The Royal Champagne
Located 50 minutes by TGV from Paris, this five-star hotel is the perfect spot for a last-minute weekend. Overlooking the vineyards of Champagne, its building in the shape of an amphitheater backed by a former coaching inn – where it is said the kings of France and Napoleon used to stop -, houses 47 rooms and suites, designed by Sybille de Margerie and equipped with a sublime view of the vineyard.
Overview © Royal Champagne
The top? The Josephine suite with its 110 m2. The set invaded by natural light, displays natural materials: light oak, stone and natural tones. On the menu, two restaurants: the Royal, one Michelin star, in the historic part and the Bellevue with a brasserie atmosphere which benefits from a large terrace. Not forgetting the Abysse Bar where you can share cocktails and finger food… and the Fines Bulles lounge, with its cellar dedicated to champagne tasting. We love the huge contemporary spa and its 25-metre swimming pool whose bay windows plunge us into the vineyards! In one of the nine cabins, including two duo suites, enjoy a treatment signed Biologique Recherche or Kos.
Most ? The 1500m2 terraces on the roof-gardens, where there is even a rose garden and a vegetable patch.
Go : TGV (50 min) to Champagne Ardenne TGV station 20 minutes from the hotel then taxi or car rental
9, rue de la République 51160 Champillon, tel. : 03 26 52 87 11
The Côte Saint-Jacques
Ideally located on the banks of the Yonne in Joigny, on the edge of Burgundy, the Côte Saint Jacques has belonged to the Lorain family for three generations. The assurance of a welcome that is as friendly as it is cared for. This five-star hotel, a historic member of Relais & Chateaux, has 22 rooms and suites with a warm decor. We love the 60 m suite2 with its large terrace with a private jacuzzi. The spa is one of the highlights of the hotel: over 800 m2 and two levels, there is a hammam, sauna, fitness room… We acclaim the duo room with a Japanese Ofuro bath, the private VIP room with hammam and always the soothing view of the Yonne.
Balcony terrace © La Cote Saint Jacques
Most ? The two-star Michelin restaurant where chef Jean-Michel Lorain is now assisted by his nephew Alexandre. The gastronomy here celebrates the great French tradition with fine products selected according to the seasons and washed down with wines from Burgundy and elsewhere.
Go : TER Paris Joigny 1h 13… or A6 motorway approx. 1h30.
14, fbg de Paris 89300 Joigny. Such. : 03 86 62 09 70. cotesaintjacques.com
Loire flower
Inaugurated last June, in a 17th century buildinge U-shaped century overlooking the Loire, Fleur de Loire has not finished pleasing us. At the helm of the establishment, chef Christophe Hay has carried out his “project of a lifetime”. “I thought of Fleur de Loire as a place of gastronomy combined with a real hotel experience and well-being”. Successful bet ! This five-star hotel, a new member of Relais et Châteaux, has 44 rooms, including 11 suites, displaying shades of grey, blue and beige, a 500 m2 with five cabins, an indoor swimming pool 15 meters long, a whirlpool bath, sauna, hammam…
View of Blois © Fleur de Loire
The must ? The Fleur de Loire signature treatment. We love the outdoor infinity pool overlooking the Loire… but the big deal here is of course also the table. Christophe Hay, a direct student of Paul Bocuse, followed a prestigious career before winning two stars in the Michelin guide in 2019. His two restaurants leave a memorable memory: The Christophe Hay restaurant bears witness to the chef’s local commitment to short circuits. You can taste there, through precise and gourmet compositions, fish from the Loire, caviar or game from Sologne, vegetables and citrus fruits from the garden, wagyu beef from its own breeding, black truffles from its neighboring truffle field… As for the second table, Amour Blanc , so named in a nod to the eponymous freshwater fish, it offers a sublime view of the old town of Blois and the river… The icing on the cake: the pastry kiosk and tea room on the ground floor floor, become the meeting place of the Blésois!
Most ? Extensive concern for eco-responsibility: bathroom products made by a local soap factory, wooden room keys, supply of plastic crates to producers to limit disposable packaging, professional organic cleaning products, etc.
