1 ENCLOS DE L’EVECHE
Boulogne

Boulogne? Fish and ferries, right? Certainly — but also a stirring coastline, bucolic hinterland and, up the hill in the town itself, a sinuous, historic centre. Hard by the cathedral, the Enclos has the swish of 19th-century townhouse style, spiced up with a courtyard and five bourgeois-sized rooms. With a warm family welcome and an excellent associated restaurant, Les Terrasses de l’Enclos, time spent here could seriously change your view of the Channel port.

Doubles from £71; 00 33 3 91 90 05 90, www.enclosdeleveche.com

2 HOTEL DES MINES
Paris

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Sitting at a cafe in the Latin Quarter, with the sun tickling your toes and a sprightly white toying with your tongue, you’ll think Paris is the most wonderful city in the world. And, when you get the bill, the most expensive — which is where the two-star Hôtel des Mines comes in. No, it’s not flash, sexy or even quaint, but, mon Dieu, it’s well located: one minute’s amble from the Jardin du Luxembourg, the city’s most beautiful park; 10 minutes from the shops and bars of St Germain and Notre Dame; and 10 minutes on the RER from the Gare du Nord. If you book one of the rooms overlooking the courtyard, you get all that and peace and quiet, too.

Doubles from £78; 00 33 1 43 54 32 78, www.desmineshotelparis.com

3 HOTEL LES ORANGERIES
Poitou-Charentes

Oh crumbs. An eco-hotel. So we’re in for no-watt bulbs, raw root veg and ear-bashings because we came in a car. Well, no. Here, in the lovely Vienne village of Lussac-les-Châteaux, is a homely 18th-century mansion restored with astonishing class, leaving integrity — wonky wooden floors, big windows, heavy furniture — intact. There’s no proselytising, just the gentle hum of life lived ethically. If you don’t want to hear about recycling, then relax like a squire in the lounge, walk the vast garden or roam the nearby, and little-known, Gartempe and Anglin valleys.

Doubles from £75; 00 33 5 49 84 07 07, www.lesorangeries.com

4 OUSTAU DE LA FONT
Provence

People are always going on about the undiscovered Provence and here, lost in the lee of Mont Ventoux, you have found it. The Oustau is, primarily, an alarmingly good restaurant (menus from £30), but light and simple bedrooms ramble around the core. Seated on your little private terrace, you have stone walkways climbing through the tiny village of Reilhanette (population: 120) behind. In front, the hill-hemmed Toulourenc valley opens like a sigh. With great food just a few steps away, and the rugged riches of the landscape beyond, you need nothing more.

Doubles from £58, but go for a bigger room at £74; 00 33 4 75 28 83 77, www.oustaudelafont.com

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