Our ideas for spa hotels with gourmet restaurants

1. Fleur de Loire, Blois

Set on the water's edge in Blois, Fleur de Loire is a great chef's dream come true. After conquering the most discerning palates at his Maison d'à Côté in Montlivault, Christophe Hay is now bringing the full measure of his talent to an ambitious and refined project: a 5-star hotel in the Loire, an exceptional Sisley spa, and above all a double Michelin-starred restaurant, also awarded a green star for its sustainable commitment.

This former XVIIᵉ century hospice, a Relais & Châteaux member and today a spa hotel with gourmet restaurant, offers 32 rooms and 12 suites, some of which open onto panoramic views of the river. The interior architecture, orchestrated by Caroline Tissier, plays subtly with shades of gray, duck blue and touches of pink velvet or brass, while visual references to the Loire are revealed in plant or aquatic motifs. At the heart of the project: the table. Gastronomic and committed cuisine by Christophe Hay. His eponymous gourmet restaurant immerses us in the Loire terroir, working with Loire fish (including the famous "Carpe à la Chambord, truffle, crayfish and Cheverny wine sauce"), vegetables from his permaculture vegetable garden, Wagyu beef from his own farm and even caviar made in Sologne, all fused into a tasty, environmentally-friendly score. For a more relaxed moment, the second table, Amour Blanc, offers classic French dishes, to be enjoyed with a bird's-eye view of downtown Blois in the background.

With towel rolled up, it's off to the Sisley Spa. Spread over 450 m², it offers five cabins, including one double, as well as a whirlpool bath, indoor swimming corridor, sauna, hammam, outdoor relaxation pool, herbal tea room and even a fitness room. The association with the Sisley brand, experts in phyto-cosmetology, gives the treatments a delicate, natural sensory impact.

Fleur de Loire Hotel - Restaurant Christophe Hay
44 keys, from €200
26 quai Villebois Mareuil, 41000 Blois

2. Le Couvent des Minimes, Hotel & Spa L'Occitane en Provence

This convent, built in 1613, has watched over the small village of Mane in the Forcalquier region for four centuries, and was transformed into a 5-star luxury hotel some fifteen years ago when it was bought by the L'Occitane group. Now a benchmark for both well-being and gastronomy, Le Couvent des Minimes, a L'Occitane Hotel & Spa completed its incredible resurrection last summer, after three years of renovation work that has sublimated its historic monastic heritage and graced it with a subtle contemporary imprint. The arrival in the chapel sets the tone, housing a spectacular lobby with 10-metre high ceilings and beautiful 17th-century stained glass windows. Refinement, comfort and service are the watchwords of this hotel-spa with gourmet restaurant, which is above all very welcoming and open to all, freeing itself from overly ostentatious codes that may repel certain sensibilities.

The family-run management team instills a warm, relaxed spirit that echoes the ambience of the 49 rooms and suites (including a duplex suite in the bell tower), the luminous cloister with its framework made by the Compagnons du devoir, home to the new L'Alambic bar and cosy spaces for reading, chatting and working. Disconnection and relaxation are cultivated in unison, from the fragrant terraced gardens overlooking lavender fields, to the new 25-metre swimming pool, to the new 2,500 m² spa, worthy flagship of L'Occitane, opening onto an immense, very convivial reception area with a wide corner reflecting the Provencal brand's extensive ranges. Indoor and outdoor pools, salt grotto, aquatic trail, hammam, saunas... the wet areas are impressive in this Luberon hotel-spa.

When it comes to rituals, personalization is the order of the day. The pleasures of the spa are matched by the pleasures of the table, or rather DES tables, with two Provence-flavored offerings led by Louis Gachet, a young MOF chef who graduated from La Chèvre d'Or (2 Michelin stars in Èze): sunny seasonal cuisine at Bistrot Pamparigouste and gourmet dishes at Le Feuillée, whose tree-lined terrace adds to the delight of tasting.

Le Couvent des Minimes, a L'Occitane Hotel & Spa in Provence
49 keys, Relais & Châteaux label hotel
Chemin des jeux de Maï, 04300 Mane

3. Château Hotel Grand Barrail

Built in 1902 in Saint-Emilion as a gift for the wife of its sponsor, Château Hotel Grand Barrail last year joined the collection of the CHG Participations group - owner of the Parisian hotels Lancaster and Le Burgundy - following a complete renovation by interior designer Jean-Philippe Nuel. Set in a park in the heart of the vineyards, it is now a hotel-spa with an elegant gourmet restaurant, in tune with the times, combining historical heritage with contemporary counterpoints. A 46-key address marked by a lifestyle imprint combining tastings and experiences in the heart of nature (picnics in the park, electric bike rides in the vineyards...) and for which chef Quentin Merlet - who has passed through Relais & Châteaux and Michelin-starred restaurants - wanted to offer seasonal bistronomic cuisine at lunch, gastronomic at dinner, with a slight predilection for vine shoot smoking.

