Le Clos des Cordeliers

Between Reims and Épernay, this luxury hotel, set in a sort of modern-day amphitheatre built out of light-coloured stone, hugs the hillsides of Champagne. The interior celebrates the wine and the gilded ceiling sports a huge chandelier with 36 blown-glass orbs (bubbles). There is also a nod to Napoleon Bonaparte, said to have stopped off here when it was a coaching inn. The perfect foil to high-flying haute cuisine in tune with the seasons and founded on traditions that traverse the annals of French cookery, further enhanced by a crack front-of-house team. The wine cellar is, of course, well s

You would be well advised to stop off at the Selosse family estate. Both having worked for Anne - Sophie Pic, Stéphane Rossillon (in the kitchen) and his wife (front of house) create a single set menu based on choice ingredients. Served in a charming guesthouse atmosphere; when the sun is out you can enjoy the large terrace. Superb wine list.

The restaurant specialises in cooking top-drawer produce over a wood fire: whole sea bass with fennel, rib of beef, pluma de pata negra, venison with a peppery sauce poivrade – all dishes are the handiwork of a cheerful chef of Lyon origins. The atmosphere is friendly and buzzy and, come summertime, the garden is bliss.

"The only neighbours of this old stone - built watermill (19C) are the greenery and the Surmelin, an affluent of the Marne. The interior decor is on the modern, pared - down side, with a light wood ceiling and designer chairs; the traditional cuisine smacks of all things bucolic. And in the guestrooms, you could hear a pin drop. "

Victor Martin and his chef Julien Drapier, a native of the region, are a well-established team. The intelligent and harmonious dishes beautifully showcase local ingredients, in bold-flavoured combinations, often with Asian influences, such as gyozas with a soy and ginger broth or the biscuit and matcha tea cream. Add to that smiling service, good value for money and a pleasant terrace by the water.