Mondrian Bordeaux Les Carmes

The Mondrian name has always been synonymous with a certain fairy-tale quality, but even by their standards, the Mondrian Bordeaux Les Carmes is something special: not a purpose-built hotel building but a 19th-century castle in Chartrons, which once belonged to the Maison Calvet wine-producing concern. Fantastic enough, even before Philippe Starck was turned loose on the place — and the Mondrian Bordeaux Les Carmes finds the iconoclastic designer at his most elegant and Romantic, with a capital R, filling every space with evocative details and inviting textures.

The rooms and suites are a modern interpretation of historic Bordeaux living, full of warm tones, mirrors, and ornament, and equipped with the full complement of luxury-boutique comforts, from Lavazza espresso makers to sleek stone-clad bathrooms. The spa, too, is a visual feast, and comes equipped with an indoor pool, four treatment rooms, and a hammam, as well as a gym.

And in its restaurant Mondrian Bordeaux Les Carmes delivers one last surprise: not a classic French restaurant but the first establishment in Europe for the Japanese chef Masaharu Morimoto; here French ingredients meet Japanese preparations and are accompanied by a long list of sakes as well as wines from Bordeaux and beyond.