For a little while now we have been promising ourselves that one day we would stay at Le Cep, one of Beaune’s most elegant hotels, privately owned and right in the centre a stone’s throw away from the Hospices. At €170 for a double room and €20 for breakfast it is at the upper end of the price range for local hotels however for this you have the use of an attractively appointed building of 14th and 15th Century origins that features in the Guide of Small Hotels of the World. The hotel has expanded by buying adjoining houses and now has about 50 rooms and a beautiful internal courtyard where you may have breakfast.

The Bernard family who own it have got around their decision not to have a restaurant by inviting the Loiseau family from Saulieu to establish Loiseau des Vignes in a room with street frontage immediately adjoining the hotel entrance. 

A most amusing and noteworthy feature is attached to the wall on the opposite side of the street. Beneath a sign announcing antique books for sale, there is a stone plaque announcing that the Chevrolet family lived here a little over 100 years ago, before they sailed for the USA and founded an automobile company. I had no idea Chevrolet were French. But they are!

The Chateau was built in the mid-19th Century and was turned into an hotel some 20 years ago. It is about a mile out of Beaune, set in a small village, surrounded by its own land and is an elegant house in an elegant setting.

Rooms start at 125e and breakfast is an additional 12e. Some rooms are in the main house and some are in converted outbuildings that form a partial courtyard. The hotel is easily reached from the motorway exit, being a matter of minutes away and surprisingly, although it almost backs onto the motorway, there is no traffic noise.

There is no restaurant, however there is a good one nearby called XXX that was fully booked on the night we arrived. The centre of Beaune is less than 5 minutes and there is ample parking in Place Madeleine if the centre is full. The staff will willingly help you find a restaurant, if you are stuck for choice.

The hotel is a 16th century coaching inn set on one side of Place Madeleine. It is another of the many hotels that provide a room and simple breskfast, knowing that their guests will be eating their main meals elsewhere. It is well located for the centre of Beaune, which is only a few minutes walk away.

The cheaper rooms start at e55 but these overlook Place Madeleine which is really quite noisy in the early morning. A better option would be to take the more expensive rooms that are inside the courtyard. The entrance into the courtyard can be something of a challenge if you have a decent sized car, but there is ample parking in Place Madeleine, immediately opposite.

The Lameloise has stood for nearly a century in the little square of Chagny. A beautiful house, filled with the scent of polished wood. Its cuisine is synonymous with the tradition of Burgundy.

The restaurant and family hotel is one of the top eating places in Burgundy and probably France. Lameloise is not a cheap night out, by any means, but the quality is amongst the highest you will find and yet it manages to keep its sense of proportion. The service is impeccable, the cuisine ( I am not willing to use the word food in this context ) is superb, the wine list requires guidance and the diner is the most important person in the room. Practically everything you will eat is made on the premises; the jam for breakfast; the bread; the chocolates that accompany the coffee; I am not sure whether they make their own butter, but if I am told they do, it will come as no surprise. The quest for quality takes no prisoners here. Booking is essential. Children are welcomed in the main dining room at dinner.

Lameloise also has rooms and these are to the same standard. Their car parking is immediately outside the hotel, but if you wish to have covered parking, it is round the corner. The restaurant is in the centre of the town.

Located in the centre of Meursault, this hotel, run by M Patrick Breuil, offers straightforward and inexpensive bed and breakfast right in the heart of one of the main winegrowing areas. The rooms are comfortable and are priced from 35€ a night, with a simple breakfast as a 6.50€ supplement.

Meursault is quiet after dark, so do NOT come here for nightlife! It is however a very convenient base for being out in the vineyards immediately after breakfast. Dining in Meursault is a little limited, but La Cremaillere is hardly a mile away, in Auxey Duresses and Le Chassagne is a fifteen minute drive through the 1er Cru vineyards of Meursault Genevrieres and Perrieres and on through the Grands Crus of Montrachet. I have guided myself back after dinner using the illuminated steeple of Meursault church, which is visible for miles.

The Villa Fleurie is a small, comfortable, family run hotel in Beaune. Rooms are from 65€ with breakfast 8€ extra. The hotel is conveniently located for the centre of Beaune, where the main restaurants are only a few minutes walk away. There is also a sidestreet by the railway station, which has several wines bars and restaurants.

The hotel is set on a roundabout just off the main ring road and the turning is well signposted by virtue of being next to the Bichot wine depot. There is parking in the courtyard to the rear.