“Worth going to France for,” was one comment on Georges Blanc”s distinguished hotel/restaurant (Relais & Chateaux) is in a village near Mâcon. The half-timbered auberge, in a garden by the River Veyle, was opened by his family in 1872: it is now a sizeable building with annexes and shops. The restaurant (with beams, tapestried chairs) has had three Michelin stars since 1981. Gault Millau awards 18 points. M. Blanc, with sons, Frédéric and Alexandre, cooks in local Bresse style (eg, embrouillade de grenouilles aux épices; poulet aux gousses d”ail). He “is usually around, in ebullient form”. Mme Blanc”s welcome is “elegant”. “Our table faced the river lit by the slanting rays of the evening sun. Atmosphere of calm efficiency. Our young waitress was informative and amusing. The wine list is daunting, but the house wine was excellent and reasonably priced.” The breakfast buffet is “amazing”. Bedrooms and suites, many facing the river, are in the “winter garden” area: the lounge has a log fire in winter and becomes a riverside terrace in summer. “Standard of accommodation was high; the bathroom was neat and shiny.” Cheaper rooms, in La Résidence des Saules, are “spacious, yet cosy”; each has a terrace facing the market square. M. Blanc”s simpler eating place, L”Ancienne Auberge (Michelin Bib Gourmand), serves “food as it used to be in rural France”.