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 this spa town north of Pau, Michel and Christine Guérard”s “exquisite, tiny village” stands in a park full of flowers and statues.

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

In a hamlet near Aire-sur-la-Lys, this graceful 19th-century mansion has been lovingly turned by its Belgian owner, Sir Francis Van der Elst, into a welcoming B&B with table d'hôte.

In open country south of Montélimar, this creeper-covered 14th-century bastide was once an overnight stop for pilgrims.

Martine de Carvalho, the new owner, is proud of the ambience familiale chaleureuse of her centrally placed, white-painted B&B hotel.

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.

'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.

Connected to the mainland at La Rochelle, by a three-kilometre toll bridge, the Île de Ré has sandy beaches, oyster beds and, out of season, “an air of tranquillity”.

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

Montpellier has some grandiose modern architecture but is full of historical interest too, and has a charming Vieille Ville, well restored.

This “most attractive building” is in a quiet residential area just outside Sarlat: “a peaceful and beautiful setting”. It is a part 13th-century hunting lodge, “truly romantic”.

Opposite the dramatic gorges of Pennafort, in wooded country near Draguignan, this former relais de poste is now a luxurious hotel/restaurant managed by chef Philippe Da Silva and his wife, Martine.

This Logis de France (also Relais du Silence) is a short walk from the famous tapestry (really an embroidery).

'Very smart' and 'beautifully situated' (on the Rhône, in a famous vineyard), the Humann-Donet family's hotel is 'still highly recommended.

'Excellently located', in the Marais, this 'very friendly' hotel has for three generations been owned and run by Didier Fossiez's family ('he and his wife, Pamela, are delightful').

Set in a 200-year-old building in the pedestrianized centre of Lille (a ten minute walk from the Gare de Europe), Hotel de la Paix is a “friendly, efficient no-frills” B&B hotel with an art nouveau vibe; despite its location it is quiet, with soundproofed rooms.

Near St-Germain-des-Prés, this small, luxurious B&B hotel is in a 16th-century building facing the well-known outdoor market (which some rooms overlook) of the narrow rue de Buci.

This old hostelry (Logis de France), in a ramparted medieval hamlet on a hilltop west of Dijon, is “a most attractive location; fine views over countryside”.

This “delightful” little hotel is in a valley just below this hilltop village amid the rolling forests of the North Vosges national park.

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

“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”.

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.

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.

The setting of M. and Mme Boyère's modern hotel is 'splendid', say visitors to the lovely Rhuys peninsula. Others wrote of 'a spacious feel, a friendly patron'.

Between Nice and Monte Carlo, this 'impeccable hotel', owned by Gérard Galbois, stands opposite the fishermen's chapel decorated by Cocteau.

Near the famous château of this well-known wine town on the Vienne, this B&B is a delightful place to stay.

“One of our best hotel experiences in years,” write visitors to this creeper-covered boutique hotel just south of this lovely medieval town.