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14, La Gomerie, Château Franc Mayne, Saint Émilion, Gironde
33330
Surrounded by seven acres of lush St-Emilion vineyard, this 16th-century château is at the heart of southern France’s wine country; Le Relais de Franc Mayne is a boutique hotel with barrelfuls of charm and cask-loads of style.
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.
Children
Cots can be provided for €25 a night, extra beds for €50. Babysitting can be organised with sufficient notice.
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.
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.
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.
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
14, La Gomerie, Château Franc Mayne, Saint Émilion, Gironde
A lively wine bar and restaurant on St-Emilion's rue du Clocher, L'Envers du Décor (+33 (0)5 57 74 48 31) offers one of the most comprehensive and highly esteemed wine cards in France, as well as generous helpings of local specialities, such as foie gras and confit. Worth visiting for its terrace views alone, Le Bistrot du Clocher is a pretty restaurant next to the church tower, at 3 place du Clocher, St-Emilion (+33 (0)5 57 74 43 04). Chai Pascal is a relaxed wine bar and eatery, with laidback staff, the most luscious local wines and tempting cheese, smoked salmon and charcuterie platters, at 37 rue Guadet, St-Emilion (+33 (0) 5 57 24 52 45).
Worth getting out of bed for
15 minutes' walk from the hotel, the little town of St-Emilion well rewards an afternoon's wandering, with a smattering of Romanesque churches and mediaeval ruins to explore. Vignobles & Châteaux, on rue de Clocher, runs a daily wine school if you want to take your tasting to another level (www.vignobleschateaux.com).
Smith card offer A bottle of Le Libertin de Lussac 2006 red wine in the room on arrival (subject to availability)