5 ideas for a 100% relaxation weekend

Scattered across the four corners of France, these five hotels have in common that they have settled in places with a history: Saint-Emilion, Cognac, l’île d’Yeu… Yet still preserved from overly invasive tourism. So here are perfect addresses to unwind and zap the mental load for a weekend, and more if affinity.

This property of Domaines de Fontenille is a new idea of guest house that combines wellness and hospitality. In a hamlet consisting of a 17th-century bastide on a hill facing Oppède-le-Vieux, one of the most beautiful Provençal villages built on top of a rocky spur, the house is surrounded by a large wooded park offering sublime landscapes over the Luberon mountains. It aims to be a place highlighting a new concept promoting well-being, relaxation, sport, disconnection and pleasure. The Bastide houses 17 rooms and suites from 15 to 34m², with simple decor, opening onto nature. There are personalized programs to reach the goals each person has set. Muscle awakenings, Kundalini yoga, Yin, Natha, Hatha, Vinyasa, Qi-gong and Pilates, muscle strengthening, outdoor jogging and Nordic hikes in the Provençal scrubland accompanied by specialized guides, conferences and workshops… All supported by attentive and personalized nutritional monitoring, emphasizing wellness and sustainability, the cuisine relying on naturopathy principles. Not to forget of course massage sessions in the spa built around a 17th-century mill. It includes 6 massage rooms including 3 Lumipods and a sauna. The treatments are by the brand On The Wild Side. A heated outdoor pool completes the offer.

The plus: the room rate at La Bastide du Mourre includes a contribution that will be used to develop the Domaine's farmland, support partnerships with neighboring farmers and winemakers, and implement local actions for the protection of the Luberon Regional Natural Park. The perfect hotel for a relaxation weekend!

251 chemin du Mourre, 84580 Oppède. From €250 per night.

Inaugurated in 2023, Château Hôtel Grand Barrail, in the heart of the Saint-Emilion vineyard, was built in 1902 in a vast park by René Bouchart to offer it to his future wife… His only request: to recreate the ambiance he loved during his business trips to Tunisia in one of the Château's rooms. Remaining in the family until 1937, the property then had several owners and, in 2019, became part of the CHG Participations group (hotels Le Burgundy and Le Lancaster in Paris). Jean-Philippe Nuel, responsible for the restoration of the place, highlighted the luxury of a five-star hotel while respecting the soul of the place. Proof: the Moorish room with a rotunda surrounded by superb stained glass and a high mosaic representing a desert scene in North Africa. The best place for breakfast! In the 9 château rooms, the classic decor is true to the spirit of the place. The top? the Royal suite: 60m² with a 35m² terrace on the garden. The 37 rooms of 30 to 35m², scattered in the annex buildings, opted for contemporary decor in trendy colors: soft green, deep blue, golden yellow and graphic-patterned carpets. As for the cuisine led by Quentin Merlet, it offers a menu changing with each season, favoring short supply chains and regional dishes: semi-cooked foie gras, confit lamb shoulder… Smart: the chef prepares refined picnics to devour without moderation during a ride with one of the hotel’s electric bikes. A spa by Sothys, housing four cabins including two doubles, hot tub, hammam, sauna, fitness room and a large outdoor pool, completes the offer of this five-star.

The plus: the superb terrace offers a foreground view of the manicured lawns, the large water feature and further on the vines, just to remind you that we are indeed on the land of a globally recognized appellation! A weekend in a château, tempting?

