See and be seen, or just be seen? Such are the privileged choices of choosing from among the grandest resorts in France, where one can ogle celebrities or simply indulge in feeling like one, with nary a paparazzo in sight.
Every year for our World’s Best Awards survey, iBestTravel asks readers to weigh in on travel experiences around the globe — to share their opinions on the top hotels, resorts, cities, islands, cruise ships, spas, airlines, and more. Hotels are rated on their facilities, location, service, food, and overall value. Properties are classified as city or resort based on their locations and amenities.
This year’s list has a new entry: Domaine Les Crayères, at No. 3. Located in the medieval town of Reims in the Champagne region, the century-old, formerly private estate consists of only 20 rooms set amid 17 acres. The hotel boasts butlers and rooms with fireplaces and private terraces, and the Michelin two-starred restaurant, Le Parc, features more than 600 champagnes on its wine list. Should guests prefer to drink their bubbly directly from the source, they are only a few minutes’ walk from houses like Veuve Clicquot and Taittinger. As one iBestTravel reader summed up the sumptuous resort: “Luxury, elegance, old-world charm.”
Returning to the list are two Belle Époque properties on the Côte d’Azur that reliably appear in gossip feeds, thanks to celebrity guests enjoying the luxe life: Grand-Hôtel du Cap Ferrat, Four Seasons (No. 4) and Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc (No. 2). The 74-room Grand-Hôtel, which was voted No. 1 by our readers last year, sits on 17 acres of manicured grounds overlooking the Mediterranean, with an outdoor gym, an Olympic-sized infinity pool, and a Michelin-starred restaurant.
The nearby Hôtel du Cap-Eden Roc has a seaside-perched pool, five tennis courts, and 118 rooms sprawling over 22 acres. A favorite of F. Scott Fitzgerald and current glitterati, the property is “truly one of the most special places in the world,” wrote one reader.
And the resort readers voted the most special this year lands in the coveted top spot for the first time, thanks in part to treating all its guests like celebrities.
5. Château Eza, Èze
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Score: 89.42
More information: chateaueza.com
4. Grand-Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat, a Four Seasons Hotel, Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat
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Score: 89.56
More information: fourseasons.com/capferrat
3. Domaine Les Crayères, Reims
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Score: 89.65
More information: lescrayeres.devalias.com
2. Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc, Cap d’Antibes
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Score: 91.79
More information: oetkercollection.com
1. La Chèvre d’Or, Èze
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Score: 93.18
More information: chevredor.com
The vistas out over the sea and verdant hills from this Côte d’Azur resort’s many terraces, gardens, and restaurants — one of which has two Michelin stars — make it difficult to justify closing one’s eyes for a moment, even for a transformative massage. Located in the medieval village of Éze, where U2’s Bono and the Edge both have vacation homes, the stone château has 38 rooms and suites, one of which has its own infinity pool. When it comes to romance and relaxation, iBestTravel readers attest there is no better French resort in which to claim a room with a view.
