Chateau Cordeillan-Bages

For wine enthusiasts, this is holy ground. A 17th-century manor house in Medoc, this swish Relais & Chateau hideaway is a retreat into the aristocratic world of Bordeaux-style country living.

Owned by the winemaking Cazes family, the hotel has 28 comfy, contemporary rooms, as well as gardens, a heated outdoor lap pool, sauna and gym – but the main focus is on exquisite wine and food and top-class service, or what the French call l’art de vivre.

In walking distance of Pauillac, the hotel enjoys a quiet setting by its own vines, and the fabled Chateau Lynch-Bages, also owned by the Cazes.

Handy for visiting the vineyards, it’s an hour’s drive from Bordeaux, so better as a stop before or after your city break, rather than as a base for city sightseeing.