Best Luxury Hotels in France

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.

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.

Overlooking Beaune’s ramparts, this 40-bedroom hotel places an emphasis on well-being and good food. Its refined Michelin-starred restaurant, Clos du Cèdre, is housed in the adjacent 19th-century wine grower’s mansion with original decor and an outdoor terrace. There’s a lounge bar with an imposing fireplace, games, a piano and library, as well as a cigar cellar beneath ground. And there’s the Nuxe Spa, located in a stunning vaulted stone cellar with a jacuzzi, hammam and chic treatment cabins. Bedrooms are colourful yet serene, with reverse cycle air conditioning and Nuxe bath products.

Book one of 47 suites at this sleek former coaching inn that’s pet and family-friendly. Here you can swim in an infinity pool overlooking vineyards during the warmer summer months and a 25-metre heated indoor pool with floor-to-ceiling windows year-round. Treatments at the spa incorporate the region’s signature tipple, with rooms for couples’ therapies. Its restaurant, Le Royal, is renowned with bookings required far in advance. Under the leadership of chef Jean-Denis Rieubland it achieved a Michelin star and uses produce from the property’s own garden. There’s also a brasserie, Le Bellevue, and the Abysse bar for bubbles.

Although part of the MGallery group, Hôtel De La Cité is independently owned, housed in a building that’s more than a century old. Guests staying in one of the 59 rooms benefit from perks such as Nespresso machines, free city tours, valet parking and an airport shuttle. Many visit for a meal at La Barbacane, its Michelin-starred restaurant, where diners have the option to eat al fresco overlooking the fortified walls. The boutique hotel’s facilities also include a souvenir shop, a seasonal outdoor pool and a Cinq Mondes spa with a hammam and relaxation room.

Occupying the site of an ancient Carsac oppidum, this 19th-century townhouse is surrounded by three-century-old parkland — a calm and majestic setting to enjoy fine cuisine. And as this is a Relais and Chateaux property, you can be assured of the best food. There are two restaurants; Le restaurant Bernard Rigaudis and Le Bistrot d’Auriac, with the option of dining beside the outdoor pool on a pretty terrace. The hotel kitchen also offers epicurean workshops dedicated to women with breast cancer, utilising the freshest local produce and celebrating the expression of the terroir. Guests can play golf and tennis onsite at the 21-bedroom hotel.