Le Relais de Franc Mayne

Le Relais de Franc Mayne is housed in a 16th-century château. Not the sprawling estate style that’s so common in the Bordeaux countryside, but the other kind — a down-to-earth wine château, the sort of place where one of the main attractions is a series of old stone quarries where Cabernet Franc ages in oak barrels. Which isn’t to say that anyone is roughing it at this impeccably restored nine-room hotel: sophisticated lighting, decadent silks in bold hues, plasma televisions, a plush billiards room, and vintage wine tastings are just a few of the features putting a contemporary spin on this country-chic property.

Though the unadorned stone exterior is simple, the interior is anything but. The proprietors, perhaps unable to choose between diverse design schemes, selected a different stylistic theme for each individually decorated guest quarter: canary yellow walls in the Pop Art room, zebra prints in the African Lodge room, carved wood in the Indian Fusion room, and so on (suffice it to say, the British Landscape room is not the most exotic of the bunch.) High thread-count linens, DVD players, and wireless internet access come standard, and all rooms afford views over the vineyards surrounding the hotel.

The antique dining room, an intimate venue featuring ornate candelabras and bunches of pink roses, is decidedly more traditional for a French country estate. The cuisine, however fresh and well-prepared, takes a backseat to the red wine produced on the premises — visit the quarries before strolling through the vineyards and then into the medieval town of Saint-Emilion.