Voyages Ilena.
Details: 020-7924 4440, www.voyagesilena.co.uk
Ami Chenin, near Saumur, Loire Valley: This traditional 18th-century
stone winemakers’ house is in the heart of the region famous for its
troglodyte caves. The owners, France and Xavier Amat, have their own
vineyard and are happy to organise tastings. There are just three cosy,
smartly decorated bedrooms, with B&B from £33 a night for the smallest
double. Dinner is £17pp.
Details: 00 33 02 41 38 13 17, www.amichenin.com
Le Logis du Paradis, Criteuil la Magdaleine, Charente: A 30-minute
drive from Angoulême is Le Logis du Paradis, a B&B in a lovely old
complex of buildings, including a former Cognac distillery, dating from
1712. It is set in a hamlet on the banks of the River Né in the midst of the
vines of the Grand Cru Grande Champagne Cognac region. There are five
comfortable rooms, which cost from about £65 a night for two. The owners,
Sally and Nick Brimblecombe, have classic cars for hire.
Details: 00 33 5 45 35 39 43, www.logisduparadis.fr
RIV.67, Neubois, Alsace: This conversion of a barn and hayloft dating
back to the early 18th century is set on a pretty village street and has two
bedrooms sleeping up to five, a rear terrace and garden looking out to the
mountains. In the area are the Route du Vin, which winds through Alsatian
villages and countless terraced vineyards; Colmar, the best-preserved city
in Alsace; and the Stork Nature Reserve. From £333 a week in May with VFB
Holidays.
Details: 01452 716830, www.vfbholidays.co.uk
For foodies
Hourton, Aignan, Gers: This spacious six-bedroom, 18th-century
farmhouse is set in large grounds near Aignan, a historic fortified town
with a D’Artagnan museum in the heart of Gascony. It is the place to indulge
in Armagnac, foie gras and duck dishes — restaurants are about 3 miles (5km)
away. The house sleeps 16 and has a heated pool and tennis court. It costs
£2,070 a week in May/June with Gascony Secret. Chef and maid service on
request.
Details: 01284 827253, www.gascony-secret.com
Hotel Ithurria, Ainhoa, Basque Country: In the middle of a pretty
Basque village, a couple of miles from the Spanish border, this 17th-century
former farmhouse now has 28 comfortable rooms, an outdoor pool and an
excellent restaurant with regional specialities, including local ewe’s
cheese served with cherry jam. Three nights’ B&B costs £360pp in
May and June, including flight to Bordeaux and car hire, with French
Expressions.
Details: 020-7433 2640, www.expressionsholidays.co.uk
Le Petit Coq aux Champs, near Pont-Audemer, Normandy: Set in pretty
countryside near Pont-Audemer, Le Petit Coq aux Champs is the best auberge
in Inntravel’s collection. There are three cosy rooms, including a duplex,
but the main attraction is Jean-Marie Huard’s cooking. Guests can choose
from a four-course menu each night, served in the beamed restaurant that
opens on to the cottage gardens. From £239pp sharing (£221 in a party of
four or five), including return Channel crossing (Dover-Calais) for one car,
and two nights’ half board, with additional nights from £90pp.
Details: 01653 617949, www.inntravel.co.uk
For peace and quiet
Le Moulin Provence, Goult, Provence: There are fabulous views over the
vineyards of the Luberon from this converted 18th-century windmill in
Provence, which still has many of its internal mechanisms. Set in a small
garden with a pool, it sleeps up to six guests and costs from £910 a week,
villa rental only. The Windmill is a mile from the village of Goult and 45
miles (72km) from Marseilles airport.
Details: www.lemoulinprovence.com;
book through Abercrombie & Kent (0845 07006127, www.abercrombiekent.co.uk).
La Palfessiãre, near Gaillac, Tarn: This stylishly restored stone
house in a tranquil setting of fields and vineyards is ideally located for
visiting nearby hilltop towns and villages, such as Cordes-sur-Ciel and
Bruniquel. It sleeps up to eight and has its own fenced pool, covered
terrace and a wistaria-draped gazebo for alfresco dining. A week’s rent
starts at £695 for the weeks beginning March 31 to May 19 with Vintage
Travel. Flights and car hire can be arranged.
Details: 0845 3440420, www.vintagetravel.co.uk
For water lovers La Mouline, Cajarc, Midi-Pyrenees: An ancient
watermill on its own private island, with a waterfall alongside, this
two-bedroom property, with its thick stone walls and beamed ceilings, sleeps
four and is surrounded by woodland and meadows. One of the meadows leads
down to the River Lot — where the clear water is suitable for bathing. La
Mouline is close to the village of Cajarc in the Midi-Pyrenees, where river
trips and water-skiing can be arranged. From £295 a week.
