Chateau De Bagnols

Hotel description

It doesn't get much more authentic than this: a 13th-century château in the heart of the Beaujolais countryside, among the forests, vineyards, and rolling green hills of the southeast of France. This is a majestic and lovingly restored hotel, thanks to the efforts of an English couple, Helen and Paul Hamlyn, who discovered the disused property in 1987 and spent four years meticulously renovating the place.

Some castle hotels come off a bit Disney-fied, thanks to overzealous reconstruction, but the Hamlyns managed to stay true to the medieval feel of the building, which still retains its moat and fortified towers. The courtyard and the wall paintings are still intact, preserved from the days of the Renaissance, and the interiors still show signs of eighteenth-century renovations. Rooms are outfitted in lush silks, with antique furnishings and authentic 17th-century paintings. Dinner can be taken in the Salle des Gardes, from a menu of regional specialties and traditional game, or in the summer, outside on the terrace in the shade of hundred-year-old lime trees. The wine list, needless to say, is extensive, featuring the ten celebrated Beaujolais crus, as well as the great wines of neighboring Burgundy.

Tennis and golf can be arranged for guests of an active bent, but on the whole, this is a gourmand's holiday, and most guests will find a walk among the vines to be adequate exercise. There are any number of vineyards to tour, and the region is rich with little market towns and Romanesque villages, and a dizzying array of excellent restaurants.