Kings of the Castles
At the two opposite extremes of Burgundy are the best two chateau hotels in France: Chateau de Bagnols in the Beaujolais, and Chateau de Vault de Lugny in the Morvan. Sandwich your wine-drinking time in the Côte d’Or with a stay in each for a truly rich time (in every sense).
These are two truly unique hotels, with a few obvious notes of similarity. First, they’re both gigantic chateaux, but each has had its defensive rigour softened by centuries of widened windows and architectural flourish. No Colditz Castle here, but massively pleasant places to arrive and be greeted at the gates.
Secondly, in their respective regions they offer the contrasting possibilities of excellent base from which to explore a less-visited corner of France, or perfect bolt-hole in which to arrive of an evening, and spend a few days moving from bedroom to garden to bar to fireplace, safely protected from the outside world of email and children by 20-foot thick walls, a defensive moat and a bottle of fine pinot noir.
Which brings me to the third similarity: in both hotels you’re welcomed by the faint sweet smell of wood-smoke, and musn’t be surprised to see staff scurrying from room to room with burning embers held in iron tongs. All of Lugny’s rooms have working fireplaces, and many of Bagnol’s do too. Where there’s the smell of woodsmoke, there must be a roaring attention to detail. That’s a hotel management mantra.
Lugny is run by its owners, M et Mme Bourzeix, and a more accommodating and welcoming couple of hotel owners in France I have never met. The usual chorus of pas-possible does not feature on their song sheet. They serve dinner for those who want at 6.30pm; there’s a vegetarian menu; heck, they even like children. Those who regularly stay in other French hotels with similar pedigree will know how rare this kind of approach can be.
Bagnols is not run by the owners, so lacks some of the warmth of Lugny, but makes up for it with probably the best physical hotel structure imagineable: its rooms, garden, restaurant, views, bathrooms, restaurant… They’re basically all flawless. I’ll put up with slick but characterless welcome at reception, for an hour in the bathtub overlooking the Beaujolais soaking in lavander from the garden.
Jack lives in a slightly more modest chateau in Paris. Get in touch with him if you’re planning to become king for a day (or week).