Details: www.holidaylets.net/
prop/8136
La Bastide des Lumiãres, Cornillon, Languedoc: If you can drag
yourself away from the 20m x 7m pool, the gym and the two-acre estate, with
its lavender groves and vine-covered pergola, it’s a short walk to the River
Cãze for canoeing and fishing. The beautiful six-bedroom property overlooks
a sea of vineyards and the Vallée de la Cãze. From £2,450 for seven nights
in June with Pure France.
Details: 0871 2884198, www.purefrance.com
Château de Prémont, Beaucaire, Provence: Standing on 60 acres
(26ha) of open land with the Rhône River running through it, the château
sleeps 12 people and has its own private pool that sits in the former
stable, complete with the original beams. Mod cons include a plasma TV and
internet access. It is just outside the historic town of Beaucaire, which
sits on the crossroads of Nîmes, Arles and Avignon. A week starts at £1,820,
excluding flights or ferry crossings, which can be arranged through French
Affair.
Details: 020-7381 8519, www.frenchaffair.com
Château de Beauregard, Laissaud, Savoie: Up to 17 people can sleep
in the eight bedrooms of the magnificent 11th-century château, which is
perfect for a house party. Perched on top of a hill overlooking the Isère
River valley, it has lakes within an hour's drive, including France's
largest lake Lac du Bourget, with windsurfing and sailing schools, and good
swimming. From £5,710 a week in May, including a short channel crossing with
one car, with Dominiques's Villas.
Details: 020-7738 8772, www.dominiquesvillas.co.uk
Best for families
Manoir du Grand Vignoble, near Bergerac: The unpretentious three-star
Manoir is a good option for families, with 100 acres of grounds, bike hire,
riding, fun golf, a tennis court and a pool all on the spot. Rooms are
simple, service is friendly and the restaurant, which offers a regional
menu, is popular with locals. A night’s B&B costs from £31pp,
based on two sharing in May, with Hotel Connect.
Details: 0845 2308888, www.hotelconnect.co.uk
Gîte Ref 4, Anglesqueville l’Esneval, Normandy: Ideal for a
family, this detached gîte has been restored using traditional materials and
has an enclosed garden with a paddock to the back and fields with a pond at
the front; horses, ducks and sheep will keep small people amused. Nip across
the Seine and have lunch in Honfleur. Sleeps nine and costs £285 per adult,
£10 per child per week, including Dover-Calais crossing in a standard car,
with Normandy Vacances.
Details: 0845 2305130, www.normandy-holidays.co.uk
La Trinité Valrose, Île de Patiras, Pauillac, Gironde: Île de
Patiras is a private island in the Gironde estuary, reached by motorboat
from Pauillac, and has two gîtes converted from vineyard estate buildings
that would suit families. There’s an adventure playground, sandpit,
badminton, table tennis, pool volleyball, boules, canoes, a sailing boat and
a saltwater pool. From £460 a week for Cazeau sleeping five, £690 for
Trompeloup sleeping up to ten, with Chez Nous.
Details: 0870 2385963, www.cheznous.com
For history buffs Le Bouffadou, Monpazier, Dordogne: The former working
farm now has a heated pool and all mod cons to add to its rustic charm. It’s
set in ten acres of land near the hamlet of Tage and a short drive from
Monpazier, one of the Dordogne’s loveliest historic towns, with its medieval
arcades. The nearest airport is Bergerac, 31 miles away. Sleeping up to
eight, it costs from £1,220 a week, villa rental only, with CV Travel.
Details: 0870 6060802, www.cvtravel.co.uk
Château de Talhouët Hotel, Rochefort-en-Terre, Brittany: The
17th-century Château de Talhouët feels more like a splendid private house
than a country hotel — of the eight bedrooms, La Chambre D’Honneur, with its
magnificent fireplace, is the grandest. Near by, the medieval
Rochefort-en-Terre, with its cobbled streets and antique shops, is one of
the prettiest towns in Brittany. From £150pp for a one-night break,
including breakfast plus a four-course dinner and return ferry crossing with
two in a car, with Brittany Ferries.
Details: 0870 5360360, www.brittanyferries.com
Les Sapins, near Chalus, Haute-Vienne: This is one of three cottages
and a pigeonnier set in private woodlands and gardens with a shared pool and
private lake on the borders of the Dordogne and Haute-Vienne. Chalus is at
the centre of the “Route de Richard Coeur de Lion”, and the market town of
Thiviers and Brantôme, dubbed the Venice of the Périgord, are within easy
reach. Sleeping four, the cottage costs from £303 a week in May, villa only,
with Allez France.
Details: 0845 3302056, www.allezfrance.com
