Château de Vault de Lugny

In the heart of Burgundy, at the northern edge of the Morvan nature reserve, is a castle, set on a hundred acres of parkland, whose earliest roots can be traced to the year 1120. This is the Château de Vault de Lugny, a fairy-tale 17th-century aristocratic residence that’s sacrificed none of its opulence on its way to becoming one of the region’s finest small luxury hotels.

Small as in a mere 13 rooms and three suites — still quite residential in scale, though it’s a lavish residence indeed. The King Room refers not only to the size of the bed but for the guests who used to occupy it — it was once reserved for actual royalty, and remains the finest room in the house. Not that the others are a hardship; even the attic rooms are handsome and perfectly comfortable.

Activities include the usual country-château suspects, from tennis and horseback riding to wine tastings and tours; there’s also the chance to fish for pike in the castle’s medieval moat, which is something very few hotels can offer. And, as you’d expect, there’s a gastronomic restaurant, named for Louis XIII, which serves elevated French fare that’s as lovely as its setting.