France is often found near or at the top of lists ranking Europe’s most popular countries for travelers. With its incredible cuisine, fine wine, heritage sites, charming villages, magnificent castles, impressive works of art, glorious beaches and even breathtaking mountains, what’s not to love? Combined with a stay at a luxurious resort, you’re sure to be in for a vacation of a lifetime – and, these top choices offer the chance to spend the night at some of the best of the best.
Chateau De La Chevre D’or, Eze Village
One of the best resorts in the South of France, this stunning chateau is set in a medieval village atop a cliff overlooking the Mediterranean. Once an artists’ retreat, today the resort is divided among a stone castle and buildings within the cliffside village. A stroll on cobblestone paths will lead you to your individually decorated room, with most offering lovely sea views. The Presidential Suite features a sundeck with a heated infinity pool and whirlpool, along with amazing Mediterranean vistas. Guests also have plenty of activities to choose from, including swimming in a lavish pool, relaxing among the fragrant gardens, indulging in an Indian massage or playing a game of tennis. Once you’ve worked up an appetite you’ll especially appreciate the great classics of French fare as well as Mediterranean dishes at one of the multiple on-site restaurants, all enhanced with more spectacular views.
Hotel du Cap Eden-Roc, Antibes
Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc is nestled between Nice and Cannes at the southern tip of Cap d’Antibes. The moment you step foot onto the property of this legendary resort, you’ll feel as if this truly must be heaven. The elegant Napoleon III style building overlooks the Mediterranean providing panoramic views of the sea and the Lerins Islands. Opened over 125 years ago, it’s been welcoming the celebrities from across the globe ever since. The chic rooms and suites are all decorated in classical-style, though each one is different from the rest. Guests enjoy swimming in the saltwater pool dug into the rock and multiple restaurants, each offering incredible gastronomic delights paired with a stunning view of the Esterel coastline and the islands that lie beyond. It also features a spa with a fitness room and a Riva as well as two other boats available to guests.
Sofitel Biarritz Le Miramar Thalassa Sea & Spa, Biarritz
This five-star luxury resort on the Basque coast offers the ultimate tranquil, refined setting for an unforgettable stay by the sea. Soak in the sun on the expansive beach or spend the day relaxing at the full-service spa with its menu of rejuvenating treatments and therapies sure to melt your cares away. The property is a haven for well-being with its spa and seawater therapy center, as well as a relaxation lagoon, fitness room and beauty salon. Professional therapists are on hand to create special programs aimed at detox, slimming, fitness, harmony and more.
Le Grand Hotel des Thermes Marins de St-Malo, Saint Malo
This historic resort was built in the late 19th century in the style of the Belle Epoque to welcome the increasingly growing number of visitors to the beautiful beach of Saint-Malo. It offers an ideal base for exploring this picturesque, walled port city in northwestern France, including its inviting beach and the Great Aquarium Saint-Malo. Its unique setting featuring stone combined with metal and the green tent of glassworks in cameo with honey tones of wood makes it an especially magnificent sight that is often called the crowning jewel of Brittany. This holiday retreat was once popular with the great dukes of Russia, and blends grand traditions with lavish accommodations to create an exceptionally memorable stay for all types of travelers today.
Hotel & Spa des Pecheurs, Bonifacio
This prestigious resort and spa was built in the stone found on the private island of Cavallo, upon which it sits, just off the southernmost top of Corsica, blending beautifully into the spectacular natural surroundings. As this is the only inhabited island in the archipelago, its exclusivity makes for an especially private, serene stay. This delightful hideaway is right at the water’s edge, with its own picture-perfect white sand beach providing a striking contrast to the turquoise sea. Guests enjoy dining at its renowned restaurant, accessing the exclusive spa as well as participating in activities like scuba diving, horseback riding, golf and tennis. The elegant suites and rooms are decorated in varying shades of blue, beige and white, reflecting the hues of the sea, sky and rocks.
Grand-Hotel du Cap-Ferrat, Saint-jean Cap-ferrat
Located on the glamorous Cote d’Azure between Nice and Monaco at the tip of Cap-Ferrat across a 17-acre park, the Grand Hotel du Cap-Ferrat is a designated Palace Hotel in the heart of a peaceful paradise. It offers the chance to stay in the elegant 1908 building, or in the new wing, the “Residence,” which opened in 2009 featuring modern rooms and exclusive suites with private swimming pools as well as sea views. This luxurious resort also boasts multiple restaurants and bars.
Les Sources des Caudalie, Martillac
This magnificent spa and four-star resort hotel near Bordeaux is in the heart of the Smith Haut Lafitte vineyards, surrounded by vines and trees. It offers a unique combination of spa treatments and wine in the world’s first Vinotherapie Spa, making use of a natural underground spring as well as vine and grape extracts. Guests can indulge in barrel baths, red wine baths, Merlot wraps, a Sauvignon massage or a crushed Cabernet scrub. Its two restaurants, La Grand’Vigne and La Table Du Lavoir, which offer delicious cuisine prepared by a skilled chef.
