Domaine Les Crayères

Character and identity

Set on 17 acres of parkland next to the Pommery champagne house in Reims, this Relais & Châteaux mansion deals in full-throttle French grandeur. Just 20 rooms sit above a sweeping staircase, done up in classic style with canopied beds, embroidered fabrics, period portraits, and apartment-scale proportions. The two-Michelin-starred restaurant is the centre of gravity, supported by a daytime bistro and La Rotonde bar, a warm room with plaid furnishings, dark wood, tall bay windows over the gardens, and live music. Service runs gracious and personal, particularly in the dining room and at the bar.

Who's it for

Bottom line

You're booking this for the cooking and the costume-drama setting, not the bed. The two-Michelin-starred restaurant and the time-capsule interiors deliver a Champagne-royalty fantasy at a meaningful discount to equivalent Paris addresses. Splurge on a Prestige Room for the park views and apartment-sized proportions, build the stay around a long dinner, and treat La Rotonde as a second living room.