Hotels in France

Also featured on the Gold List in: 2006

This thirteenth-century former fortress in the rolling countryside near Lyon is "a prime base for touring vineyards." Guests are welcomed with a carafe of wine and fresh fruit in rooms that are individually styled with bright colors, canopy beds, and period furnishings. Chat with the chef at La Salle des Gardes, where spit-roasted meats and local vintages are served by a Gothic fireplace.

21 rooms

Amenities: Golf, Pool

Also featured on the Gold List in: 2005, 2006

A stay at this "undeniably perfectly sited hotel" on a clifftop between Monaco and Nice is "a once-in-a-lifetime experience." Rooms are in several buildings scattered throughout the village and differ in design; La Suite, in gold, beige, and turquoise, has an infinity pool that appears to merge with the Mediterranean. Regional cuisine is accompanied by sea views.

33 rooms

Amenities: Pool

lso featured on the Gold List in: 2005, 2006

"Just getting to the castle is an adventure." Set above the Riviera, on a cobblestoned street that is too narrow for cars, this former summer home of the Swedish royal family can be accessed only on foot,"donkeys carry your luggage to the hotel." Rooms decorated in a mix of Romantic and medieval styles have balconies with "wonderful Mediterranean views"; some have fireplaces. Sample Provencale cuisine in a glass-walled dining room. "Staff are some of the best around."

10 rooms

Amenities: Beach

Also featured on the Gold List in: 2005, 2006

Set in "a quintessential, charming French town" on 17 acres of gardens and rolling lawns "that are spotless enough to eat off," this 103-year-old aristocratic chateau earns perfect scores for Location and Design. Brightly colored perfect-scoring rooms, some with views of Reims Cathedral, have "an opulence and luxury that is appropriate to the experience." At the restaurant, helmed by Alain Ducasse protege Didier Elena, order sole en cro

20 rooms

Amenities: Tennis

Also featured on the Gold List in: 2005

"It's like living in the Renaissance": This hotel near Place Bellecour shopping comprises four old-city buildings from the fourteenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth centuries. Rooms with Wi-Fi, 14-foot ceilings, exposed stonework, and wood beams "are beautiful,at once old and modern." Breakfast is served in the glass-enclosed center court; one restaurant has arched ceilings, the other wood-burning fireplaces.

62 rooms

Amenities: Pool

Also featured on the Gold List in: 2005, 2006

"Imaginative and beautifully presented dishes",eel salad, roasted mango,earn a perfect Food score at this former hunting lodge 25 miles from Tours. "Waiters anticipate when you need something but otherwise make themselves invisible." French country ambience dominates the rooms, which have striped and patterned wallpapers and fabrics. With forests, gardens, and farmlands all around, "you awake to the sounds of cuckoos in the woods."

31 rooms

Amenities: Pool, Tennis

Also featured on the Gold List in: 2005, 2006

Near the Champs-Elysees, this white Art Deco landmark has "the most incredible restaurant",Le Cinq, which serves fine French cuisine. Some suites have terraces that offer city views; rooms are furnished in classic French style, with crystal chandeliers and heavy drapes. "For a place of this quality, it has the unstuffiest staff you'll ever meet."

245 rooms

Amenities: Pool, Spa

Also featured on the Gold List in: 2005, 2006

This 1580 aristocratic home in the center of town opened as a hotel in 1799. Upon arrival, guests are greeted by "an impeccably dressed footman" and staff who "are accommodating and always smiling." Enjoy lobster claws in apple aspic or duck foie gras with vanilla-flavored quince jam at La Vieille Fontaine, where "the meals taste as good as they look."

44 rooms

Also featured on the Gold List in: 2005, 2006

Winston Churchill and the Dalai Lama have stayed at this Corinthian colonnaded palace on the Place de la Concorde. Louis XV-style rooms have silk and velvet draperies and Persian carpets. Les Ambassadeurs offers a French menu and a Sunday brunch that is "absolutely spectacular." Children receive a plate of cookies upon arrival and a complimentary bathrobe.

