‘What a remarkable place,’ says a visitor to this designer hotel in the lively narrow streets of the trendy St-Jean quarter of Vieux Lyon.

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. 

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.

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

‘Not cheap, but the style, decor, service and fabulous location make it a winner’: this 17th-century mansion is within easy walking distance (via Pont Neuf) of the Louvre and Notre Dame.

‘Superbly restored’ by owners Jean-Yves and Christine Marivin, and with ‘furnishings tastefully selected to create an authentic contemporary ambience’, this stone-built manor house was found ‘delightful’ by regular Guide correspondents: ‘Our welcome could not have been warmer.’

In an area of the Perigord, rich in geese, plum trees and pigeonniers, this traditional chateau hotel stands in country surrounded by forest.

A “ravishing building”, a 17th-century château, with pepperpot tower, moat with swans, “hens and cockerels strutting in the grounds.