CAMELLAS-LLORET

Double-check that map before you leave. This Montréal is a long way from the Canadian one; it’s in the southwest of France, not far from Toulouse, in a region called the Malepère, whose gentle hills embody France’s rural beauty as convincingly as anything in Provence. It’s here, at the heart of a medieval village, that you’ll find a small hotel for the apartment-sharing era: Camellas-Lloret Maison d’Hôtes, a beautiful little guest house featuring just four stylish bedrooms, plus one more expansive garden apartment.

The style is an eclectic mix of charming traditional architecture and understated contemporary furnishings, all finished in a soothing neutral palette. It’s no luxury hotel, but nor is it by any means uncomfortable: beds feature handmade mattresses and linen bedding, bathrooms are stocked with Aesop products, and the garden apartment features a private lounge and a kitchenette. And the house’s four rooms share a conservatory with a communal dining table as well as a salon stocked with books to enjoy with a drink in front of the fire.

It’s a delightful place from which not only to sample the best of the region’s food and wine traditions, but to soak up some history as well — nearby is Carcassonne, the medieval citadel, as well as the Bastide St. Louis and, in the surrounding mountains, a number of ruined fortresses.