The Maybourne Riviera

Overlooking the vineyards that flow across the hills of the Champagne, you’ll find the Royal Champagne Hotel & Spa. This award winning property is the epitome of style and luxury offering guests stunning rural views, fantastic food and wine, excellent service, unparalleled comfort and exciting activities. Although nestled in the charming French countryside and feeling like an oasis of calm and beauty, the Royal Champagne Hotel & Spa is surprisingly well connected. From Paris you can expect to reach the hotel in under two hours by car or take a convenient helicopter flight into the hotel’s own, exclusive helipad. Royal Champagne Hotel has 47 luxurious rooms over 6 room categories, all with beautiful vistas out over the rolling hills of Champagne. The rooms are designed and decorated using natural materials and neutral tones creating a sense of understated elegance and tranquility. As you would expect, dining at the hotel is a delicious experience with two gourmet restaurants, a bar and terrace (where tasty light meals are served). We recommend the intimate Chef’s table where just a handful of guests, within a small dining room situated in the heart of the stainless steel kitchens, get to try innovative, fresh dishes from Champagne. As the name suggests the spa here is a huge highlight and there are many options to explore if you’re looking to relax and retreat during your stay. Hand selected therapists are ready to pamper, replenish, indulge and restore within nine treatment cabins, two swimming pools (indoor and outdoor), steam room, sauna, Jacuzzis, yoga studio, fitness room, beauty bar. 

Housed in a 1928 Art Deco building in the Golden Triangle of Paris, this grand hotel boasts stunning views out over the city, and is filled with gorgeous 19th-century art and furniture. There are 244 luxurious guest rooms and suites to choose from, many of which have private terraces. Décor is elegant and suites spacious, with fresh flowers, carefully chosen artwork and bright Louis XVI styling. This is the first hotel in Europe to offer five Michelin stars across three restaurants. The menu at Le Cinq draws upon classic French culinary techniques using fresh regional ingredients. Savour light and modern Mediterranean-style dishes at Le George in Paris. An extension of the chic bar La Galerie, L’Orangerie serves contemporary French cuisine. On the fourth floor you’ll find the Pop Up Spa by Jeff Leatham which offers a variety of relaxation and beauty treatments. There are also private gym and yoga classes on offer.

Situated in Gargas in the Vaucluse, near Roussillon, atop a hill with superb views over the Luberon, Mont-Ventoux, and its own wine estate, La Coquillade is a charming hamlet resort that encapsulates the very best of Provence within its 100 acre bounds. 63 modern, airy rooms and suites are spread throughout the property in six residences, the oldest dating back to the 11th century. All have a private outdoor area, with some boasting their own Jacuzzi, heated outdoor pools or even a personal Hamman spa. There’s also an exquisite six-suited private villa located 10km (6 miles) away, ideal for families and groups of friends after total privacy, with a private chef and other services on request. Gastronomy is a primary focus here, with three delightful restaurants; La Gourmet, Le Bistrot et son Jardin, located in the vineyards, and Il Ristorante, at the poolside, serving Italian specialities. Pairing well with the cuisine, explore the Aureto vineyard and sample its full bodied vintages. Within the village, relax in and round one of the three large swimming pools or in the vast spa, play tennis or perhaps a game a pétanque. Discover the idyllic surrounding countryside on one of resort’s high quality Swiss BMC road or mountain bikes, or perhaps in a hired vintage sports car.

In the renowned vineyards of Château Smith Haut Lafitte, around 17km (11 miles) outside of Bordeaux, Les Sources de Caudalie is a rural retreat celebrating the best of this Southwest France’s cultural and culinary heritage. There are 40 rooms and 21 suites split amongst the sprawling property, with most in six buildings that, while looking thoroughly historic, were specially built using huge reclaimed beams from abandoned local properties. Most have a terrace or a balcony with a beautiful view on the Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte’s vineyards or over the lake. There is also the Village des Pêcheurs – or Fishermen’s village – with 12 suites on stilts around a small lake inspire by the oyster-farms of the Arcachon Bay. Additionally, there is the unique Ile aux Oiseaux suite, a wooden pavilion standing out over the water on stilts, adventurously redecorated by a different designer every 3 or 4 years. The spa here comes from the inventors of ‘vinotherapy’, with treatments combining the anti-ageing properties of polyphenols contained in grape-seeds and the spa’s own natural hot-water spring in the most tranquil of settings. The senses will continue to be treated at either of the two restaurants here, whether with fine seasonal French dining and fittingly fabulous wine list at the twice Michelin starred La Grand’Vigne, bistro-style food at Table de Lavoir, or at either of the two wine bars. Activities from Les Sources de Caudalie include wine tasting, wine tasting lessons and cooking classes. Excursions to explore the surrounding sites, such as boat trip into Bordeaux or to rustic Saint-Émilion, can also be arranged.