3343 Route de Libourne, 33300 Saint-Emilion. From €345 per night.

Created in 1838 on more than two hectares in the heart of the city, the chais Monnet were transformed into a five-star hotel by architect Didier Poignant. The latter successfully made old cellars and ultra-design buildings coexist happily… Successful demonstration right from the lobby which, with its glass and steel structure, very modern staircase and transparent elevator, showcases the mix of design architecture and historic buildings. In the 104 rooms, suites and apartments, spread over 4 buildings, we find an unsurprising French elegance: noble materials, tones of beige, white and tobacco. The top? the Jean-Gabriel Monnet suite (170m²), named so because the latter, one of the founding fathers of Europe, was born in the imposing house at the entrance of the estate.
This five-star has two restaurants: La Distillerie, with a terrace in a classic setting – exposed beams, cement tiles on the floor – offering traditional cuisine, and the Michelin-starred restaurant Les Foudres, where one enters through openings made in the foudres, installed during the construction of the cellars in 1838. Reminder: a foudre is a very large capacity barrel, equivalent to several smaller casks. Chefs Mathis Debize and Alexandre Mornet highlight regional producers. As for Le 1838 bar, with the look of an English club, set in the old cooperage, it offers 300 references of cognac from over 40 houses as well as a fine selection of spirits and champagne. Among the last assets of the hotel, we add the vast outdoor pool in the large garden extending the spa pool – a perfect spot to relax before exploring the Cognac houses – and the 700m² spa offering 4 cabins, a sauna, a hammam and a jacuzzi, with treatments by Olivier Claire and Kos Paris.
The plus: the incredible and immense rooftop, the place to be for a drink or a game of pétanque! It offers a direct view of the former cellar housing the 1838 bar, the neatly cut lawns and, farther off, the city of Cognac. Smart: the wide wild plant beds lining the tables. A good idea for a romantic weekend.

50 avenue Paul Firino Martell, 16100 Cognac. From €275 per night.

A true green oasis 10 minutes from the center of Montpellier, the Domaine de Verchant, a luxury hotel and member of Relais & Châteaux, is the ideal spot for a total decompression moment! Chantal and Pierre Mestre, owners since 2002, knew how to restore by the book the entire mansion and its outbuildings. Result: this five-star now houses 26 luxurious rooms, suites and apartments from 30 to 90m² where old architecture harmoniously meets well-executed contemporary decor. Each room is different (wow: the ones with terraces), highlighting the best of Italian design from Poltrona Frau, Patricia Urquiola, Moroso, Flos, Cassina, and Foscarini.
At the gourmet restaurant, Marcelle, which opens onto the park, one enjoys menus with Languedoc accents by chef Alexandre Caillaud, accompanied by the estate’s wines. And at La Plage, where meals are taken feet in the sand among the vines, by the pool, it’s all about Mediterranean cuisine and tapas. The top? the Sunday brunch.
The plus? The 2,000m² spa equipped with eight cabins, including two doubles, an outdoor hot tub, a hammam, three saunas and a heated indoor pool with counter-current swimming. Treatments are provided by Biologique Recherche, Kos and Valmont, not to mention the 400m² fitness room equipped by Technogym. A spa weekend, are you in?

1 boulevard Philippe Lamour, 34170 Castelnau Le Lez. From €644 per night.

The 8th address in the Domaines de Fontenille collection, on l’île d’Yeu, moved into the former Le Caillou Blanc hotel, next to Port-Joinville across from Ker Châlon beach. This typical island building, with stone or whitewashed walls, offers 25 rooms and suites. All have private terraces and most offer a view of the sea. The decor, designed by Luc Brochard, a Nantes-based architect, and studio 44 Avril, has a marine feel with a palette of blue, green and white, light wood furniture, ropes, a fleet of sailboats sailing on shelves and fabrics by Pierre Frey. The garden was replanted with endemic plants and trees – maritime pines, hydrangeas, hollyhocks, grasses… “It’s no accident that we give so much importance to the gardens surrounding our houses: they are their soul,” underline Frédéric Biousse and Guillaume Foucher, owners of Domaines de Fontenille. At the restaurant Vent Debout – a local expression describing someone who, having indulged too much, can no longer move (!) – the decor also plays a marine tune with boat models floating above diners. Chef Christophe Vauthier created a menu favoring sea products: Fromentine oysters, sea bass and bream cuts, freshly caught lobsters and clams. The deckchairs by the pool facing the ocean are a dream for a reading break… Don’t skip the Meule bar, set on the picturesque port de la Meule, in the south of the island, 15 minutes by bike from Les Hautes Mer. As soon as weather allows, sit on the terrace to enjoy seafood cuisine.
The plus: the 300m² spa, inaugurated in August 2024, with 3 treatment cabins, sauna, hammam, indoor pool. It offers natural and organic protocols signed by the made in France brand On The Wild Side. If you had no ideas for May holiday weekends, now you know!

27 rue Pierre Henry, 85350 Ile d’Yeu. From €180 per night.