Despite the density of fairytale cities, international travelers in France have long relied on a number of tried-and-true favorites: Paris, Bordeaux and the Côte d’Azur.
The following four regions are no secret; the French and some clever Brits have long recognised their appeal. But other than that, they have largely escaped international attention and are therefore blissfully free of crowds. With new five-star hotels and rail links improving accessibility, that may not be the case for much longer. Book now before your friends find out.
The alternative to the Côte d’Azur
Arcachon, an hour from Bordeaux, is called the Hamptons of France – wealthy, neat, close to the beach. And if that is true, then Cap-Ferret is the Montauk.
The chicest place to stay is Hotel des Duneswhich will reopen in 2023. Owner Karine Tiphagne bought the 1969 hotel, which sits next to the famous Cap Ferret lighthouse, and renovated it in the effortlessly relaxed style of some of her favorite beach communities around the world: Montauk, yes, and also Southern California and Hawaii’s Waimea Bay. Tiphagne calls the atmosphere “pretentiousness-free.”
“I remember an American client who arrived last year and excitedly told me that we reminded her of Surf Lodge Montauk 10 years ago, when it was a quiet, cool, authentic and relaxed place,” says Tiphagne. The 11 rooms and two suites have cheerful yellow and white tile paneling and are just steps from breezy, swinging hammocks and a walkway that leads to the beach.
It’s the ideal base for exploring the surrounding beaches. Cap Ferret is on a peninsula with a windswept sea side – perfect for kitesurfing – and a calmer lagoon side sheltered by dunes and forests, ideal for sailing. The hotel’s chefs can pack picnic baskets before you head out to either, or you can take a flat-bottomed pinnace boat to the local oyster-farming villages – the captains serve mussels and wine right on board.
For breakfast, you can avoid the hotel’s generous breakfast buffet and instead Maison FredelianThe iconic bakery and patisserie has also just been renovated – but the incredible waffles and cannelés are the same ones they have been serving since 1939.
The B-side of Provence
About 217 kilometers from the purple-colored lavender fields of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence lies a landscape in rosy tones: the saltwater wetlands of the Camargue, Home to legions of pink flamingos and wild white horses.
Until now, the city could be visited as part of a day trip from nearby locations. Montpellier and Marseille are both an hour away, and Arles, home of the spectacular Luma Foundation – with a shimmering Frank Gehry-designed tower whose construction was completed in 2021 – is even closer. But this June, the area’s first luxury hotel arrived: Les Bains Gardiansthe sister hotel of the sexy five-star Les Bains ParisCourtesy of owner and former filmmaker Jean-Pierre Marois.
The 48 rooms are all in detached thatched cottages, which are traditionally Huts with guardsor cowboy cabins. They are furnished with antique furniture, gauzy mosquito nets and the same black and white checkerboard blankets worn by the real guards who give the hotel its name.
Horses play a major role in the program: Ten (tame!) horses live in the on-site stables. You can ride on the area’s secluded beaches or ride in a horse-drawn carriage through the small fishing village of Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer. Equestrian therapy classes are also part of the extensive wellness program, which also includes a hammam, sauna and hot tubs. (A more proper spa will open next summer.) And in a nod to the other resident animal, the hotel’s ’70s-style pool overlooks a pond full of flamingos.
Expand on the animal theme by attending one of the famous bullfights of the Camargue, where there are no matadors and the bulls are not killed. Instead, it is a contest of skill; men dressed in white try to grab a ribbon or tassel from between the bull’s horns in front of hundreds or even thousands of spectators in one of the many local amphitheaters.
The Alpine Sleeper Hit
Vincent Gombault, co-owner of the small but luxurious hotel group Almae Collection, grew up skiing in Saint Nicholas of Vérocea sleepy, idyllic village in the Mont Blanc ski area, 40 minutes from Chamonix. It was therefore a natural setting for the collection’s flagship hotel, Armancettewhich opened for the first time in its full year in 2022. The chalet retains plenty of historic charm—the adjacent bakery has remained unchanged since 1952 and locals still gather there for their morning coffee, croissants and blueberry tarts—but its 17 rooms are now outfitted with sumptuous velvet chairs, high beamed ceilings and fine linens.
From a chairlift five minutes from the property, you can access hiking trails that lead to the larger ski resorts of Megève and Chamonix. In summer, those same mountains offer a wealth of cycling, paragliding and hiking opportunities. (Explore some of the area’s baroque churches on your own; the bakery will happily send you a picnic lunch.) When you return, you can relax tired legs in the spa’s indoor and outdoor pools, which are open year-round.
Eating here is half the fun. Alpine cheese is the star of the menu at Le Bistrot du Mont Joly, where burgers are topped with Reblochon and fondue graces many tables on the terrace. And at La Table d’Armante, chef Fabien Laprée – formerly of the Michelin-starred Saisons in Marseille and a Meilleur Ouvrier de France finalist in 2018 – serves an eight-course tasting menu featuring alpine lake trout and locally grown produce.
But if you prefer fine dining, you’re just 90 minutes from Courchevel, where seemingly every luxury brand – Aman, LVMH, Oetker Collection – has a six-star resort with equally sophisticated gastronomy. Bonus: Thanks to the night bus service, you can now reach the region in style from Paris, too. Paris-Moutiers Belmond train route which made its debut in December.
Castleland
Imagine a charming, perfect French village, straight out of Chocolate or Beauty and the BeastLocks and everything. That is Dordogne In short, the region – 200 kilometres east of Bordeaux and 160 kilometres north of Toulouse – remains under the radar, perhaps because there are so few luxury accommodations for laypeople.
With two fabulous new properties opening in 2022, the region has never been more attractive. About an hour’s drive from Bergerac Derdogne Périgord airport lies Domaine de Rocheboisa luxurious 40-bedroom castle on a large estate with a nine-hole golf course, sprawling manicured gardens, a brewery and a spa run by a Parisian beauty line Nuxe. Nearby, in the medieval town of Sarlat-le-Canéda, is Le Petit Manoir, a new guest house in a 15th-century mansion that is part of Alain Ducasse’s Area group. It has just nine rooms and suites, all sumptuously appointed with brocades and thick carpets, as well as a stunning courtyard with a pool – but, oddly given Ducasse’s involvement, no restaurant for dinner.
This is a good reason to explore the neighbouring villages – many with similar historic architecture and ancient castles. Some royal destinations include the imposing 13th-century castle. Castelnaud Castle And CHATea Gardens of Milandes in Castelnaud-la-Chapelle. The latter may surprise you: it is the former home of Joséphine Baker, the legendary American entertainer immortalized in silent films of the 1920s and on Parisian Art Nouveau posters that still decorate the rooms of the castle today.