Relais & Châteaux hotels that master art de vivre
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From theatrical château stays to art-filled farmhouses and fine dining restaurants with just a handful of rooms, these French hotels combine heritage, gastronomy and flair
How do you recognise a Relais & Châteaux property? The chef-owner might be in the kitchen garden, gathering ingredients for the evening meal; walls often bristle with history, from turreted castles to storybook French châteaux, while contemporary properties highlight striking architecture and design.
Relais & Châteaux is a membership association of independently owned hotels. The group built its reputation on the curation of characterful stays, defined by setting and spirit. Historic buildings are preserved with warmth and contemporary eye, while modern design has a strong connection to the landscape.
There are currently 580 Relais & Châteaux hotels globally. Of the hundreds that apply each year, only a small number are accepted, chosen for their sustainability practices, culinary excellence and cultural heritage. Hotels work with local artisans and grow produce in lush gardens, while owners take a hands-on approach.
In an age of increasing homogeneity, Relais & Châteaux offers a compelling alternative: properties with individuality, provenance and more often than not, an exceptional meal. Each one is resolutely and enchantingly of its place.
We select some of France’s most distinctive Relais & Châteaux properties, from Brittany’s shorelines to the vineyards of Cahors.
Maisons de Bricourt, Cancale, Brittany
Why we rate it: Shoreline fine dining and a farmhouse spa
Address: Château Richeux, Le Buot, 35350 Saint-Méloir-des-Ondes, France
Price: From 230 EUR per night
The seaside home of chef Olivier Roellinger’s celebrated hospitality collection, Maisons de Bricourt comprises 12 rooms above acclaimed fine dining restaurant Le Coquillage. Freshly harvested produce from the kitchen garden and local catches inform Hugo Roellinger’s tasting menus, which pay tribute to the tidal landscape and its communities.
The property overlooks Mont-Saint-Michel Bay, with sea and parkland views all around. Swim in the open-air pool, then retreat to the sauna or hammam. Spa treatments focus on the feet, using reflexology practices.
Domaine de Locguénolé & Spa, Brittany
Why we rate it: A refined Breton escape between sea and forest
Address: Route de Port Louis, Le Hingair, 56700 Kervignac, France
Price: From 216 EUR per night
The first hotel in Brittany to join Relais & Châteaux, this stately restored château and manor estate unfolds across 62 acres of gardens and woodland, edged by the Blavet river. Interiors draw on Lorient’s maritime trade history, referencing the spices and textiles once brought back from India, China and Africa.
Goats, chicken and ducks roam the manicured grounds, while fallen apples are pressed into cider. The Michelin-starred L’Inattendu sits beneath a glass roof, led by chef Yann Maget. A spa occupies the former stables, with an indoor heated pool and treatment rooms, while tennis courts and an outdoor pool complete the offering.
Manoir de Lan-Kerellec, Brittany
Why we rate it: A manor stay overlooking the Pink Granite Coast
Address: Allée centrale de Lan Kerellec, 22560 Trébeurden, France
Price: From 194 EUR per night
This coastal hotel occupies a historic manor house, conceived by painter Pierre Gervais in the early 20th century. There are 18 rooms with old-school Breton touches, looking out to the sea and the reefs of the Pink Granite Coast. The dining room ceiling is designed to echo a boat-hull structure, while a small ship hangs from the ceiling, reinforcing the house’s maritime character. Chef Anthony Avoine’s menu spotlights local catches and regional flavours in a five-course tasting menu.
Guests can also book one of four outdoor clay courts directly opposite the manor.
Brindos, Lac & Château, Basque Country
Why we rate it: A lakeside retreat with theatrical touches
Address: 1 Allée du Château, 64600 Anglet, France
Price: From 250 EUR per night
This majestic hotel resides next to one of France’s largest privately owned lakes, surrounded by lush woodland. Sleep in the whitewashed mansion, built in the early 1930s, or one of ten floating lodges accessed by electric motorboat. Interiors are classic with occasional bursts of theatre, such as the striped bed canopies or the cascading chandeliers above the bar, inspired by the transparency and movement of the lake.
Enjoy sunset drinks on the pontoon, followed by a waterfront dinner, where creative dishes balance French technique with Basque tradition. Explore local trails and unwind in the large spa, with lakeside treatment rooms and an outdoor pool.
The hotel is less than a ten-minute drive from both Biarritz airport and train station.
Le Suquet by Sébastien Bras, Laguiole
Why we rate it: An architectural setting for unique Aubrac cooking
Address: Route de l’Aubrac, 12210 Laguiole, France
Price: From 405 EUR per night
Sébastien Bras’s landmark restaurant emerges from a hillside above Laguiole, overlooking the open Aubrac plateau. Built from granite and slate, its long sculptural form is designed to echo the region’s traditional burons – stone huts historically used by shepherds and cheesemakers.
