France’s finest 5-star hotels: our selection

Baumanière | Mythical address at Les Baux-de-Provence

Nestled at the foot of the charming village of Les Baux-de-Provence, the five-star Baumanière hotel is one of the oldest members of the Relais et Châteaux family, with an exceptional table. Since the 1950s, the Oustau de Baumanière, celebrated by gourmets the world over, has welcomed the crème de la crème: from Queen Elizabeth II and General De Gaulle to Picasso, the Aga Khan, Winston Churchill, Hugh Grant and Johny Depp... The origins of the restaurant lie in Raymond Thuilier's 1943 purchase of a dilapidated old mill, which he transformed into one of France's finest addresses. In 1954, the restaurant was awarded 3 Michelin stars.

His grandson Jean-André Charial took up the torch in the 1970s. For more than 30 years, he kept the famous three Michelin stars - a record - and lost them, only to regain them with Glenn Viel in 2020 - a rare feat! A second, simpler restaurant, the Cabro d'Or run by chef Michel Hulin, features refined Provencal cuisine. The hotel offers 54 rooms and suites in 5 buildings set in magnificent Provencal gardens: the Oustau, the historic building, the Guigou, the Manoir, an 18th-century bastide, the Mas Flora and the Mas Carita. 3 swimming pools, a 6-cabin spa featuring the Une Olive en Provence and Sisley brands, a sensory pool, hammam, sauna and fitness room complete this dreamy picture.

Baumanière
From€372 for a double room.
13520 Les Baux-de-Provence

Château de la Messardière | Saint-Tropez's legendary hotel

The setting? A member of the Airelles collection, Château de la Messardière overlooks the Gulf of Saint-Tropez and the sumptuous Bay of Pampelonne from its hilltop position. Set in a park extending over 12 hectares of pine forest, away from the crowds of the village, this ^19th-century manor house is undeniably one of the finest 5-star hotels in France and on the Côte d'Azur. Shaded by pine trees and with the Mediterranean in its sights, the Tropezian palace, renovated in 2021, highlights its architectural features: Carrara marble, colonnades, cupola and stone staircase..

What's the hotel like? In true Provencal style, this seigniorial residence of turrets and ochre stone houses 99 rooms and suites in 10 categories, all with views over the surrounding countryside. Just a 15-minute walk from its own private beach, Jardin Tropézina, the château boasts no fewer than 7 different restaurants, including Matsuhisa Saint-Tropez, serving Japanese cuisine with Peruvian influences, and Carrara, helmed by chef Marco Garfagnini, who creates a perfume of dolce vita by paying homage to his Tuscan origins. For an exceptional cocktail, head to Bar 1904, La Messardière's legendary bar.

What makes the difference? The hotel's wellness offer. The Valmont spa not only offers 1,000 m² of space and nine treatment rooms, as well as a hammam and a magnificent indoor pool, but also a traditional Japanese sauna called Iyashi Dôme, a seawater levitation bath and outdoor deyoga platforms. The hotel also features a swimming corridor nestled in the pine forest, a pool overlooking the Gulf of Saint-Tropez, two tennis courts and a fitness center.

Airelles Saint-Tropez, Château de la Messardière
99 keys, from €1,250 per night
2 Route de Tahiti, 83990 Saint-Tropez

Royal Champagne Hotel & Spa | The benchmark 5-star hotel in Champagne

The setting? A sumptuous 5-star hotel in the heart of the Champagne vineyards, belonging to the select club of the finest hotels in Champagne. Since its reopening in 2018 after a radical makeover, the Royal Champagne has established itself as the must-visit hotel for any getaway in the land of luxury bubbles.

The style? While the original building has been renovated, there is also a new, contemporary amphitheatre-like wing by Reims-based architect Giovanni Pace, whose building overlooks vineyards and the Marne valley. And that's just for starters: omnipresent light, fine materials, incredible bedding, large walk-in closets, cutting-edge technology and rooms with views (a minimum of 44m2 in size). A very high standard.

Where to find us? 25 minutes from the Reims TGV station and a few minutes by car from Épernay, the capital of Champagne, which can be reached in 1h20 from the Paris-Est train station. At the hotel, you can also rent electric bikes for a ride through the hillside vineyards without getting exhausted!

Gastronomy? The Royal, a Michelin star-rated gourmet restaurant, offers a six-step signature menu featuring exceptional products (langoustines, sweetbreads, etc.) and, of course, an absolutely exquisite Champagne pairing. Another option is to enjoy a breathtaking view of the vineyards at Le Bellevue bistro, boasting a spectacular terrace with panoramic views over the vineyards.

Wellness? On the wellness front, you'll find a spa of unparalleled dimensions, with no less than 1, 500m2 of space, a 25-meter indoor pool with panoramic views, two jacuzzis and nine cabins offering personalized treatments by Biologique Recherche or KOS Paris. Not to mention a second outdoor infinity pool that gives the impression of swimming in a sea of vines.

