In the know

Our favourite rooms: All of Le Relais de Franc Mayne’s rooms have been individually decorated, with varying degrees of decadence. Our favourite, Campagne Française, is one of the hotel’s biggest and, being south-facing, it boasts a grab-your-camera view of the pool, garden, and vineyards beyond. There’s a gorgeous white stone fireplace supporting an antique gold-framed mirror, and the whole room is softly lit by a golden chandelier. You’ll find brighter, bolder decor in Pop Art, all lime greens and dark woods, and Asian Mood, which features a blue and red colour scheme and an oriental birdcage. Indian Fusion features a four-poster bed and ornately carved wooden wall panels, and Out of Africa and African Lodge adopt a safari theme.
Packing tips: An extra suitcase to cram with the domaine’s wine – and something soft to wrap the bottles.
Also: During your stay at Le Relais de Franc Mayne, you’ll given a tour of the château’s wine-making equipment, including the impressive new vat in the reception area and the cavernous cellars where the seemingly endless row of barrels are stored.

Bordeaux hotels: Le Relais de Franc Mayne, need to know

Current offers

Smith card offer: A bottle of Le Libertin de Lussac 2006 red wine in the room on arrival (subject to availability)

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Le Relais de Franc Mayne

Bordeaux, France[view map]

Style: Bed-and-breakfast wine château
Setting: Rolling vineyards of St-Emilion

Part boutique-hotel, part working winery, Le Relais de Franc Mayne is the oenophile’s B&B of choice. Its nine uniquely styled rooms feature hand-picked antiques and furnishings, its cavernous cellars are packed with barrels of St-Emilion from the grapes grown in the château’s seven-acre vineyard, and the welcoming family-run feel ensures it’s a boutique hotel to return to – even if it’s only for another tasting.

Need to know

Rooms: Nine.
Rates: Low season, €150–€200; high season, €170–€230, including VAT; excludes breakfast (€10). There’s an additional local tax of €1.10 a person a night.
Check-out: Midday (check-in: 5pm).
Facilities: Free WiFi throughout; billiard room. In rooms: flatscreen TV, CD/DVD player, minibar, La Compagnie de Provence toiletries.
Poolside: The hotel’s natural swimming pool sites serenely under the cedar trees, overlooking rolling vineyards.
Eco-friendly: The chemical-free pool is self-cleaning thanks to specially selected aquatic plants and is heated by warmth-retaining stones.
Hotel closed: Le Relais does not accept bookings over the Christmas period.
Also: Wine-tasting sessions are free for hotel guests (€6 for visitors). Non-smoking throughout.

Food & drink

Hotel restaurant: There’s no restaurant, but the hotel can prepare a cold platter for lunch or dinner on request. The dining room – where breakfast is served – is an elegant, chandeliered space with rustic terracotta stone floors.
Dress code: Dark colours to hide any wine spillages.
Top table: Take a glass (or a bottle) out on to the terrace and soak in the sun with the vineyard vista spread out before you.
Hotel bar: It’s not all about wine – Le Relais de Franc Mayne’s cosy, burgundy-shaded salon has an honesty bar stocked with whiskies, pastis, martinis. Oh, and, yes, wine.

Also worth knowing

Children: Cots can be provided for €25 a night, extra beds for €50. Babysitting can be organised with sufficient notice.

Smith Members offer

A bottle of Le Libertin de Lussac 2006 red wine in the room on arrival (subject to availability)

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