The main reason to come here is for the Michelin-two-star cuisine of Jean-Michel Lorain. Each recipe is a work of art. Some have become classics: Bresse chicken steamed in champagne vapor, blood sausage with what may be the best mashed potato you’ve ever tasted, and rose ice-cream with crystalized rose petals.

When guests aren’t eating they’re enjoying the high life at the glamorous hotel on the banks of the River Yonne, a 30-minute drive north of Auxerre. That might mean time spent in the massive spa (spread over two floors with an indoor pool and Jacuzzi), a vineyard tour set up by the concierge, or just lazing in a massive, amenity-laden guest room, perhaps in the outdoor jetted tub that some rooms have on their balcony.   On a budget? In a stately building linked to the main building by an underground tunnel and under the same ownership (though not affiliated to Relais & Chateaux as the main building of La Côte Saint Jacques is), you’ll find ten extra, and very nice, bedrooms that are often 100€ cheaper per night.