Best Luxury Hotels in France

The 20 rooms at the Hôtel Parc Victoria have been decorated uniquely and thoughtfully with an Art Deco leaning. The main building is Victorian era, with suites – some boasting verandas and private gardens – also located in the lush park of its grounds. There’s a games room and library, plus a large pool in an almost tropical setting. Chef Guillaume Applaincourt is at the helm in Les Lierres restaurant, showcasing ingredients indigenous to the region, like Val d’Aran caviar and Lalbenque truffles, with local lobster, langoustines and fish among the menu’s many highlights.

It’s just five minutes from the airport and the staff at Beaumanoir will send a chauffeur-driven Rolls Royce, escorting you to your suite in this neo-baroque mansion surrounded by lime trees. You’ll be tempted, almost immediately, to refresh your thirst post-journey at the boutique hotel’s Dom Pérignon bar. You can also order a bite to eat in the venue, whose menu features Basque Country favourites. The building is nearly a century and a half old, and housing just four bedrooms, two suites and two apartments, a stay here feels personal and intimate. Two outdoor seating areas and a pool with contemporary loungers provide ample opportunity to catch some rays.

Once an actual palace, this impressive residence facing onto Grande Plage, was erected on the orders of Napoleon III. It is every bit as palatial by nature as by name, with high ceilings, antique artworks, ornate detailing, chandeliers and regal furnishings. But floral prints, mod cons like blackout shutters and high-quality textiles ensure the 153 bedrooms also feel cosy. Amenities at this historic landmark residence include the Guerlain spa, indoor and outdoor pools, a playground, an outdoor eatery and the one Michelin-starred silver service restaurant Villa Eugénie (named after the wife for whom Napolean had this property built).

Swim in a saltwater pool overlooking the sea that’s heated 12 months of the year, when you stay at this Sofitel hotel. The spa has a second pool with an endless current, a solarium, sauna, jacuzzi and treatments using Organic Research and Thalassa sea and skin products. Bistronomy-style cuisine is served at Le Restaurant, including the Equilibre menu specialising in well-balanced dishes, as well as salt-free, gluten-free and children’s menus. Guests can also dine in a poolside eatery and drink in the bar. 126 bedrooms at Le Miramar have a calming ambience, decorated with botanical motifs.

On Biarritz’s headland, sandwiched between a golf course and the sea, sits Le Régina. Opened in 1907, the architecture has an early Art Deco leaning, with classic modern interiors. A glamorous riviera terrace has a seasonal, heated pool, loungers and a chic restaurant, serving fine French cuisine with plenty of Basque specialities. Inside there’s a spa with steam and treatment rooms, 65 bedrooms and a lobby bar – hosting frequent live music –  that’s just made for quaffing champagne. Valet parking and a shuttle to the aforementioned golf club (one of the nation’s oldest) are free and the MGallery property frequently features art exhibitions.

Built just a year behind the other two hotels on our list, this palatial seven-floor residence looks right onto the beach. At the rear, a sunny terrace has a kidney-shaped pool as a focal point, with plush loungers and parasols. 259 bedrooms – some with sea-facing iron balconies – including a suite named after the screen legend Liz Taylor. All of the interior spaces are lavishly decorated, with the prolific use of royal red, chandeliers and heavy drapes with tiebacks. There are two restaurants, the larger and grander Cote Royal and the cosier, more intimate l’Etriet. Those wishing to get active can hire bikes for free or play tennis, and those wishing to relax can make use of the spa.

This hotel opened in the same year as Hotel Barrière Le Normandy Deauville – its main restaurant is named 1912 to commemorate this history and holds a Michelin star. Housed in a long, three-storey neo-classical white building, it includes a thalassotherapy spa, specialising in forward-thinking treatments like cryotherapy, with a heated seawater pool. 103 bedrooms are decorated in neutral tones, some featuring century-old frescoes, with fluffy robes and Nespresso machines – book a duplex for a mezzanine bedroom and a downstairs living space with gorgeous views. Cures Marines’ bar is named after painter Eugène Boudin and there’s an excellent bistro.

Fully renovated in 2016, but originating from 1912, this Barrière group property sits close to the beach, tennis courts and a horse training track, with many rooms affording views of these attractions. A grand dame of Deauville, its picture-postcard exterior has ensured its place as a local landmark. The piano bar is a convivial spot for a cocktail and there’s a glass-roofed pool, a kids’ club, a brasserie, 271 bedrooms and a direct passage linking the casino. Hotel Barrière Le Normandy Deauville’s decor has Anglo-Norman and Belle-Epoque influences, with antique pieces, chandeliers and bucolic wallpapers.

Now a five-star ultra-boutique hotel, this was once the home of painter Henri de Saint-Delis, and dates back to the 17th century. It houses just nine very special rooms, which, despite the building’s heritage, boast a sleek contemporary style. Each comes with a steam shower, some have balneotherapy bathtubs. Gourmet breakfasts can be taken in your room, on the patio, with meals served in the dining room and picnics available on request – the culinary emphasis is on homemade and organic dishes at Hôtel Saint-Delis. The attentive staff will be happy to arrange treatments from a French massage champion, horse and carriage rides, kite-surfing and painting lessons.

Nestled on a wooded hillside, this 18th-century Norman manor house overlooks the Seine estuary. Lush lawns with loungers and a pool lead down to the beach road. Drinks can be taken here, out on the terrace with water views, or inside by a roaring fire. Dinner is taken in a beamed, Michelin-recommended restaurant. There’s a spa, and 12 bedrooms have rustic-chic decor with panelled walls or patterned wallpaper depicting French country scenes, Persian-style rugs, elegant antique furnishings and sleek stone bathrooms. The manor was named after the impressionists who had a penchant for painting on this hill.

A short walk from the beach and town, this peaceful 17th-century inn and apple farm is now a five-star hotel, incorporating the original farmhouse, a pavilion, a tower and a thatched cottage (the latter was painted by Monet and serves as the main restaurant). La Ferme Saint Siméon was once a favourite of impressionist painters who adored the sweeping Seine views; a heritage that is maintained by an artist in residence. Many of the original features remain too, with beamed ceilings, wood-panelled walls, oil paintings and large open fires. The hotel provides watercolour classes, horse-drawn carriage rides and boat trips and has an in-house spa.

A charming riverside hideaway, Hostellerie De Levernois is a rustic white mansion, surrounded by six hectares of parkland and century-old trees. Ingredients from its vegetable garden are used in the creation of Bistrot du Bord de l’Eau’s dishes, all of which are cooked in the original 18th-century kitchen. Choose wine from a selection of around 1000 bottles, kept in the property’s cellar. Rooms boast period features such as wooden beams and exposed stone walls, complemented by upmarket French country chic decor. The Relais & Château property is just three miles from the station and minutes from the highway, yet feels wonderfully secluded.