A bientot France!
Ill del Rey
Fauchon Hotel Paris
THE DEFINITIVE ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT AIR BRIDGES IS DUE THIS WEEK AND, ALL BEING WELL, TRIPS TO FRANCE WITH NO QUARANTINE ON RETURN WILL BEGIN FROM JULY 15. AND VISITORS WILL BE IN FOR A PLEASANT SURPRISE AS THINGS ACROSS THE CHANNEL ARE PRETTY MUCH BACK TO NORMAL.
Despite a comparative shortage of PPE, a creaking health service, and similar care home disasters, President Macron has announced that France is now a ‘green zone’, way ahead of Britain, and can re-open its hotels, cafes, restaurants and bars. The French can also travel anywhere in Europe now. And certainly, on the metrics by which these things are judged – excess deaths, the total number of people to catch and die from the virus, France has done conspicuously better than the UK.
Those of us hungry to travel again (who isn’t?) will be spoilt for choice - in fact many have committed already. UK hotel bookings for France are up by 60%, and France looks set to be a top travel destination this summer. Luxury hotel members' club, Little Emperors, have recorded more than £3m takings in just three days for France.
Holidays may feel a little different though: as Caroline Leboucher, chief executive of Atout France, the French organisation responsible for promoting France as a tourism destination, says: “We’ve learned our lesson in terms of crisis management and action to be taken. The first thing is to regain trust, and that means measures and training people, making sure all the protocols are implemented as they should be.” And accordingly, some hotels say they will be adapting to offer more of a sense of ‘authenticity’ and ‘homeliness’, fostering an emphasis on more sustainable and respectful travel.
Of the many exquisite offerings available, here’s some of our favourites:
Fauchon l’Hotel Paris The first hotel for Paris' gastronomic powerhouse – reopens July 1st. A stone's throw from the original Fauchon shop on Place de La Madeleine, selling chic, delectable macarons and cakes, it’s a pink-themed, mouthwatering option for gastronomes – guests are handed plates of exquisite macarons du jour before they’re even given their keys. Elsewhere, the aforementioned Little Emperors is offering some French getaways with dedicated benefit, such as the Hotel Martinez Cannes, “the flagship hotel on the French Riviera and one of the most famous hotels in Cannes”. Boasting the only 2-Star Michelin restaurant in Cannes, it’s been summed up by the Telegraph as “Film stars, royalty and tourists on a summer jaunt… everyone loves the Martinez' Art Deco glamour”.
Meanwhile, Le Grand Hôtel Le Touquet-Paris-Plage (“a true gem” says the Telegraph) is a scenic and sustainable choice just two hours from London. And overlooking the harbour, in the beautiful port of Saint-Martin-de-Ré, L’Hotel de Toiras caters for both beach-loving families and well-heeled trendy Europeans, looking to enjoy this seaside attraction. The port of Saint-Martin-de-Ré, on the Ile de Ré is also home to the Villa Clarisse, open now: an 17th century mansion-turned-boutique villa, that Harpers Bazaar calls a “haven of tranquillity”, set amid “a town which oozes French charm from every faded powder-blue shutter and cobbled street it boasts”. Finally, there are delights to be had in the Dordogne via Oliver’s Travels, including Peach Cottage, whose garden does indeed contain peach trees; the charming and characterful little Rouge Cottage; and Petite Shambhala, a “beautifully restored village house”, which looks like a great place for a romantic honeymoon.
Bon voyage!