How many keys? 47 rooms and suites, all with terrace or balcony.

Who's it for? Champagne aficionados, of course, but also anyone dreaming of a romantic, luxurious getaway in one of the world's most prestigious vineyards.

What makes the difference? To appeal to an ultra-demanding VIP clientele, the hotel recently added a "helipad" allowing guests to arrive by air (just 45 minutes from Paris, departing from the heliport in the 15th arrondissement).

Royal Champagne Hotel & Spa
47 rooms and suites.
From €485 per night.
9 Rue de la République, 51160 Champillon.

Cap d'Antibes Beach Hotel

Between Port Gallice and Port Crouton, the Cap d'Antibes Beach Hotel, a 5-star Relais & Châteaux hotel, was inaugurated in 2008. Designed by Gérard Vollenweider and Sybille de Margerie, the hotel's interior design was resolutely avant-garde. Now owned by Nicolas Saltiel, the hotel, a member of the Chapitre 6 Hotels collection, was renovated in 2023 by Belgian architect Bernard Dubois. Dubois chose "a modernist architecture evocative of Mediterranean seaside houses and California".

Geometric lines, casson floors, plastered walls and lots of pink in a nod to the 60s: on the marble in the bathrooms, the cushions on the terraces and in the bedrooms, the deckchairs and parasols in the pool and on the beach. In the 35 spacious rooms and suites, wide bay windows offer lovely views over the gardens to the Mediterranean and the Lérins Islands. The dining experience is second to none, with the Michelin-starred Les Pêcheurs restaurant, an institution since the 1940s, where chef Nicolas Rondelli showcases Mediterranean produce. At BABA, on the beach, chef Assaf Granit treats guests to mezzés and grilled meats to share. Two massage cabins in the garden offer guests the opportunity to indulge in one of Holidaymie's signature treatments. Last but not least, with its private sandy beach, Cap d'Antibes is one of the few hotels on the Côte d'Azur that can boast "feet in the water".

Cap d'Antibes Beach Hotel
35 keys from €730
10 Boulevard Maréchal Juin, 06160 Cap d'Antibes

Villa La Coste | An arty, contemporary palace in Provence

An aesthete's rendezvous par excellence, tucked away between Aix-en-Provence and the Luberon Regional Nature Park, Villa La Coste, one of the few 5-star hotels in Provence to be officially designated a "Palace", is set on a 200-hectare organically farmed vineyard, combining the pleasures of the earth with those of the spirit, thanks to an art center designed by Tadao Ando, a giant spider sculpture by Louise Bourgeois, and a mobile by Calder. Perched on a hillside, the 28 suites and villas - including 10 with private swimming pools - are of the most sober design: light wood, marble, rough stone and wide-open views of the surrounding countryside. Not forgetting the unforgettable terrace with its panoramic view over the vineyards.

Good to know? A magnificent, immaculate spa in blond oak, natural stone and marble, created by Hong Kong designer André Fu.

Villa La Coste
28 suites and villas. From 700€ per night.
2750, route de La Cride 13610 Le Puy-Sainte-Réparade

Le Grand Contrôle | La vie de Château

One of France's most beautiful monuments, designed by Jules Hardouin-Mansart for the Sun King, is home to this hotel decorated with 5 stars as bright as the gold that adorns its building. In the Grand Contrôle, a wing of the Château de Versailles once occupied by the Minister of Finance of the Kingdom of France, Airelles offers visitors the chance to spend a night in one of the 13 luxurious rooms and suites, with their gilded lines, sumptuous four-poster beds and gold and crystal chandeliers. The walls are decorated with floral tapestries by Pierre Frey, and their delicate colors reflect the princely spirit of the place.

After the royal breakfast, with its majestic view over the symmetrical garden carved to perfection, a stroll through the Trianon, then an invitation to the Salon d'Audience during the afternoon tea included in the reservation. Here you can sample the same gourmet pastries Queen Marie-Antoinette loved, this time by Alain Ducasse. At the end of the evening, after wandering through a depopulated Galerie des Glaces and visiting the quarters of Louis XVI and his wife (a private tour of the Château de Versailles and a private tour of the Grand or Petit Trianon are included with every reservation!), chef Ducasse returns to our palaces at his Michelin-starred table for Le Festin Royalduring a sumptuous dinner. The coquettish atmosphere plunges visitors into the past, and invites them to become, for the duration of their stay, a pampered guest of the Royal Court..

What makes the difference? The immersive atmosphere of a bygone era, private tours of Versailles with no-one present (with the option of an unusual selfie in the empty Hall of Mirrors), and the chance to round off the experience with a moment of relaxation at the Valmont Spa.

Airelles Château de Versailles, Le Grand Contrôle
13 keys, from €1,500 per night
12 Rue de de l'Indépendance Américaine, 78000 Versailles