‘Full of character, delightfully decorated and a haven of peace’: this 18th-century mansion is in a side street off Boulevard St-Germain. 

By the rocky shore, the Delion family”s pink, Florentine-style villa was a favourite of prewar Riviera society: Garbo and Scott Fitzgerald were among its habitués. 

“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.

Owned since 1903 by the Carrier family, this luxury hotel (Relais & Châteaux) is named after the Belgian king who loved this ski resort.

Michelin awards a star to owner/chef Alain Gardillou, admiring also the ‘magic’ setting of his 17th-century oil mill on the Dronne: Guide readers, too, call it a ‘wonderful, bucolic spot’.

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”.

Built as a fortress in about 1150, the town of Marçay was originally inside the walls of this splendid château, now a smart hotel. 

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

In the Cher valley, near Chenonceaux and Blois, this ‘idyllic’ medieval château stands on a hillside. Owned by Philippe Savry, and part of the small Savray group, it is ‘a perfect example of traditional local architecture’, according to its nominators.

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.

“Delightful, “peaceful and idyllic”, say visitors to this long-time Guide favourite. 

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

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.

In a beautiful setting on the Sélune (one of the last salmon rivers in France), where the N176 crosses an old bridge, this unsophisticated Logis de France is run by Patrice and Sandra Girres; Patrice is the son of the previous owners, Jean-Pierre and Josette Girres, and is the third generation to run the hotel.

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

‘A lovely hotel in a beautiful setting’; ‘calm and quiet’. It is one of the Guide’s best-loved hotels, owned by the Marignane brothers: Christophe and Vincent manage; Philippe is the ‘accomplished chef’.

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”.

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.

‘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. 

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

On a rocky spur of the south Brittany coast, this luxurious hotel (Relais & Châteaux) is owned by Bertrand Jaquet. 

In a remote spot above the Aveyron gorges, this well-preserved bastide village (population 250) was founded in the 13th century below a hilltop fortress, now a ruin. 

‘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.

Returning to Pierre and Gisèle Lafortune’s hotel, a former 17th-century convent near St-Sulpice, a visitor wrote: ‘Expensive, but worth every euro. The people are charming.’