Les Crayères- Where to Stay in Reims

Tucked away in the heart of Reims, this sophisticated hotel offers elegant comfort and a Michelin-starred restaurant.

As a Relais & Châteaux member, Les Crayères in Reims is among the top 500 hotels in the world, so it is little surprise that its guests report being made to feel like royalty. Les Crayères can accommodate guests in a total of 20 rooms and suites, the majority of which are set around a grand central staircase within the château itself. The remainder are located inside the Garconnier du Prince pavilion on the seven-acre estate. Each of the rooms has been individually decorated in château style and stylishly furnished with antiques, objets d’art and fresh flowers.

Everything blends in perfectly. Even the bathrooms (complete with a wide range of Hermès toiletries, fluffy white robes and slippers) complement the bedrooms in terms of their colour palette and style. They are equipped with all the latest technology too – take the bathroom mirror, for example, that can turn into a television when you want to relax in the bath.

Summoning the energy to leave such comfortable surroundings is hard work. Fortunately, a maid is on hand for those who wish to prolong the experience by taking breakfast at the end of the bed at a charming wooden table that arrives on rollers, covered with a cloth and laid with all sorts of treats, including boiled eggs, fresh fruit salad, French breads and homemade preserves, pots of fine tea and coffee.

The bedrooms offer a view over the surrounding vineyards or look out over the terrace at the back of the château and the manicured lawn that leads down to the brasserie restaurant, Le Jardin. When the sun is shining, there is nothing nicer than an early evening stroll in the garden to help you work up an appetite for some of chef Philippe Mille’s latest creations.

Originally published in the June-July 2013 issue of France Today