Inside, interiors unfold in wood, stone and glass. Everything, from the custom tableware to the staff uniforms, was created to complement the surrounding landscape. Sébastien Bras’s menu offers a unique interpretation of Aubrac cooking, with ingredients grown in his neighbouring vegetable garden. Michel Roux once said it was where he ate the best meal of his life. There are 13 rooms and suites, all with views across the plateau.
The secluded hotel-restaurant is an hour’s drive from Rodez-Marcillac Airport.
La Grenouillère, Pas-de-Calais
Why we rate it: Double-starred restaurant with countryside cabin rooms
Address: 19 Rue de la Grenouillère, 62170 La Madelaine-sous-Montreuil, France
Price: From 350 EUR per night
This two-Michelin-starred restaurant and hotel from Alexandre Gauthier combines exquisite food with architectural prowess. Guests sleep in modernist cabins, etched into the reeds of the Canche River, while additional rooms in the main house offer a more traditional retreat, complete with roll-top baths.
The dining room sits beneath a steel and glass pagoda, with floor-to-ceiling views of the tree-lined gardens, where ingredients are also grown. Explore the surrounding countryside, including nearby Montreuil-sur-Mer, where Victor Hugo wrote and set part of Les Misérables.
Le Saint-Delis, Normandy
Why we rate it: An intimate stay in an artist’s former home
Address: 43 Rue du Puits, 14600 Honfleur, France
Price: From 350 EUR per night
This boutique hotel occupies the former 17th-century home of painter Henri de Saint-Delis. Reproduction prints of his works hang throughout the nine rooms, while the interiors evoke the artist’s world through soft colours, antique furnishings and references to his life in Honfleur.
The gardens and orchards that inspired his still-life paintings are preserved, now with an added outdoor hot tub. There is no hotel restaurant, but the harbour of Honfleur is a short walk away, dotted with places to eat and drink.
Château de Mercuès, Mercuès
Why we rate it: A clifftop château among rolling vineyards
Address: Route du Château, 46090 Mercuès, France
Price: From 289 EUR per night
This majestic 13th century castle, once the summer residence of the Count-Bishops of Cahors, is in the heart of Malbec country. Turrets now house guest rooms, each with its own individual character, while interiors balance stone walls, exposed beams and period features with soft textiles and contemporary art.
The gourmet restaurant is equally memorable, led by chef Clément Costes, whose menus celebrate the flavours of the Lot and Occitanie. Dishes are paired with bottles from the château’s near 100-acre vineyard, where winemakers talk guests through the process.
Take a dip in the garden swimming pool, framed by rolling countryside, before exploring the surrounding wine country.
Château de la Treyne, Lacave
Why we rate it: A fairytale setting for gastronomy and outdoor pursuits
Address: 46200 Lacave, France
Price: From 342 EUR per night
Château de la Treyne is steeped in medieval history, its turreted silhouette rising high above the Dordogne River. Wood-panelled salons preserve period features, balancing comfort and grandeur, while dinner is served in the theatrical Louis XIII dining room or on the waterside terrace. The Michelin-starred restaurant is led by chef Stéphane Andrieux, whose menus celebrate the flavours of Périgord and Quercy.
Ancient trees line the blissful garden, complete with heated infinity pool and tennis court, while paths lead to the estate’s private forest. Take to the Dordogne by canoe or kayak, with trips arranged from the nearby river base.
Fleur de Loire, Loire Valley
Why we rate it: Haute cuisine in a grand riverbank hotel
Address: 26 Quai Villebois-Mareuil, 41000 Blois, France
Price: 246 EUR per night
Chef Christophe Hay transformed this 17th-century former hospice into a five-star retreat on the bank of the Loire. Elegant interiors draw on the region’s landscape: sinuous velvet furnishings and natural materials evoke the ebb and flow of the river, while enchanting wallpapers feature dragonflies, botanical forms and the Milky Way.
Mindful, hyper-local sourcing is central to Hay’s cooking. Ingredients are grown in the vast permaculture garden and greenhouse, fish is caught straight from the Loire and his Wagyu herd is raised at a nearby partner farm.
Alongside the formal dining room, there is a bakery, delicatessen and casual restaurant, Amour Blanc. In the spa you’ll find another local name, Sisley, with longstanding ties to Blois.
Château Louise de La Vallière, Loire Valley
Why we rate it: Theatrical splendour rich in royal history
Address: Château de La Vallière, 37380 Reugny, France
Price: From 760 EUR per night
The Loire Valley is studded with Renaissance chateaux, once the summer residences of France’s royal court. Among them is Château Louise de La Vallière, a 16th-century estate that underwent a top-to-toe restoration by French interior designer Jacques Garcia in 2022. The theatrical stay – named after the mistress of Louis XIV – draws on the region’s rich history, with 20 opulent rooms. Period artworks, sumptuous jewel-tone fabrics and ornate furniture abound, while expansive grounds boast ancient trees and ornamental gardens. At L’Amphitryon restaurant, named after the Molière comedy, candlelit dinners recreate the grandeur of the royal table. Ingredients are plucked from the château’s own potager, while honey comes from its hives.
