Ecological & eco-responsible hotels: the editors’ favourite addresses

Château de l'Épinay | Hotel & spa in the Loire Valley

In the Loire Valley, 15 minutes from Angers, stands a manor house built between the 15th and 17th centuries, its facades adorned with gargoyles and lined with a splendid Virginia creeper. Surrounded by 23 hectares of parkland, where century-old trees stand side by side with avenues of roses, Château de l'Epinay has been converted into a 24-room hotel and spa. Inspired by the Romantic period of the late 18th century, this charming hotel is a quest for the exotic, featuring mahogany furniture, solid parquet flooring, crystal chandeliers, tufa fireplaces, spiral staircases and colorful tapestries.

But this place is more original than it seems. From the outset, the hotel has been committed to an ecological approach, from the garden to the table, via an ambitious waste reduction policy and... the swimming pool, which is entirely natural and gives the sensation of bathing in a mountain lake! The ode to nature continues in the garden. The permaculture vegetable garden serves as a source of supply - and inspiration - for Alexandre Daguet, head of the L'Orangerie restaurant. The menu features cuisine inspired by the chef's origins, which can be enjoyed on the terrace as soon as the first rays appear, with a magnificent view over the park.

Good to know? The château's former bakeries house a wellness area, offering treatments by Douces Angevines, a local certified organic brand, as well as Ayurvedic treatments and introductory workshops in permaculture, essential oils, medicinal plants and zero waste. NB: In 2023, the restaurant expanded to include a second room for seminars.

We particularly like?

• The vision of sustainable, human luxury, in tune with the times
• The beautiful grounds: from the French garden to the lavender field, including a rose garden and a large organic vegetable garden with beehives and henhouse
• The myriad activities on offer: canoeing on the estate's private pond, tennis, hiking and biking, pétanque, yoga classes on the grass, as well as billiards and a cinema room
• Excellent value for money: 4-star hotel rates for 5-star services
• Our location in the Loire Valley, ideal for wine tourism and discovering the world-renowned wines of nearby Savennières (Louis XIV's favorite vineyard), Coteaux-du-Layon and Quarts de Chaume (less than 15 km away).

Château de l'Épinay
From 160€ per night.
Lieu-dit L'Épinay, 49170 Saint-Georges-sur-Loire

Domaine Riberach | Ecolodge in a wine storehouse

The Domaine Riberach, a former cooperative restored to a sleek industrial design, is located in one of the most beautiful vineyards in Occitanie, on the outskirts of Perpignan. Its 3-hectare estate, with 10 to 12 hectares of vines, includes a top-of-the-range ecolodge, an evolving cuisine that supports locavorism, and a spa divided into 5 wellness areas. The hotel's 18 rooms and suites offer the unique experience of sleeping in vats dating back to the beginning of the last century. To sample the local wine production, head to the lounge terrace or the cellar counter.

What makes it different? Its unique concept of spending a night in former wine vats, and its natural swimming pool filtered by plants.

Domaine Riberach
From €191 per night.
2 route de Caladroy, 66720 Belesta

Maisons du Monde Hotels & Suites | La Rochelle, Nantes & Marseille

The Vicartem group owns several hotels in France, in Nantes, La Rochelle and Marseille. We come here to sleep, have a drink and enjoy the local hustle and bustle, discover chic and warm design interiors, but also to participate in more responsible and environmentally-friendly tourism.

The 3 Maisons du Monde hotels have been screened by the Betterfly Tourism organization and awarded a B rating on a scale descending to E for their environmental impact. For example, a night at the Nantes hotel emits just 6.8 kg of CO2 per person, including breakfast. The key? Concrete day-to-day actions to move towards more sustainable tourism, such as the choice made by the Nantes address to use 40% organic or eco-labelled products, or to establish partnerships with Compost In Situ for biowaste collection by bicycle or with TooGoodToGo to combat food waste.

Choosing Maisons du Monde hotels also means choosing to eat locally, from breakfast to dinner. In La Rochelle, the address on the Old Harbour, which offers designer rooms in 5 styles (Florence, Madras, Vienna, Memphis, Saint-Martin), gives pride of place to local partners: bistronomic jars from "Potes & Boc", local beer from La Beun'aise, dairy products from La Vache Charentaise, oysters from Nono or ice cream from Ernest le glacier, the whole economy of La Rochelle benefits from virtuous tourism.

