We've found the most secret spot in the Alsatian Vosges
In the heart of the Vosges, between Strasbourg and Colmar, a family-friendly retreat nestled on a gentle mountainside has been transformed over the years into an exceptional destination. It’s a place that offers both wellness and fine dining—the perfect base from which to explore the surrounding area, only to return and warm up again.
With Christmas just a few weeks away, as the whole of Alsace lights up and buzzes with Advent preparations and festivities, the Bruche Valley—tucked away in the foothills of the Vosges—retains its unchanging “natural” charm, sometimes blanketed in snow… This valley, which stretches from the Piedmont to the heart of the Central Vosges Mountains, on the border with Lorraine, offers an unusual view of the Alsatian landscape—free of half-timbered houses and, in a distinctly French setting, bordered by the highest peaks of the Bas-Rhin. It is here that the department’s highest point is found, at an elevation of 1,099 meters, where visitors can enjoy cross-country skiing on a pristine plateau, the Champ du Feu.
A Family History
As you head up the valley and follow the Bruche River westward, the road narrows as it winds deeper into the forest of beech and spruce trees. Time slows down, the forests grow denser, Alsace becomes more secluded, and the air purer. About 45 minutes from Strasbourg, you leave the valley at Saint-Blaise to reach Colroy-la-Roche, which opens up like a balcony between two mountains. It’s no coincidence that people are drawn to this unspoiled village at an elevation of 530 meters, which for a long time remained off the beaten path of the Bas-Rhin’s major routes. That is, until 1974, to be exact—the year Arlette and Marcel François established, at a place called Pré des Cheneaux overlooking the village, a beautiful inn built of local stone and solid wood siding, featuring ten rooms, which quickly became the first Relais & Châteaux property in Alsace. The warm, family-style hospitality and the quality of the regional cuisine served at La Cheneaudière quickly made the inn famous far beyond the Grand Est region.
Although the property expanded over the years, it wasn’t until the 2000s—when the founders’ grandson, Nicolas Decker, took over—that it experienced a new lease on life. Or rather, a whirlwind: ambitious renovation and expansion projects—including a spa—brought the total to 45 spacious rooms and suites, ranging up to over 60 m², earning it a 5-star rating starting in 2017. On the dining front, there was no shortage of ambition either, with the creation of a new, spacious professional kitchen and three distinct dining areas.
A Restaurant with Two Michelin Stars
To lead the kitchen following Chef Roger Bouhassoun’s retirement in 2021, Nicolas Decker recruited his future head chef fromL’Oustau de Baumanière, where the latter had been serving as sous chef. He was no stranger: Jean-Paul Acker, an Alsatian from the Munster Valley who trained in Colmar and was named a “Grand de Demain 2025,” had started his career in the kitchens of La Cheneaudière before being promoted to sous chef there, a position he held until his departure in 2018. He now oversees both evening dining rooms: Le Chêne, a contemporary bistro seating 60, where he crafts masterful regional cuisine, and Le Feuillage (14/20 – 2 toques), formerly La Table des Chefs, a cozy haven for thirty lucky diners. There, the chef offers two tasting menus. The first focuses on plant-based dishes, featuring mostly regional ingredients, while the second showcases, with every course, the chef’s talent for presenting—with subtle sauces—meats, poultry, and fish sourced from a network of small producers in the neighboring valleys.
An exceptional spa
Less than an hour from both Strasbourg and Colmar, and 45 minutes from Sélestat, La Cheneaudière serves as a perfect base for exploring the banks of the Rhine and discovering the 170 km of the Alsace Wine Route—France’s oldest wine route, established in 1953—with its landscapes of vineyards and medieval towns. But it would be a shame not to enjoy the hotel’s expansive spa, which features 2,500 m² of pools, saunas, a hammam, treatment rooms, and relaxing or invigorating wellness experiences, all with views of the hills or the village. After all, there will always be time to return to Colmar to explore the picturesque canals of “Little Venice” and its Gothic and Renaissance buildings. And soon, there will be yet another reason to return: the opening of Nicolas Decker’s new and ambitious project, Villa Cose, a 5-star, 23-room hotel-spa housed in a 19th-century villa, is—after years of construction—scheduled to open in early 2027 on the banks of the Lauch River…
This article is excerpted from the Grand Est guide. It is available in bookstores and on the Gault&Millau e-shop.
