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'. In a village near Brantôme, it is 'a sophisticated place with a cosmopolitan clientele'. The mill machinery is still there, in the 'charming' sitting rooms. All bedrooms face the river (fringed by banana trees); they have antiques and fresh flowers. 'Our large ground-floor room had a four-poster bed, and a spa bath in its bathroom.' A 'lovely spacious suite' is up a spiral staircase. Gardillou's specialities include fois gras rôti en cocotte, salade truffée. 'Reception was courteous, the surroundings were calm and elegant, the cooking was refined.' Only criticism: 'The menus seldom change.' The list has 900 wines. On fine days, the 'excellent' breakfast is taken on a lawn by the water: a bridge leads to a swimming pool and tennis courts.