Chateau de la Resle

Even if Château de la Resle were simply another elegant French hotel in the Burgundy wine country, the world would be a richer place — there’s no such thing as too many. But Château de la Resle is something far more special. On the outside it’s as classic as can be, its white-shuttered façade laced with climbing vines and standing above a perfectly tended garden, but inside it’s a genuine contemporary art and design showcase, curated by a pair of collectors with a burgeoning high-end home furnishings business. The result is a French château hotel like no other, where the romantic atmosphere of a 19th-century country manor combines with the plush comforts and visual style of a high-end modern design hotel.

What really makes it work, however, is just how warm it all feels. A hotel furnished with bespoke Dutch design pieces and decorated with a gallery-worthy collection of contemporary art could easily feel museum-like and sterile, yet it’s clear that these spaces are meant to be lived in. Some of the rooms are a little heavier on the rich hardwood antiques, others on the avant-garde fixtures and fittings, but in every case there’s an abundance of sunlight, a few quirky objets d’art and a careful attention to the tactile sense. And the bright, contemporary décor makes the original details, such as exposed 17th-century beams in a pitched farmhouse roof, stand out all the more.

This is quite a big place, by the way, to house just six rooms. The accommodations are sprawling, and made to feel even larger by their open, uncluttered plans. Outside the guest rooms, there are a number of inviting public spaces as well. The sunny breakfast room can be hard to leave in the morning, even after you’ve gotten your fill of fresh pastries and espresso. A pristine pool set with sun loungers calls for long, lazy days spent lying down; as does a simple but inviting spa. This being France, a proper restaurant almost goes without mentioning — but a locavore table with a constantly shifting menu of free-range, organic specialties certainly deserves its spot in the description. And of course beyond the property is one of the more bucolic swaths of countryside in France, a landscape of wooded hills and rolling vineyards and quaint old towns that beg to explored.

Please note: Château de la Resle cannot accommodate children under the age of 10. A two-night minimum stay applies on weekends during the medium season and the high season.