Tasting in the Moorish room, a showcase designed by Cordelier, the château's original architect who had traveled extensively in North Africa, adds a sumptuous Oriental touch to the moment. This oriental inspiration is also found in the Spa Sothys - the embodiment of the art of premium French treatment - with its reinterpreted moucharabiehs and terracotta hues. Ideal for a spa and gastronomy weekend in France. The whirlpool bath, featuring a steel tub to give it a watery green hue, a subtle echo of the vineyards opposite, is the perfect prelude to the Signature Care developed especially for the location, combining grape-seed scrub and massage with Sothys Organics facial care (organic line).

Château Hotel Grand Barrail
46 keys, from €195
Route de Libourne, 33330 Saint-Emilion

4. Le Donjon - Domaine Saint Clair

This imposing Anglo-Norman building dating from 1862, with its romantic charm, overlooks Étretat and offers a panoramic view of the seafront and its famous cliffs. This 4-star "family home" houses 25 uniquely decorated rooms recounting the life of an illustrious figure linked to the Normandy town. Le Donjon-Domaine Saint Clair also boasts a swimming pool, bar, spa and two restaurants to vary the pleasures. Chez Racines, with its Mediterranean-inspired cuisine, resonates with the warm, cosmopolitan soul of the house. The gourmet restaurant, led by chef Killian Allain, is punctuated by its territory, iodine and sea spray, in a setting embellished by a fresco by Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, the cliffs on the horizon.

On the wellness side, the Green SPA spa, a French organic and natural brand that respects the environment, draws on the powers of Hexagonean plants for the benefits of its rituals, combined if desired with the detoxifying effects of the sauna and hammam. A signature massage using heated Normandy pebbles embodies the local touch on the treatment menu. And for a suspended moment, head for the Canopée, a private rooftop with jacuzzi and massage table, an invigorating panorama to witness from this hotel-spa with gourmet restaurant.

Le Donjon - Domaine Saint Clair
25 keys from €140
Chemin de Saint-Clair, 76790 Étretat

5. Le Negresco, hotel-spa with gourmet restaurant

Le Negresco has symbolized the legend of the Côte d'Azur and Nice since its opening in 1913. A haven for the jet set, it owes its strong identity to its immense collection of works of art and period furniture, numbering over 6,000 pieces, from the 17th-century to the present day. From Louis XIII to modern art, five centuries of history are embodied in the 102 rooms and 26 suites. Nice's hotel-spa with gourmet dining has built its reputation on its two restaurants, so dear to the hearts of the people of Nice and so popular with visitors. La Rotonde, a chic and relaxed brasserie with a land and sea feel, has been given a new gold and white look, adding a touch of glamour to its warm ambience.

Skillfully revisiting the codes of fine dining with lightness and authenticity under the impetus of chef Virginie Basselot, Le Chantecler, a Michelin-starred restaurant, shines with its legendary table service, flambéing and carving executed in the grand tradition. Since January 2024, the spa has been up to date. 700 m² designed by Jean-Philippe Nuel, featuring a boudoir, a barbershop, a swimming pool bathed in light, diffusing gentle melodies at the bottom of the pool, and seven treatment rooms, where you can benefit from the expertise of Olivier Claire - a pioneer of clean beauty with its highly concentrated treatments in rare plant active ingredients -, Vinésime and Codage, with its small laboratory at the spa entrance to design tailor-made treatments. Nothing but beauty made in France. The highlight is a 100 m² private spa for duo treatments, featuring a sensory bath, hammam, sauna and gourmet compositions to sample.

Le Negresco
130 keys, from €350
37, promenade des Anglais, 06000 Nice

6. Les Sources de Cheverny

Les Sources de Caudalie, the palace of the Bordeaux vineyards, has had a sister address in the heart of the Loire Valley for some years now: Les Sources de Cheverny, just a few kilometers from the eponymous château and the region's most famous buildings. Nestled in a 44-hectare verdant setting between centuries-old forest, period château and vineyards, this chic, cosy haven promotes epicureanism and contemplation. The 49 rooms and suites are housed in the estate's various buildings, like a hamlet: it's not easy to choose between the discreetly refined Château du Breuil rooms, the cabanons with terraces along the pond, or the Baron Perché suite, on stilts with private Nordic bath and panoramic view.

On the program: forest walks - even in wet weather, thanks to the clever loan of rubber boots - horseback riding, bike rides, lazing by the swimming pool, discoveries at the bar of Loire Valley vintages and bistronomic breaks at the Auberge, a comforting family-run restaurant featuring seasonal market produce. The experience shines with a star at Favori, a restaurant open to nature, whose wild, nourishing soil inspires the chef's cuisine. Vegetables, rare herbs, fish and game from the far west are accompanied by the nectars suggested by the head sommelier from his tasting organ. A few lengths in the Spa by Caudalie pool, a moment in the oak-wood barrel bath or the steaming outdoor Jacuzzi will make you forget your excesses, as will the invigorating wraps and massages with anti-aging grape-seed extracts, the star active ingredients of the famous beauty brand. A hotel-spa with a full gourmet restaurant.

Les Sources de Cheverny
49 keys, from €207
23 route de Fougère, 41700 Cheverny