Liked immensely by many readers ('good, quiet, exceptional value'; 'an excellent hotel in a very good location'), this converted town house is named after the 'great men' entombed in the Panthéon opposite.

Once the home of a 19th-century wine merchant, this vine-covered building is now a 'charming small hotel', says a visitor. 'The friendly staff were very helpful.'

“Still one of our favourites.” Set among vineyards near this old village, the Arnold family”s hotel (Logis de France) is typically Alsacien, with its yellow-painted half-timbered walls and flower-covered balconies.

'Small and personal, with attentive staff', this B&B hotel is in a quiet street in St-Germain-des-Prés: 'A lovely location, close to shops and the local market,' says a visitor.

In the village of Neuville-St-Amand in Picardy is Claude and Sébastien Meiresonne”s 1900s handsome white manor house (Logis de France), owned by their family since 1970 and set in three hectares of grounds.

A reader whose flight was cancelled due to a strike was consoled by the discovery of this small hotel in a quiet, narrow street in the old city.

For three generations, since 1968, the Troisgros family, pioneers of nouvelle cuisine, ran their famous restaurant opposite la gare of a provincial town, Roanne earning three Michelin stars.

In the Périgord Pourpre near Bergerac and Monbazillac, this 18th-century monastery has been converted into an elegant hotel.

Near the superb ruins of a Gothic abbey, in a lovely valley south-east of Coutances, this grey stone restaurant-with-rooms (Logis de France) is always admired: “Welcoming, efficient, very comfortable”; “Amazing value”.

In a shady garden on the edge of this Rhône valley town, this famous restaurant-with-rooms (Relais & Châteaux) was founded by Sophie Pic almost a century ago.

Built in 1526, this creeper-covered building was the home of the Earl of Montgomery, who accidentally killed the French king, Henry II, in a tournament.

Against a background of the craggy Dentelles de Montmirail, this old-fashioned hotel has a superb setting high in a wooded valley, near some of the best Côtes du Rhône vineyards.

Set in a farmhouse dating from 1789 in the ski resort of La Clusaz, Le Vieux Chalet is 'a very small but perfectly located and charmingly decorated hotel', according to recent visitors.

The island of Noirmoutier, north-west of La Rochelle, was a monastic settlement in the seventh century; now tourism is its main industry.

'A beautiful hotel,' one reader wrote. Built of local pink granite, this 19th-century Breton manor house (Relais & Châteaux) stands on a wooded headland on the edge of this popular resort.

“If wine touring takes you to Chablis, this should be your hotel of choice,” says a travel expert of chef/patronMichel Vignaud and his daughter Noemi”s converted almshouse (Logis de France) in this “adorable little town”.

“A splendid place, tasteful, comfortable, with exquisite food,” wrote regular correspondents about this famous Burgundian restaurant-with-rooms (Relais & Châteaux).

Owner/chef Olivier Roellinger and his wife, Jane, preside over their collection of maisons (Relais & Châteaux) in and around this picturesque fishing port renowned for its oysters.

Close to the Invalides and the Rodin museum with its fascinating garden, this former hôtel particulier changed hands in 2002.

Thierry Claudon's B&B hotel is fairly inexpensive despite its grand name, and is housed in an elegant old building in a quiet, pleasant street near Assemblée Nationale, Invalides and Musée Rodin.

Between woodlands and vineyards on a Burgundy hillside, this holiday hotel stands on a minor road, below an old Neolithic settlement.

A 17th-century Carthusian monastery is now this “serious hotel with a formal atmosphere” (Relais & Châteaux).

On the west bank of the Rhône, this historic little town above Avignon has a splendid charterhouse and other noble buildings, including this 14th-century priory, now a luxurious hotel (Relais & Châteaux).

In this famous medieval wine town, surrounded by vineyards, is this popular B&B hotel. “Staff were helpful, breakfast was good,” is one visitor comment.

At the entrance of this old walled town, this 'beautiful and special' hotel is run by François Roux with his wife, Daniele.

“Delightfully located”, outside Challes thermal station, is this superb 15th-century castle, renovated by the Trèves family owners.

'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.

Formerly the summer residence of the bishops of Tulle, this 11th-century château stands above the Dordogne, near Rocamadour: it has 'glorious views'.

Though not particularly attractive, apart from its splendid Gothic cathedral, Reims has some excellent restaurants and hotels, including this one, owned by the Lallement family