147 rooms

Also featured on the Gold List in: 2005, 2006

Built on the site of a bishop's palace, this neo-Gothic fortress has expansive views of the surrounding walled medieval city. Rooms retain their original beamed ceilings, wood paneling, and floral tapestries. Amid the Gothic grandeur of cathedral chairs, stained glass windows, and carved wood paneling, La Barbacane serves Bresse pigeon with pine flavor that "melts in your mouth."

61 rooms

Amenities: Pool

Also featured on the Gold List in: 2005, 2006

This villa, set in "a gorgeous forest" at the tip of the Cap d'Antibes peninsula, re-creates a nineteenth-century chateau. Rooms have Louis XV and XVI decor, flat-screen TVs, and "lovely vases full of roses." Swim in a seawater pool, or get seaside treatments at the wellness cabana. Order Mediterranean cuisine on a terrace overlooking the Lerins Islands.

129 rooms

Amenities: Pool, Tennis, Water sports

Also featured on the Gold List in: 2005

Located "in the heart of old Beaune, which is perfect for walking or biking trips" through Burgundy's vineyards, the hotel combines several mansions built between the fourteenth and eighteenth centuries. Many rooms were recently renovated, and a fitness center and a massage room were added. The restaurant Bernard Morillon serves snails, squab, and Bresse poultry.

62 rooms

Also featured on the Gold List in: 2005, 2006

"In the heart of amazing sights, fashion boutiques, and restaurants" on the avenue Montaigne, this hotel with distinctive red canopies has views of the Eiffel Tower from some of its Regency- or Art Deco-style rooms. "Beautiful does not adequately describe the Louis XV decor" at the Alain Ducasse restaurant. "The concierge hit the mark with every request."

188 rooms

New to the Gold List

"I felt like I'd walked in the front door of my home" at this eighth-arrondissement limestone hotel with "a sophisticated yet unassuming facade." The 1857 town house has individually decorated rooms with Italian marble bathrooms, period furniture, and bright floral fabrics. Eat out, as the restaurant "served the worst meal we had during our entire stay."

44 rooms

Also featured on the Gold List in: 2005, 2006

Reserve one of the "spacious, ornate, and gorgeous rooms" facing the Tuileries at this Rue de Rivoli retreat, a stroll away from the Louvre, the Champs-Elysees, and the Palais Royal. "You can feel the history" in the Louis XVI-style rooms, which welcomed Salvador Dali and Queen Victoria. Decor inspired by Versailles sets the scene at The Restaurant, where diners feast on roasted partridge on toast and hare with pepper and paprika.

160 rooms

Amenities: Spa

New to the Gold List

Its perfect-scoring location on the Promenade des Anglais is "right on the main drag." The "breathtaking Art Deco facade" is all that remains of the original 1929 structure. Contemporary rooms in ocher, saffron, or blue have sycamore and African wenge wood furniture, and most have balconies with views of the sea, the hills, or the gardens. Le Padouk serves Mediterranean and Asian dishes on the poolside terrace.

188 rooms

Amenities: Beach, Pool

Also featured on the Gold List in: 2005, 2006

At these Haussmann-period buildings, American architect Ed Tuttle crafted "modern yet welcoming interiors" of French limestone decorated with mahogany panels and bronze sculptures. "Stashed in high-end Paris," on the rue de la Paix, it has earth-toned rooms with Jim Thompson fabrics and Bang & Olufsen entertainment systems. Sample seafood and grilled meats at the gilt-ceilinged Les Orchidees; thoughtful staff "brought us pastries from a local bakery."

178 rooms

Amenities: Spa

Also featured on the Gold List in: 2005, 2006

"The grounds are absolutely lovely" at this stone hotel on seven acres by the Chateau de Versailles. Rooms have "exquisite decor," with framed paintings and Louis XV furnishings. Cafe Trianon offers light cuisine overlooking a sheep-filled meadow. The spa, with its 26 "impeccably clean cabins" and Kanebo products, is "a luxurious refuge worth experiencing."

192 rooms

Amenities: Pool, Spa, Tennis