Quai Villebois Mareuil, 41000 Blois, fleurdeloire.com
Baumaniere
Oldest member of the Relais & Châteaux, Baumanière, at the foot of Baux-de-Provence, received the ban and the back ban: from Queen Elisabeth II to General De Gaulle via Picasso, Hugh Grant, Jean Reno, Barack Obama, Johny Depp and many others… all came to taste the charms of this legendary five-star hotel. It houses in five buildings, 54 elegant rooms and suites combining antique furniture and contemporary pieces, three swimming pools and a 500 m spa.2opening onto a patio with trees and bearing the colors of the Une Olive en Provence and Sisley brands with six cabins, a hammam, a sensory pool.
Baumanière © L. Parrault
Most ? The gastronomic table, with the darling juror of the Top Chef show Glenn Viel at the helm. The Oustau de Baumanière restaurant regained its third star in 2020 and the Breton chef delights his guests with dishes that combine tradition and creativity. At the second table, the Cabro d’Or, you can enjoy one of the most beautiful terraces in the Alpilles, where chef Michel Hulin serves refined Provençal cuisine.
Baumanière, 13520 Les Baux-de-Provence, tel: 04 90 54 33 07, baumanière.com
Hotel Le Nessay
Proudly camped on the Nessay peninsula in Saint Briac, this 19th century buildinge with red bricks dominates the Grande Salinette beach with its somewhat retro bathing cabins, we love it! The architects Dominique Bergerault and Stéphanie Cayet, responsible for transforming this family home into a hotel, have kept the welcoming atmosphere perfectly. Having become a charming four-star hotel, the Nessay offers 17 rooms and suites spread over three locations: the castle, with nine rooms and two suites, the two posterns at the entrance to the park with four large bedrooms, not forgetting two other bedrooms in the annexes overlooking the beach. No invasive design or fuss, but photos on the walls, boots and hats in the family home-style entrance with accomplished and studied decor…
Fancy a cocooning break and a sauna? Head to the wellness area for a treatment signed Phytomer. As for the table led by chef Thomas Estrader, it highlights seasonal products, seafood and meats prepared in the rotisserie. The Sunday brunch won all our votes and the all-you-can-eat dessert trolley (homemade pastries) is always a success! Finally, to offer a different experience, the Nessay opened in April 2021, the Maison du Nessay, not far from the hotel, a private villa with hotel service with five bedrooms and a heated swimming pool, straight out of ELLE Déco.
Most ? The Nessay suite: 55 m2 perched on the top floor, with a 40m² terrace looking out over the Emerald Coast. We love the turret with a round bed and a shower with a view of the Ile des Ebihens.
bd du Bechay, 35800 Saint-Briac-sur-Mer, tel. : 02 99 21 02 10, lenessay.com
Mr Aristide
We love this four-star Parisian hotel which irresistibly evokes the charm of a forgotten Montmartre… Sixth opus in the Addresses Hotels collection in Paris, Monsieur Aristide offers 25 rooms including four suites with a bohemian atmosphere. Interior designer Marion Collard has multiplied the evocations of the past thanks to antique objects: aged-effect mirrors, Belle Epoque lamps, ceramic electrical outlets, old radio sets revised into connected speakers… and a superb bar counter in mahogany without forgetting the jukebox in the loud lobby of 45 rpm where French song is queen! At the Café Aristide, we notice the terrazzo floor, the result of salvage from the demolition of a neighboring building.
We discover a cuisine with Mediterranean accents and plates to share, local producers are in the spotlight as evidenced by the beer brewed at the Goutte d’Or and the coffee roasted by Lomi. In short, the perfect hotel to book at the last minute for a staycation-style weekend to discover or rediscover an iconic district of the capital.
Most ? The two suites open onto the garden and the green patio, a rare nugget in this district which turns into an open-air cinema on sunny days.
11, rue Ambroise Thomas, 75009 Paris. Such. : 01 42 46 86 46, monsieuraristide.com