Well away from the tourist crowds which flock to this spectacular hilltop village is the Charial family's sophisticated modern hotel (Relais & Châteaux).

“You can tick all the “Good Hotel” boxes for this one,” say the nominators of this “beautiful house, away from traffic on the edge of a spectacular village”.

'For warmth of reception combined with lovely rooms, it cannot be beat,' writes a travel expert about Roberto and Nanda Polito's luxurious and stylish little hotel (Relais & Châteaux).

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.

Michelin finds Michel and Nelly Bougon's extended 17th-century farmhouse in the Périgord Nord near Sarlat, 'ravishing' and tells of its 'ambiance cosy'.

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

Between the Place des Vosges and the Place de la Bastille, a short walk from the Marais, stands this 'quirky' small hotel.

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.

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

In quiet street in the small village of Oucques is this small hotel/restaurant (Logis de France, Michelin Bib Gourmand) owned by chef M. Lanchais: 'He and his wife are warm and friendly. Our large second-floor room was huge, with good bathroom,' say nominators.

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

'Just as lovely as we remembered,' says a returning visitor to this converted 10th-century abbey, part of a castle in this lovely old fortified village, way south-west of Carcassonne.

In the glorious Pays de la Loire in a great park, in Saumur, with its ancient houses and weekly market. this historic mansion is now an elegant luxury B&B hotel and spa.

Run by the Marolleau family, this well-restored 18th-century building is in a narrow street, full of cheap restaurants, near St-Germain-des-Prés.

“A truly delightful place. The garden and park provide pleasure from every point,” says a visitor: in 1976, this 18th-century château, a historic monument in a large park near Bayeux, was turned into an elegant hotel (Relais & Châteaux); extensive renovations were completed in March 2016.

In an unexceptional southern suburb of Boulogne-sur-Mer, this smart and “hospitable” restaurant-with-rooms stands by the little River Liane.

A “delightful” small auberge, stylish, but not posh, created by the actress Leslie Caron from four 17th-century boat houses on the Yonne, and now owned by Jerome Fertal. “The Owl”s Nest” is in an attractive little town with honey-coloured stone buildings in northern Burgundy.

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.

“Pleasant, very convenient.” “A gem! Peaceful, comfortable, relaxing.” The reports on this B&B hotel in a quiet cul-de-sac in the old centre of this busy cit

“A wonderful antidote to faceless mid-Atlantic hotels”, this beautiful Renaissance château stands in its own lovely park on the eastern edge of Alençon.

The imaginatively detailed interior of this hotel sets it apart: the 18th century French chinoiserie style includes fabric toile du Jouy wallpaper, oriental carpets and custom-made furniture with Oriental marquetry.

Owned by Huw Awada (a former London hotelier) and his Irish wife Geraldine, this hotel is set in a handsome old stone building in a village perché (which has a 12th-century castle, fine views and llamas) located near Mont Ventoux.

M. and Mme Charrade's 'typical Parisian small hotel, narrow, on 6 floors', is located just off Boulevard St-Germain and a stroll away from Luxembourg Gardens and the Notre-Dame.

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

A long-time Guide favourite, the Chazal family's 'seriously good' small hotel/restaurant is on the main street of a pleasant market town in the Auvergne.

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

On the edge of a pine forest, near the southern tip of the Médoc peninsula, “Soulac is a proper little seaside town”, and l”Amélie is a “sort of suburb”.

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.

Run 'with panache' by its owners, Anne and Jean Milliau Le Coz, this upmarket beach hotel (Relais & Châteaux) is described by correspondents as 'delightful'.

Run by its owners, Brigitte and Jacques Maupin, this 17th-century château stands by the upper Saône, in a village outside Gray.