Georges Blanc

In the sleepy Bressan village of Vonnas, alongside a gentle river flowing through fields of wildflowers, is one of the finest restaurants in France, accompanied by a charming country inn. Georges Blanc may be one of the country’s most celebrated chefs, and his eponymous restaurant may be the main attraction, but the hotel is no mere afterthought; the Blanc family has been serving poulet de Bresse to satisfied guests since before the Revolution.

The hotel itself is elegant yet unpretentious, rather like the cuisine; rooms are contemporary, with traditional country accents like beamed attic ceilings or authentic Bressan woodwork. They’re distinctly un-fussy, going easy on the antiques, and bathrooms are utterly modern, tiled, with vast expanses of mirrors and bright light. Services include the musts like a bar and lounge, a swimming pool in the gardens between the Veyle and Renom rivers, and a helipad, in case you need to make a grand entrance.

And the Georges Blanc restaurant is cut from the same cloth — though the dining room is slightly ostentatious, with its floral-print tapestries and Louis XIII chairs, the cuisine is rooted in the local tradition, emphasizing lobster, crab, and those famous chickens. Down the road there’s Georges Blanc’s less expensive and less formal offering, L’Ancienne Auberge, serving hearty and authentic family-style cuisine.

How to get there:
Georges Blanc is approximately a 1¼-hour drive from Lyon-Saint Exupery Airport.