This 18th-century palace is where Marie-Antoinette stayed on her way to meet her husband-to-be, Louis XVI and is now a hotel, “in the best discreet French tradition”.

'An unexpected chunk of Mexico' in upper Provence, this B&B is filled with furniture and craftworks which globetrotting residents of this medieval town collected in the 19th century.

Named after the scrub-like bushes which cover Corsica and gave their name to the French Resistance, this “very well-run hotel” is a collection of buildings by the sea.

By the harbour entrance and near Boulogne”s “odd little beach”, the Lestienne family”s restaurant-with-rooms is in two converted 1930s houses.

'Lovely looking and efficiently run,' say visitors. At the château gates, this l8th century post house (Relais du Silence) has been owned by the Jeudi family since 1902.

Away from the crowded waterfront of this old fishing port near the Spanish border, this modestly priced B&B hotel, 'not luxurious, but good value', is up a steep side street.

On the banks of Le Loir (not La Loire, further south), is this small country restaurant-with-rooms (Logis de France).

On the shore of Lake Geneva, in a “delightful” medieval village, Jeannine and Jean-François Kung”s chalet-style restaurant-with-rooms, with its flowery facade, was thought “charming”, and “welcoming” by visitors.

In a park with century-old trees bordered by box tree walkways, this Renaissance château near Brantôme looks across a valley.

In a “delightful position” on the edge of a tiny, historical village in the valley of the Aspre near Salers in the Cantal, this simple auberge is efficiently run by its owners, Brigitte and Christophe Landau, say nominators.

In the rolling hills of the Lot, this 19th-century manor house, approached by a long and narrow country road, has been turned by Abel and Anna Congratel into a chambres d”hôtes.

This 17th-century demeure was turned into a hotel (now Logis de France) by the Mouty family in 1904. “In many ways it seems not to have changed since then,” writes the nominator.

“What a good stop-over,” say visitors. “Super dinner, comfy room, lovely village.” Owned since 1785 by the wine-producing Koehler family (“much in evidence”), this cheerful restaurant-with-rooms stands in a “pretty, peaceful” village, amid the orchards and vineyards of the Vosges foothills.

Between Orléans and Le Mans, outside a village 18 km north of Vendôme, is this handsome, ivy-covered 19th-century former hunting lodge of Duc de La Rochefoucauld, now owned by Maryse and Guy Redon.

Set in the centre of Val Thorn, in the Trois Vallées ski area, this family-run ski-in/ski-out hotel has garnered much praise for both the warm interiors – typically wood-panelled and cozy – and the impressive five course dinners served at night.

In a medieval village between Avignon and Nîmes, this group of ancient stone houses has been turned, 'with charm and imagination' into a luxurious hotel, now part of the small H8 Collection hotels group.

Michelin awards three stars to the brilliant cooking of the “warmly welcoming” owner/chef Gilles Goujon in the stylish restaurant-with-rooms which he runs with his wife, Marie-Christine.

In the “charming, quiet setting” of the tree-filled main square of this famous Burgundy wine village, this old hostelry is now part of COMO Hotels and Resorts.

'A terrific place,' said a recent visitor. Gloriously positioned on a peninsula in a fishing port on the north Brittany coast, this handsome white 1900s hotel is decorated in 'contemporary balnéaire' style: polished floorboards, grey and honey panelled walls, wooden furniture, original wicker chairs, and colourful modern fabrics: 'the apogee of casual chic'.

The curious name of this Minervois wine village, between Narbonne and Carcassonne, comes from a Gallo-Roman villa called Ulmos (elms).

Below Mont Ventoux, in a tiny Provençal village perché, this smart hotel is much liked.

In the glorious Pays de la Loire in a great park, in Saumur, with its ancient houses and weekly market. this historic mansion is now an elegant luxury B&B hotel and spa.

'A lovely discovery', by a regular Guide correspondent. Just outside this medieval village perché north of Orange, above the Rhône, it is only a kilometre from the A7, 'but it could be a world away'.

Between Cannes and Grasse, on the edge of a village in mimosa country, this informal and 'convivial' holiday hotel, long popular with readers, is owned and run by Chantal Cattet and her son.

Ten minutes' walk from the busy old town and its beaches, this converted 1920s mas has something of the air of a private home: 'handsome, quiet and comfortable'.

The largest, and most easily accessible, of the three Îles d”Hyères, the island of Porquerolles (the name means “lavender port”) is a car-free national park, with wooded cliffs and sandy beaches.

'A lovely little hotel,' says a visitor to Frederic and Cécile Lespinasse-Jacquemin's quiet, friendly B&B in three buildings in the old town.

A hotel since 1799, this elegant 16th-century building has long been a favourite of Guide readers.

On the edge of a pine forest, near the southern tip of the Médoc peninsula, “Soulac is a proper little seaside town”, and l”Amélie is a “sort of suburb”.

Owned by Huw Awada (a former London hotelier) and his Irish wife Geraldine, this hotel is set in a handsome old stone building in a village perché (which has a 12th-century castle, fine views and llamas) located near Mont Ventoux.