Le Mas Candille, Mougins
This luxury hotel in the south of France , located in Mougins on the Cote D’Azur, offers Michelin-starred dining, a spa and views over Grasse. Originally an olive farm with an 18th-century farmhouse, the property retains an intimacy and homey, welcoming atmosphere that makes it stand out from the many lavish hotels that surround it. Guests enjoy high-end suites and rooms along with multiple eateries, including local flavors highlighted at Le Bistrot Du Mas and an inviting bar and terrace. Spa Candille features zen-style gardens as well as ESPA signature treatments, aromatherapy and swimming pools.
Le Bristol Paris, Paris
Le Bristol is one of the leading luxury hotels in Paris, set in an idyllic location on the exquisite rue du Faubourg Saint-Honore, in the heart of the city’s arts and fashion district. This unique establishment that’s been welcoming guests for nearly a century, is known for its exemplary service and refinement, with rooms and suites decorated in 18th-century French-style. It’s also renowned as the place to be seen in Paris in the evening, featuring exceptional fare in its restaurant, Epicure, which overlooks gorgeous French gardens. The beautiful, airy spa is spread out over three floors and includes a Russian Banïya as well as a sublime rooftop pool with striking views of the city.
Terre Blanche Hotel Spa Golf Resort, Terre Blanche
This 741-hectare luxury resort on a private countryside estate in the south of France combines the charm and character of Provence with the chic of the Cote d’Azur. The fantastic setting provides stunning views of Provence, while its design and layout give it more of a village than resort feel, with the lavish suites and villas surrounding the hotel offering the utmost in peace, privacy and tranquility. Guests can also enjoy two championship golf courses that perfectly blend into the landscape, as well as an impressive spa with an indoor pool, fitness center and an array of treatments including aromatherapy, body wraps, massage, muscular relaxation and anti-aging treatments.
Hotel Royal Riviera, Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat
This five-star property is the only full-service resort in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat with its own private sandy beach. It features the La Table du Royal restaurant with a menu that includes French gastronomy and Mediterranean inspired dishes, as well as Jasmin Grill & Lounge overlooking the famous Baie des Fourmis in Beaulieu-sur-Mer. Or, guests can take the pleasant 15-minute stroll to the many restaurants of Cap Ferrat. The resort offers the intimacy of a private villa with the luxury and glamor of a palace as a former hotel residence for the British aristocracy. It’s been fully restored since its original construction in 1904, blending the historical ambiance of the past with modern amenities of an international luxury resort. In addition to the private beach, guests have access to a heated pool, sauna and hammam.
Chateau Saint-Martin & Spa, Vence
This refined resort occupies the site of an ancient Knights Templar fortress and is set among lush greenery overlooking the hinterland and the Mediterranean Sea. It features spacious suites and villas with magnificent views. The property is known for its hilltop domain as well as a noteworthy restaurant, ecological spa and luxurious accommodations accented with beautiful antiques. The especially spacious villas feel more like a large, detached house, stretching over two floors with high levels of lavish comforts including fabrics reminiscent of the Louis XV and XVI eras. Rooms have a marble bathroom and expansive, walk-in wardrobe. But it’s the Le Saint-Martin restaurant that draws many visitors, along with the summer L’Oliveraie restaurant sat in the shade of an ancient olive grove.
Château d’Artigny & Spa, Montbazon
Perfume millionaire Joseph Spoturno, also known as Francois Coty, devoted his entire fortune to build this stunning chateau modeled after a French farmhouse but on a much grander scale, surrounded by 61 acres of park atop a hill overlooking the River Indre in the heart of the Loire Valley. The palatial mansion sits across a 65-acre estate with beautifully manicured gardens and features a luxe spa as well as a pool with Jacuzzi, steam room, sauna and a variety of spa treatments. You’ll find elegance and grandeur throughout, with sweeping staircases, pillared bedrooms and massive windows with views of the River Indre, the gardens, park or the chateau. The inventive, regional cuisine at the on-site restaurant, which also has a bar located in the old book-lined library.
Club Med La Palmyre Atlantique, Allee du Grand Large
This all-inclusive resort near Royan on the Atlantic Coast is ideal for families, set in an area renowned for its beautiful sandy beaches and wonderful climate, warm, but not scorching hot during the summer months, unlike many Mediterranean destinations. It’s set along a picturesque stretch of golden sands, perfect for children, as well as providing convenient access to the promenade with its many shops and restaurants if you’d like to go beyond the eats available at the resort. The Atlantic Restaurant features indoor and outdoor seating in the shade of the terrace and an array of outstanding international cuisine. As an all-inclusive Club Med property, all dining, drinks, entertainment and most activities are included. Golfing on a nine-hole course, watersports (including equipment and lessons), fitness classes, tennis, basketball, volleyball and a spa are just some of the activity options.
Domaine Les Crayeres, Reims
This impeccable turn-of-the-20th-century chateau sits in the heart of the Champagne region and offers more than 300 labels of bubbly along with restaurant Le Parc’s haute cuisine, celebrated as a Mecca for lovers of gourmet fare. Les Crayeres was built in 1904 as a palace for Champagne royalty, set across 17 acres of landscaped gardens with rooms featuring canopy beds and private terraces. Each is unique and decorated in the finest furnishings and fabrics. The exceptional, attentive staff can arrange everything from tours of the nearby cathedral and Roman ruins to transportation.
