Thierry Claudon's B&B hotel is fairly inexpensive despite its grand name, and is housed in an elegant old building in a quiet, pleasant street near Assemblée Nationale, Invalides and Musée Rodin.

This unusual hotel is a clever conversion of medieval houses on the side of a cliff, by the ramparts of this fashionable hill village, inland from Nice.

'An idyllic luxury hotel in the Camargue”, this neat whitewashed mas is isolated by a lagoon just north of the Camargue”s little seaside capital.

On the edge of this village, famous for the discovery of the cave of Cro-Magnon man nearby, and very touristy in summer, this 'first-rate' hotel (Relais & Châteaux) stands by the winding River Vézère.

In Champagne country, near Épernay, this luxurious hotel, surrounded by a lovely landscaped garden and vineyards, is “highly recommended” by guests; it has recently been refurbished.

“Our visit could not have been more enjoyable,” says a regular Guide correspondent, returning to Pierre and Isabelle Bertranet”s 16th-century mill house, now an elegant small hotel.

In an unexceptional southern suburb of Boulogne-sur-Mer, this smart and “hospitable” restaurant-with-rooms stands by the little River Liane.

In a picturesque village amid the 'great countryside' of the Massif Central, this 'delightful small hotel' stands on a quiet square behind a lovely abbey (fine Flemish tapestries).

'Well located, a few miles away from the busy A6', this restaurant-with-rooms (Logis de France) run by Cyrille Joubery and his wife, is recommended by a visitor for 'peaceful nights and fabulous meals, all at reasonable prices'.

Spectacularly situated above the Marne, this hilltop town north of Dijon has ancient ramparts, gateways, a 13th-century cathedral, and a statue of Diderot (he was born here) surrounded by volumes of his encyclopaedia.

An 11th-century fortified castle at the top of a medieval village in the hills south of Draguinon has been turned into this small hotel where, say the nominators, 'everything was correct'.

'A terrific place,' said a recent visitor. Gloriously positioned on a peninsula in a fishing port on the north Brittany coast, this handsome white 1900s hotel is decorated in 'contemporary balnéaire' style: polished floorboards, grey and honey panelled walls, wooden furniture, original wicker chairs, and colourful modern fabrics: 'the apogee of casual chic'.

“A place to unwind and experience a little of the magic France still offers,” says a visitor. Jean-Philippe Gautier, an architect, and his wife, Olivia, have restored their manor house, in a town south of Poitiers, while preserving its old character.

In an area of the Perigord, rich in geese, plum trees and pigeonniers, this traditional chateau hotel stands in country surrounded by forest.

The Jouanny family's handsome, white 19th-century mansion (Relais de Silence). stands in a large flowery garden (where meals are served under parasols and cypress trees).

Right by the sea, this 17th-century manor house, just east of the port, is now an attractive hotel whose owner, a Mme Chapalain and her son, 'are very kind', says a returning visitor.

“Delightful, “peaceful and idyllic”, say visitors to this long-time Guide favourite.

In the painter Jean-Baptiste Greuze”s birthplace, and overlooked by the bell tower of the Romanesque abbey of St-Philibert, is this Renaissance “Bressane” building restored as an elegant, luxurious hotel.

Between Cannes and Grasse, on the edge of a village in mimosa country, this informal and 'convivial' holiday hotel, long popular with readers, is owned and run by Chantal Cattet and her son.

Owner/chef Michel Philippe has long had a Michelin star for his cooking which “combines terroir and inventiveness”. His Relais & Chateaux property stands amid pine woods and hilly meadows, just outside this lake resort.

Tastefully converted by its owners Sandra and André Berger, this group of 18th-century stone farm buildings is now an inexpensive B&B hotel.

'Outstanding value, nearly perfect in its class.' Ever popular, this quirky little hotel is off the beaten track, in an 'amazingly quiet' square near the Porte d'Orléans.

The hotel is set in a 16th-century mill straddling large stream in a quiet, picturesque valley between Rouen and Caen.

This family owned and run B&B is located very conveniently in the centre of Morzine, less than 100m from the nearest ski lift.

In the old town, between the Dominican church and the Unterlinden museum, this ornate mansion (1609), newly owned by Marilyn and Eric Girardin, is decorated with 100 sculpted têtes (heads).

“It keeps on improving” according to a visitor returning to the Larain family”s glamorous hotel (Relais & Châteaux), on the banks of the Yonne.

This “delightful” little hotel is in a valley just below this hilltop village amid the rolling forests of the North Vosges national park.

This 18th-century palace is where Marie-Antoinette stayed on her way to meet her husband-to-be, Louis XVI and is now a hotel, “in the best discreet French tradition”.