The Marseille hotel is not to be outdone. Nestled on the Old Port, it transports us into the charm of the hinterland with its 62 keys to Saint-Rémy, Lourmarin, Aubagne, Cassis or Gordes. From the quayside terrace where you can enjoy a drink, to the hotel lounges where you can telecommute in an atmosphere of tassel chandeliers, cane armchairs and ethnic-style objects, this eco-friendly hotel also takes a stand for its neighborhood. The locavore breakfast is a real treat: ultra-fresh viennoiseries from the local bakery, artisan coffee roasted in Marseille, jams from Provence and local fruit juices, mornings on the Vieux-Port always get off to a great start!

Maisons du Monde Hotels & Suites
3 addresses in Nantes, La Rochelle and Marseille

Coucoo Cabanes des Grands Cépages | Eco-domain in Vaucluse

Behind this strange name lies a concept launched by two nature enthusiasts, Gaspard de Moustier and Emmanuel de la Bedoyère. The idea is to create minimalist places in the middle of a wild environment, supplied exclusively by local producers. After a first set of tree houses inaugurated in Franche-Comté, Coucoo is now at the helm of 5 eco-domains with luxurious floating huts, on the water or in the air: Grands Lacs in Franche-Comté, Grands Chênes in Picardie, Grand Reflets near Belfort, Grands Cépages in Vaucluse and La Réserve, opening in April 2021 in Oise near the forest of Compiègne.

Located around 20 minutes from the center of Avignon, and not far from Châteauneuf-du-Pape, the complex comprises some twenty cabins in which to take refuge. On stilts or floating on Lac de la Lionne, each of these wooden nests resembles a work of land art. The minimalist decor has Scandinavian accents: floor-to-ceiling panelling, light wood furniture, omnipresent light... The ideal spot to cut yourself off from the world for a romantic weekend.

What makes the difference? Far from being just a marketing ploy, the ecological approach nests in every detail, from renewable energies to short circuits, to architecture that blends into the landscape without ever distorting it.

Coucoo Cabanes des Grands Cépages
From €185 per night, breakfast included.
2061 Chemin des Pompes, 84700 Sorgues

MOB Hotel Paris Les Puces | Urban refuge in Saint-Ouen

While Saint-Ouen is currently undergoing a major metamorphosis, the idea of finding a hotel there that is entirely focused on an eco-responsible approach, but also cool and relaxed, is not necessarily self-evident. And yet it is! In this imposing red-brick building a stone's throw from the Paris Flea Market, the MOB Hotel Paris, conceived as a " concrete utopia ", aims to be"ecological and convivial", in the words of Cyril Aouizerate, quoted by Le Monde in 2018. This former philosophy professor helped define the concept of the Mama Shelter hotels before leaving the adventure - when Accor acquired a stake in the young hotel group - and finally initiating the " MOB movement" alongside Philippe Starck.

Conceived as a kind of joyful urban kolkhoz, the MOB Hotel Paris is a meeting place for artists, entrepreneurs and other travelers, all in a most inspiring setting: a huge central garden, vegetable gardens managed with the locals or a meditation hut. In the rooms, the focus is on the essentials, with design blending comfort and minimalism. In the restaurant, only products from agricultural cooperatives are used, with the menu changing according to what's available - and always in season. All at very affordable prices.

What makes the difference? The surface area, which almost evokes a village atmosphere, with its grocery store, bookshop and open-air cinema..

Good to know? A hundred metres from the hotel, Le Mob House opened its doors in January 2022. Its DNA? A block of living space in the heart of the famous Saint-Ouen flea market, designed by starchitect Philippe Starck. The hotel houses 100 3-in-1 rooms designed from natural materials (terracotta, wood, clay) where it's possible to sleep, work and hold meetings. This beautiful living space features an organic brasserie called Feuille de chou, a 2,000 m2 garden, a heated outdoor swimming pool, a gym and a "conversation" room.

MOB Hotel Paris les Puces
From €136 per night.
6 Rue Gambetta, 93400 Saint-Ouen