The Best Hotels to Book in Burgundy, France

It bears the name of a famous chef, but a stay at this Saulieu-based hotel is really all about the wine cellar. One of the finest in all of Burgundy, it’s packed with 15,000 bottles featuring 900 different labels. For those with an encyclopedic knowledge of the region’s famous vintages there’s also a small “wine library”, where hotel guests can buy wine by the glass and sommeliers suggest the best pairing with your meal.

No need to check where the nearest golf course is when you stay at Golf Chateau de Chailly – it has 18 holes right outside your window. Starting life as a 16th-century castle in the heart of Burgundy, Chateau de Chailly was bought by a Japanese investor who carried out a complete renovation, added the golf course and opened a four-star hotel in 1990. The 19th hole here is the inner courtyard of the Restaurant l’Armançon, where you can sip top wines while discussing birdies and eagles.

In a 19th-century winegrower’s mansion, the adjoining gourmet restaurant at Hostellerie Cèdre & Spa is every bit as eye-catching as the hotel itself. Exceptionally good grub is one of the many indulgences at this Beaune favourite, tucked away in a garden. Rooms blend tradition and modernity, including super-comfortable beds that feel like a warm hug, a lounge bar with a fireplace and a spa in a vaulted stone cellar.

With each of its rooms named after a Burgundian village or Grand Cru wine – Chablis, Clos Vougeot, Romanée Conti, Charmes Chambertin – Hôtel Le Cep celebrates everything that’s good about the region. And that includes its history. The hotel is made up of two private mansions with historical 16th-century courtyards. If staying in a room named after a wine gives you a craving for that sweet nectar, head to the cosy bar where the barman will suggest a regional Cru that you can sip by the fireplace.

A contemporary option among the villas and chateaux, the two-star La Grange de Marie near Auxerre is ideal for overnight stopovers as you make your way around the winelands. Everything here is unfussy but well designed, from simple, bright rooms with wooden flooring and red accents, to a generous breakfast buffet of pastries, fruit salads, yoghurts and ham and cheese that will have you charging into the day.

Wine tastings are accompanied by the croaking of frogs at Terre de Loire, thanks to the hotel’s idyllic location near the Loire canal and aquatic gardens of Belleville-sur-Loire. If the weather is too nippy for al fresco dining and drinking on the Terre de Loire’s restaurant terrace, the scarlet-coloured eatery has a fireplace to warm you up and a menu of dishes made from fresh seasonal produce.

Dating back to 1857, the building that’s home to Hôtel Oceania Le Jura Dijon has been given a thorough upgrade without taking away its period charm. So, while you can marvel at the old-school Burgundy stonework and wrought iron throughout the hotel, you can return to the present century with Italian-style walk-in showers, a pool covered with a glass roof looking out over the garden and a bar that’s generously stocked with local wines.

If sprawling chateaux with swanky rooms so big that your voice echoes isn’t your speed, make a note of the fun, three-star Nota Bene in Montceau-les-Mines. Rooms can be snug but feature fabulous interior design – whether it’s a drawing of a huge leaping koi on the wall or a beautifully tiled bathroom. The restaurant, with its leaf-print wallpaper and glowing blue bar – complete with a cellar featuring wines from regions across France – is just as much of a treat.

When chef Frédéric Doucet called his restaurant/hotel Maison Doucet, he meant it literally. The culinary star was born in this very building in Charolles and has followed in the footsteps of his parents who used to run it as an eatery and an inn. Given the personal connection, everything here is made with love: the Michelin-starred restaurant prepares dishes that showcase everything the region has to offer, including edible flowers, Charolais beef, fish from the local river and vegetables from Doucet’s own garden.

Set in a 15th-century castle in western Burgundy, near the city of Nevers, Chateau Le Sallay acts as a handsome gateway to a host of architectural gems. These include an ancient gothic cathedral, the romanesque Church of Saint Etienne and a rare navigable aqueduct. For a change of pace, the wineries around Sancerre are about 40 minutes away by car.