Where to Stay and Eat in Lorraine

First published: July 16, 2019 by Dominic Bliss

The best hotels and restaurants for miles around

HOTEL-RESTAURANTS

Château d’Hattonchâtel

This authentic 11th-century French castle in Vigneulles-lès-Hattonchâtel promotes itself as a venue for weddings, birthdays and other group holidays but is also suitable for more private adventures. Gothic splendour overlooking the surrounding gardens and Woüvre valley beyond. www.hattonchatelchateau.com

Auberge du Parc

Laurence and Christian Pernot run this three-star hotel-restaurant in a pretty setting near Baudricourt. As well as the 17 rooms and two restaurants, there’s a wine cellar with 12,000 bottles. And if you fancy accommodation that’s a little different, you can stay in one of the two gypsy caravans in the garden. www.auberge-du-parc.fr

Hostellerie du Château des Monthairons

Built in the early 19th century, this turreted château is now a four-star hotel-restaurant. Hotel features include a 35-acre park, a beach on the riverbank, two chapels, a spa and a heron centre. One of chef Benoît Thouvenin’s spring dishes is roasted lobster with hearts of Breton artichokes and green asparagus tips. chateaudesmonthairons.fr

Auberge Saint Walfrid

There are 11 bedrooms in this four-star hotel in Sarreguemines, and two superb restaurant rooms. Michelin-starred chef Stephan Schneider’s current menu includes langoustines, sole meunière, veal liver, venison, hare and pigeon. “My youth ticked to the rhythm of harvesting fruit from the orchard and vegetables from the kitchen garden,” says Stephan. www.stwalfrid.fr

The Knopf family welcomes guests to the Bonne Fontaine restaurant

SPA HOTELS

Domaine du Haut Jardin

In the village of Rehaupal you’ll find Le Haut Jardin, a four-star hotel and spa offering luxury chalets and private jacuzzis for a romantic weekend in the Vosges. There’s also a great restaurant overseen by father and son chefs Didier and Luc Masson. www.domaine-du-haut-jardin.com

Notre Dame de Bonne Fontaine

This hotel-restaurant is located in the delightfully-named village of Danne-et-Quatre-Vents in the Moselle. As well as 34 hotel rooms, there is a separate rental, La Maison Forestière, with room for 12 people. The spa includes a swimming pool, sauna, hammam and treatment room. www.hotel-restaurant-ndbonnefontaine.com

Cosmos Hotel-Club & Spa

Everything at this three-star hotel in Contrexéville is geared towards health and activity. The well-equipped spa is complemented by a large outdoor swimming pool, a gym, an indoor tennis court, a golf driving range, and a children’s games room. Also enjoy the surrounding Vosges countryside. www.hotelcontrexeville.com

UNUSUAL PLACES TO STAY

Parc Animalier de Sainte-Croix

This 120-hectare animal park on the edge of L’Étang du Stock has 18 lodges where you can stay the night in close proximity to the wildlife. These include wooden lodges and tents among the deer, treehouses up in the canopy and, most dramatic of all, five wooden lodges within the wolf enclosures. www.parcsaintecroix.com

La Clairière aux Cabanes

Not far from La Bresse, La Clairière aux Cabanes offers 13 beautifully-designed wooden forest homes, ranging from trappers’ cabins and chalets to treehouses, grottoes and hobbit houses. Sauna, steam room and hot-tubs are available too. www.la-clairiere-aux-cabanes.fr

Sleep high up in the trees at Cabanes en Lorraine

Cabanes en Lorraine

There are four treehouses at this lovely spot in Ancy-Dornot, each with views over the Moselle valley. Accommodating groups of two, four or six, they come with all the equipment you’d need for a night in the canopy. Breakfasts are included and dinners can be delivered. www.cabanes-lorraine.com

Abbaye des Prémontrés

“For the pilgrims in days gone by and the guests it welcomes today, hospitality has always been to the fore.” So say the hosts at the Abbaye des Prémontrés, an 18th- century abbey that has been converted into a three-star hotel. www.abbaye-premontres.com

CHAMBRES D’HÔTES

La Bienvenue au Pays de Jeanne

This 400-hectare working farm in the Vosges has three chambres d’hôtes, open year-round. Guests are offered a farm visit where they’ll see the three Kinzelin brothers, Jean-Luc, Vincent and Christophe, hard at work. Meals come courtesy of the local produce. www.bienvenue-a-la-ferme.com

RESTAURANTS

Brasserie L’Excelsior

The atmosphere in this cavernous brasserie in the heart of Nancy is buzzing. The Art Nouveau architecture is splendid. The food’s pretty good too. www.brasserie-excelsior-nancy.fr

La Fleure de Ly

Smart yet cosy, dimly lit and full of atmosphere, La Fleure de Ly is one of Metz’s best hidden secrets. In a tiny little side street well off the beaten track, it occupies a former hotel from the 16th century. www.lafleuredely.fr

From France Today magazine