Despite France’s density of fairy-tale cities, international travelers have long relied on trips to the usual hotspots: Paris, Bordeaux and the Côte d’Azur.
These four areas are no secret; the French and some clever Brits have long understood their charms, but apart from that they’ve received little international attention and are mercifully uncrowded. With new five-star hotels and accessible train links, this may not be the case for much longer. Book now before your friends beat you to it.
Alternatives to the Cote d’Azur
Arcachon, an hour from Bordeaux, has been dubbed the Hamptons of France. It’s wealthy, fashionable and beachy. If that’s true, Cap Ferret It’s Montauk.
The most fashionable place to stay Hotel des Dunesis set to reopen in 2023. Owner Karine Tiffagne purchased the 1969 hotel next to Cap Ferret’s famous lighthouse and renovated it in the laid-back style of her favorite beach communities around the world (Montauk, Southern California, and Waimea Bay, Hawaii, of course), which Tiffagne describes as “not pretentious.”
“I remember an American guest coming in last year and excitedly commenting that it reminded them of the Surf Lodge Montauk 10 years ago, when it was quiet, cool, authentic and laid-back,” Tiffani says. That means the 11 rooms and two suites are decked out in bright yellow-and-white tile paneling, with breezy hammocks and paths leading to the beach just steps away.
An ideal base for exploring local beaches, Cap Ferret sits on a peninsula with a windy ocean side that’s perfect for kitesurfing, and a quiet lagoon side protected by sand dunes and forests that’s perfect for sailing. The hotel chef will prepare a picnic basket for you before you head to either beach, or you can hop on a flat-bottomed pinnace boat and travel to the local oyster village, where the captain will serve you clams and wine on board.
For breakfast, I skipped the luxurious menu at the hotel and Maison FrederianThe iconic bakery and pastry shop has also been recently renovated, but the fantastic waffles and canelés are the same as they’ve been serving since 1939.
The B-side of Provence
Some 135 miles from the purple lavender fields of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence lies a rose-hued landscape: the salt marshes, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Camargue, It is home to many pink flamingos and wild white horses.
Until now, it has been an easy day trip from nearby regions: Montpellier and Marseille are both an hour away, and Arles, home to the spectacular Luma Foundation, with its gleaming Frank Gehry-designed tower due to complete in 2021, is even closer. But this June, the region’s first luxury hotel opened. Les Bains Guardiansa sister hotel to the sexy five-star hotel Les Bains Pariscourtesy of owner and former film director Jean-Pierre Marois.
All 48 rooms are located in free-standing thatched cottages, traditionally known as ‘cottages’. Guardian Hutor Cowboy Cabin, equipped with antique furniture, thin mosquito nets and the same black-and-white checkered blankets used by the real-life Guardian for whom the hotel is named.
Horses play a big part in the program; there are 10 (tame) horses in the on-site stables. Guests can go horseback riding on the area’s secluded beaches or take a horse-drawn carriage ride around the tiny fishing village of Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer. Equine therapy classes are part of a comprehensive wellness program that also includes hammam, sauna, and whirlpool. (A more formal spa is opening next summer.) And in a nod to local fauna, the hotel’s ’70s-style pool overlooks a pond filled with flamingos.
To continue the animal theme, go see Camargue’s famous bullfights. There are no bullfighters and no bulls are killed; instead, it’s an agility contest, with men in white robes trying to grab ribbons or tassels from between the bull’s horns in front of hundreds, or even thousands, of spectators in the local amphitheatre.
Alpine Sleeper Hit
Vincent Gombault, co-owner of the Almae Collection, a small but luxurious hotel group, Saint Nicolas de VéroceIt’s a quiet village 40 minutes from Chamonix, nestled in the tranquil countryside of the Mont Blanc ski area, so it was the perfect location for the collection’s flagship hotel. Armand Setopened its first full year in 2022. The chalet retains plenty of historic charm, and the adjacent bakery has remained unchanged since 1952. Locals still flock here for their morning coffee, croissants, and blueberry tarts. But the 17 rooms now feature plush velvet chairs, high wood-beamed ceilings, and fine linens.
A chairlift is 5 minutes from the property, providing access to trails to the ski slopes of Megève and Chamonix. In summer, the same mountains are open for activities like cycling, paragliding and hiking. (Explore on foot and see some of the region’s Baroque churches; a bakery will welcome you with a picnic lunch.) When you return, soothe your weary feet in the spa’s indoor and outdoor pools. Open all year round.
Here, the eating is half the fun: at Le Bistro du Mont Joly, Alpine cheeses dominate the menu, burgers are topped with Reblochon, and fondue awaits at many of the tables on the terrace, while at La Table d’Arment, chef Fabien Laprée, formerly of Marseille’s Michelin-starred Saison and a finalist for the Meilleur Ouvrier de France award in 2018, serves up an eight-course tasting menu of Alpine lake trout and local produce.
Meanwhile, if you like fine dining, you’re just 90 minutes from Courchevel, where luxury brands like Aman, LVMH, and the Oetker Collection all have six-star resorts with equally ambitious restaurants. Bonus: thanks to overnight flights, you can now get to the region from Paris in style. Paris – Moutiers-Belmond train line It debuted in December.
Chateau Country
Imagine a lovely, perfect French village. Chocolat or beauty and the beastCastle and all. Dordogne In short, this area, 125 miles east of Bordeaux and 100 miles north of Toulouse, has flown under the radar, likely due to a lack of luxury accommodation for the general public.
With two fantastic new properties opening in 2022, the region is more attractive than ever. Bergerac-Derdogne-Périgord Airport is approximately 1 hour’s drive away. Domaine de RocheboisIt’s a luxurious 40-room chateau set on spectacular grounds with a nine-hole golf course, extensive manicured gardens, a brewery and a spa run by a Parisian beauty line. NyxIn the nearby medieval town of Sarlat-le-Canéda Le Petit Manoir, A new inn, part of Alain Ducasse’s 15th-century mansion Territory The group’s hotel has just nine rooms and suites, all lavishly decorated in brocade and thick carpets, and a stunning courtyard with a pool, but it’s odd that, given Ducasse’s involvement, it doesn’t have a restaurant where you can have dinner.
This is a great opportunity to explore the neighbouring villages, many of which also boast historic architecture and quaint castles, with some stately destinations boasting imposing castles dating back to the 13th century. Castle of Castelnau and bloodâTeatro Jardin de Mirandes Located in Castelnau-la-Chapelle, the latter may surprise you: this is the former home of Josephine Baker, the iconic American-born entertainer immortalized in 1920s silent films and Parisian Art Nouveau posters that still hang in the château’s rooms.
