I love a chambres d’hotes – the French answer to a BnB gives you a chance to chat to the owners, get the inside track on what the best places to visit, best restaurants, and the history of an area. This made it a joy to put together my favourite 30 in France for The Times (read it here) However, there was a bit of a wait between the first draft and it being published, during which time some of my absolute favourites had changed, either they’d become hotels (in the case of Manoir de Surville) or are opening as a whole house and gite for 2019 (absolutely gutted to not be able to include Manoir de Moulin on this basis – see below), and a few others had to be left out purely for design and layout reasons. Anyway – here are the best of the rest! (and clues to finding your own favourites at the bottom)
Manoir du Moulin, Sainte-Hermine, Vendée
This peaceful manor house is the pride and joy of Canadians Warren Coulson and Shari Swan who have decorated their dream house with cosy sophistication. The five rooms offer enormous beds, en suite bathrooms and pretty décor, while parents will love the thoughtful touches that make travelling with children a little easier such as a microwave and fridge in the hallway, babysitting services and access to a kitchen. The generous breakfast, served on dainty crockery, is served in the conservatory and, outside in the idyllic garden, there are deckchairs among the weeping willows for afternoons reading in the shade, while the kids play on the swing, slide and trampoline.
Details: Contact them for rates (00 33 6 26 97 24 12 manoirdumoulin.com)
Chateau Ormes de Pez, the Médoc
Part of the Lynch-Bages estate, this exquisite guesthouse has been created with as much care as the estate’s luxury hotel. Set in an 18th-century manor house, its five spacious and pretty bedrooms are decorated in florals and botanical patterns and neutral tones and each offers beautiful views of the surrounding estate and vineyards. A delicious breakfast is served in the elegant dining room, while the swimming pool is open during the summer months. Set in the village of Saint-Estephe, it makes a perfect base for tasting the world-class wines.
Details: Doubles with breakfast cost from €149 (00 33 5 56 59 30 05, jmcazes.com/en/chateau-ormes-de-pez/guest-house)
Joie de Vivre, Haute-Alpes
This charming guesthouse cosied up against the Italian border in the undiscovered Clarée Valley in the Haute-Alpes makes a peaceful retreat for walkers. The chalet offers nine comfortable bedrooms in typical Alpine style (floors and walls in natural wood), each with a large double bed, ensuite and TV and WiFi. Its spectacular setting, along with the hearty breakfasts and evening meals, and the spa make it an excellent base for walkers, but the main attractions are the llamas which you can take on a hike, letting them bear the load of your picnic.
Details: Dinner, bed and breakfast (based on two sharing) from €98 per person (00 33 4 92 21 30 96, la-joie-de-vivre.fr).
Manoir de Surville, Eure
This impeccable guesthouse just south of Rouen is a favourite bolthole for Parisians looking for some serious R&R. The spa suite in the basement offers a small sauna and steam room alongside treatment rooms for body scrubs, facials and massages including an unusual ‘sound massage’ with Tibetan bowls. The guesthouse is set in two acres of a 16th-century estate and the spacious bedrooms are decorated in cool grey tones. The central living area is equally relaxing, with huge sofas, books and magazines to while away evenings by the fire. Gourmet evening meals are laid on at the weekends and every night during the summer.
Details: Doubles from €180 including breakfast, evening meals from €39 per person (00 33 2 32 50 99 89, manoirdesurville.com)
Manoir de Kerdelan, Brittany
The 15th-century Manoir de Kerdelan in central Brittany is set in two and a half acres of exquisite gardens, which include topiary hedges and parterres, a wild-flower meadow, a croquet lawn and a rose garden. There are four sumptuous bedrooms overlooking different parts of the property, while evening meals are cooked using produce from the kitchen garden and orchard. The Manoir makes a good base for exploring inland Brittany including the Nantes-Brest canal and the Huelgoat forest with its curious boulders.
Details: Doubles with breakfast from €95 (00 33 2 98 99 44 63, kerledan.com). Take the ferry to Roscoff or Saint Malo.
Mon Escale en Morbihan, near Vannes
For a friendly home-from-home, check into this bijou B&B run by the affable couple Regis and Catherine, who have three ensuite rooms with bright, modern décor. Breakfast around their table is a sociable affair, with homemade galettes, eggs laid by their own chickens and local apple juice. Extremely knowledgeable about the area, Regis and Catherine can tell you where to find hidden stone circles and the best local creperies.
Details B&B rooms from €80 (00 33 6 43 62 36 32, monescaleenmorbihan.fr). Ferry to Roscoff or Saint-Malo, or fly to Rennes.
Where else?
The article covers most corners of France, but obviously including only 30 limits the scope somewhat… however, when I don’t have a perfect recommendation up my sleeve I tend to recommend Sawday’s as it was really built on this wonderful kind of accommodation. There are a few other sites (especially French ones, such as Bienvenue au Bienvenue au Chateau ) but I’m yet to discover whether they are consistently as good as Sawdays, with which I’ve always had a good experience. Watch this space!