New for November: fabulous French finds, and Firmdale do New York
Posted by Caroline on November 2nd, 2009The French may be busy fermenting grapes and bringing out the Beaujolais, but while they’re up to their elbows in viticulture, we’ve brought in a harvest of our own: the cream of France’s boutique-hotel crop…
Washed up on the shores of southern Brittany, we found Le Lodge Kerisper, a cosy portside cabin in the sailing centre of La Trinité-sur-Mer. Across in Normandy, we hand-picked La Petite Folie, a laid-back and luxurious guesthouse in historic Honfleur.
We dropped in on Paris as we headed for the warm south, discovering La Réserve along the way – extravagantly elegant serviced apartments with Eiffel views on Place de la Trocadéro.
Down in Provence, La Bastide de Moustiers is Alain Ducasse’s heavenly hilltop hideaway. On the edge of Aix’s old town, we found La Villa Gallici – glorious and golden, it’s set in magnificent cypress-filled grounds.
When we reached the gilded shores of the Côte d’Azur, we were rewarded with Bastide Saint Mathieu, a majestic manor house in fragrant Grasse, and Cap d’Antibes Beach Hotel, a minimalist, modernist Riviera retreat. Star-favoured St Tropez is home to La Réserve Ramatuelle, a spa hotel by the seaside.
We cast an eye Stateside for good measure, keeping up with the latest movements of UK boutique-hotel heroes, Firmdale – allow us to introduce Crosby Street Hotel, its sparkly New York debut.
Next month, we’ll be showing Italy some love with a few finds in Florence and one or two in Orvieto. And Francophiles don’t fear – we’ll be back with a chic chalet in Rhône-Alpes and a remastered water mill in Burgundy.
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