France

France is our spiritual home, where we first began seeking out special places back in the 90s. We’ve explored everywhere from Normandy to the Dordogne and the Loire valley, where one of our team has made her home. You’ll find blue-shuttered chateaux up and down the country, peaceful gîtes in the countryside of Brittany, chic townhouse hotels in Paris, and everything in between. Our inspectors have personally visited every single place to stay, looking for places that have a touch of magic and owners that give you a warm welcome, even it’s just a bottle of something left in your self-catering cottage.

Manoir de Ponsay
Chantonnay, Vendée
From €68 p/n

Bed & Breakfast

6 rooms for 2 - 4
Come here in the summer (it’s closed Nov-April except by arrangement) for candlelit dining, chintzy bedrooms, long views over the park...

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Château de la Garinie
Lugan, Aveyron
From €300 p/n

Self-catering

1 place for 10
A fortified castle in parkland, built mostly in the 1300s on the Montbazens plateau, near to the stunning Averyon gorges

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La Villa Médicis
St Denis sur Loire, Loir-et-Cher
From €72 p/n

Bed & Breakfast

4 rooms for 2 - 3
On the peaceful banks of the Loire near Blois, an elegant house with a hot spring in the garden and Muriel's flowers and fabrics within

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Le Presbytère de Sévigny
Sevigny-Waleppe, Ardennes
From €107 p/n

Bed & Breakfast

4 rooms for 2 - 3
Deliciously comfortable, hospitable, boutique B&B - in a secluded village within easy reach of Reims and the vineyards of Champagne

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Villa etcheBri
Anglet, Pyrénées-Atlantiques
From €150 p/n

Bed & Breakfast

4 rooms for 2 - 4
Take breakfast on the terrace, splash in the fabulous pool. A secluded, friendly, immaculate villa close to golf and surfing beaches

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La Saura
Lusigny-sur-Ouche, Côte-d’Or
From €135 p/n

Bed & Breakfast

6 rooms for 2 - 4
Gently undulating countryside surrounds you at this Burgundy B&B with fresh, modern bedrooms and delicious dinners prepared by the owner

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