10 hotels for a luxury stopover in the heart of Auvergne Rhône Alpes

Just five minutes from the medieval city of Montluçon, stands the Château Saint-Jean, on the site of a former Templar commandery. This magnificent château is set in lush grounds with trees over a hundred years old. All the soul of the Auvergne can be found here!

Guests enjoy a wonderful experience in a château where the rooms and suites offer unrivalled comfort combining modernity and Renaissance style. All the rooms offer a breathtaking view of the park and its pond.

This château, part of the Relais & Châteaux group, boasts a spa overlooking the racecourse, a bar by the stone fireplace and a restaurant. The restaurant is housed in a former 12th-century chapel, and serves creative cuisine using fresh produce.

This Renaissance château, straight out of a fairytale, in the middle of the Beaujolais vineyards, is ideal for a romantic getaway. Château de Bagnols features a drawbridge, moat, fortifications, extensive gardens and a spa. Its gourmet restaurant recently received its first Michelin star.

On a rural lane on the outskirts of the village of Bagnols, this Relais & Châteaux hotel and château spa offers breathtaking views over the rolling hills and vineyards of the Beaujolais countryside. The owner has overseen a grand renovation of this historic monument while preserving the integrity of the original golden stone architecture by maximising light. The impressive glazed roof over the courtyard is particularly striking.

The rooms and suites are luxurious and modern. For the full experience, it's worth booking the Château suite, where frescoes, wooden beams and stone fireplaces match the beds and wall tapestries.

Perched on a hill in Lyon, the Villa Florentine offers a charming country feel. Taking its cues from the Italian Renaissance, the hotel is a haven of peace, a luxury retreat set in chic houses at the top of Fourvière hill.

The views are panoramic; the outdoor pool and spa are glorious; and the Michelin-starred romantic meals are the hotel's finest assets. The medieval old town, Vieux Lyon, is a 10-minute walk downhill and the main sights are less than 10 minutes away on foot.

When you open the windows, only the sounds of birds can be heard. You breathe in the invigorating country air. The villa's warm ochre, peach and caramel facades are reminiscent of the Tuscan city of Florence. In the 29 rooms and throughout the building, period furniture and works of art evoke the Renaissance.

After a head-to-toe makeover, the hotel has been transformed into a sparkling five-star palace. It now boasts a spa, landscaped gardens, a beach and a private harbour on the shores of Lake Annecy.

Reminiscent of the sumptuous palace hotels that sprang up on the Côte d'Azur during the belle époque, the Palace de Menthon appears like a graceful white ship resting on the shore. We love its elegant entrance near the gardens, between stone staircases and balustrade.

The 65 rooms and suites are spread over four floors, most of which overlook the lake or gardens. Throughout, the décor is modern yet classic, with soothing murals, elegant floor-to-ceiling curtains, retro brass light fittings and sloping ceilings. Elegant colour palettes combine olive green with apricot, grey with mustard, midnight blue with salmon pink.

This four-star hotel was once cells where Benedictine monks slept in the 17th century. Today, the building offers elegant hotel rooms brimming with originality. Excellent restaurants, serene gardens and a private pontoon provide a privileged service for guests.

A little anecdote: during his stay in this hotel in 1896, Paul Cézanne painted Le Lac Bleu, and in 1902, the French physicist Gabriel Lippman developed the first colour photograph in the cloister of the abbey.

All 36 rooms are different. Some have beamed ceilings, marble fireplaces and magnificent parquet floors. Others are smaller and sober, with no frills.

Located in the centre of Lyon, in the 2nd arrondissement, about 10 minutes' walk from the lively Place Bellecour, the Hotel Boscolo Lyon offers an idyllic setting in which to relax. With its warm and cosy atmosphere, the hotel has a natural elegance, offering quality services.

Housed in a former 19th-century palace, the hotel boasts a beautiful heritage with its Vicenza stone, black marble and velvet accents. The rooms are beautifully decorated in cream and gold tones and offer a view of the city or the hotel courtyard. They also feature Italian-style showers, mini bars and TVs.

The indoor swimming pool is heated and always well maintained. Other plus points include the spa with its sauna and hammam, and the Italian restaurant and bar. In every room of this hotel, the emphasis is on Italian design, from the glass-roofed lounge to the stone walls of the Roman baths in the spa.

An exceptional little gem, the Black Bass hotel is set in a wild, natural setting and almost blends in with its surroundings. This five-star hotel immerses its guests in the waters of the Venice of the Alps. A beautiful little interlude between mountain and lake.

You'll feel like a fish in water, with its shades of blue, its beautiful curves and also its scales. The rooms are real little bubbles of peace, offering breathtaking views of the lake, the Alpine peaks and the forest.

The Black Bass bistronomic restaurant takes guests on a trip around the world with its gourmet dishes. The spa is blue in the face, offering a range of top-quality treatments, a heated swimming pool, sauna and hammam.

This intimate, upmarket yet friendly hotel offers access to the huge Mont Blanc ski area. There's also an impressive spa with views of Mont Blanc, a tea room and a gourmet restaurant.

The ambience is set: lots of wood and stone are present, with soft, colourful textiles giving the feel of a traditional, upmarket ski lodge. What's more, it perfectly combines its chalet feel with eccentric touches such as street art-style murals.

All 17 rooms are different, but feature wooden floors, cosy carpets, fur throws and huge, ultra-comfortable beds. Most of the marble bathrooms have baths and showers.

Opened in 1872, the Georges Blanc Parc & Spa is located on the market square in Vonnas. This luxury hotel bears the name of an iconic chef and visionary entrepreneur, George Blanc. A gourmet village, the hotel is bordered by a river, and opts for a country style.

Working in the kitchen since 1968, the chef offers a prestigious menu where local produce takes pride of place. You can try the famous traditional Vonnassienne crêpe with salmon and cavier, or the emblematic Bresse poultry with foie gras. This prestigious address also boasts one of the finest wine cellars in the world, with 135,000 exceptional bottles.

In addition to its gourmet cuisine, the 5-hectare hotel offers spacious, colourful rooms with contemporary furnishings. There is also a luxurious spa with a heated swimming pool (massages and beauty treatments), a hammam and a gym.

Nearly 30km from Lyon is this pretty guest house with rooms and flats, and a Chartreuse liqueur cellar. Classified as a Relais & Châteaux, it offers a fine gastronomic and Michelin-starred stopover.

Behind the walls, a warm welcome awaits you in this house of character with its formal garden. The 19 rooms (and four flats) have been designed by decorator Régis Dho in a modern, avant-garde style. A special highlight is the cellar, which houses the world's only collection of Chartreuse liqueurs.

In addition to its gym, the hotel has two restaurants, which are the perfect place to discover good quality gastronomy: "La Pyramide", which has had 2 Michelin stars for 23 years, and "L'Espace PH3", a bistro offering cuisine that follows ancestral traditions while adding a touch of modernity.