'Magical.' 'Delightful.' This former 10th-century fortress, near the awesome Gorges du Verdon, is owned by the family of Guillaume Thomas.

Owned by Mme Descaillot and Mme Etievant, this 17th-century post house has been nicely converted into a B&B, and has recently been renovated.

'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').

'One of the nicest hotels we've stayed in,' say visitors. 'Staff were particularly helpful. Food was excellent.'

This traditional country inn (Logis de France) is set on a rocky outcrop in a beautiful part of the Jura. It's run by Nelly Euvrard-Geissler, who is also the chef.

'Bang in the middle of decent-sized, pleasant town', behind the Hôtel de Ville, is this converted 17th century Ursuline convent, now a B&B hotel.

In a 'delightful' small wine-growing town between the rivers Garonne and Dordogne, the Blanchet family's restaurant-with-rooms has a terrace facing Duras's 14th-century fortress which looks across a vast plain.

“Seven days of great comfort in a superb location” were enjoyed at the Cesne family”s holiday hotel in a pieds dans l”eau position on the Cotentin peninsula, south of Cherbourg.

“Worth going to France for,” was one comment on Georges Blanc”s distinguished hotel/restaurant (Relais & Chateaux) is in a village near Mâcon.

In the Périgord Noir, this 'true gem' is run by its 'genial' Swiss owners, Heinz and Rita Johner.

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

Visitors returning to the Morin family's hilltop hotel found it 'delightful as ever'.

'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.

The lawns of this hotel (with loungers and plenty of space for sunbathing) run down to a private beach on the shore of Lake Annecy.

In a 'lovely, tranquil” setting, this stately, white-fronted 17th-century demeure (Relais & Chateaux) stands amid garden and parkland, between Reims and Soissons.

'Perfect location, perfect staff, perfect pool.' On a hill at the east end of the Promenade des Anglais, this popular hotel has stunning views over the Baie des Anges.

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'.

On a street near the old town and the seafront is this much-admired B&B in two belle époque houses.

'Wonderfully located' in the Marais, this inexpensive, newly renovated hotel overlooks the lively Place du Marché-Ste-Catherine.

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

'Outstanding value, nearly perfect in its class.' Ever popular, this quirky little hotel is off the beaten track, in an 'amazingly quiet' square near the Porte d'Orléans.

Found “very good value” by visitors, this 17th-century half-timbered former bailiff”s house of “old-world charm” (Logis de France) stands on a quiet street in a village near Chablis.

Owned by the Girardon family, this lovely 18th-century mansion, once the country home of the bishops of Lyon, is on the edge of a Rhône valley village.

Amid the “fabulous scenery” of the Pyrenean foothills, the Ferran family”s hotel is named after the seven watermills (molles = moulins) which once stood nearby.

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.

On a pilgrim route, this 'magical village', spectacularly situated on a wooded hillside above a gorge, is one of the most romantic in south-west France.

'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'.

“A delightful hotel in an exquisite building,” says a visitor. “With its thick, honey-coloured stone walls, it looks every inch a medieval manor house,” says our inspector.

This unusual hotel is a clever conversion of medieval houses on the side of a cliff, by the ramparts of this fashionable hill village, inland from Nice.

“The food is excellent,” say visitors. In a wine village in the Beaujolais, this restaurant-with-rooms (Logis de France) is run by Bertrand Alizer and his partner Kesaram Choudhary.