Maison Pic

Its location, in an out-of-the-way corner of the Rhône Valley city of Valence, is the mark of a hotel that’s a destination unto itself — and its unassuming name is a testament to the fame of the family that established it in 1889 and continues to operate it today. Maison Pic is now on its third generation of owner/operators, and Anne-Sophie Pic, one of France’s most famous female chefs, presides over the hotel’s three-Michelin-star restaurant.

This makes it something of a pilgrimage site for gourmets in southern France, and the need for a hotel is evident. Happily, it’s no afterthought. The rooms are tranquil and cloudlike in a palette of whites, silvers, and creams with occasional saturated accent colors, and the comforts are subtly high-end; the marble bathrooms come stocked with Hermès bath products.

The hotel’s three-star restaurant, now called Anne-Sophie Pic, is still the main attraction. It’s joined by the bistro-style André, whose menu pays tribute to the generations of Pics who have gone before. And just next door is Ms. Pic’s culinary school, offering courses in a wide range of food and wine topics.