Top 5 hotels within an hour of Paris

There's no need to cross France to enjoy the delights of the countryside! The area around Paris offers a wealth of charming places to get away from it all for a weekend, with all the activities you need for a change of scenery. Fromforest walks to châteaux visits and spa treatments, you're spoilt for choice .

La Maison du Val in Saint-Germain-en-Laye

Just 30 minutes from the capital, this retreat takes on the air of an ideal country house, set on the edge of the Saint-Germain forest in a Louis XIV hunting lodge. There's nothing impressive about this place, however, as the decor focuses on an alliance between historic woodwork and designer furniture. We love this place for its beauty, but above all for its warm, relaxed atmosphere. Step behind the bar counter to pour yourself a drink, discover the delights of the buffet before choosing one of the tables set up in the dining room or the large terrace facing the park. After dinner, enjoy a film in the cinema, a game of chess in the games room or a break in the Nordic baths. As for the 49 rooms and suites spread between the château and the two pavilions, they are in tune with the spirit of the place, comfortable and warm with, in some cases, beautiful fireplaces. An ideal place for a nature weekend with family or friends.

• Rooms from 168 euros, breakfast included.
• Route Forestière des Brancas 78100 Saint-Germain-en-Laye. Tel: 01 30 86 25
• Further information on La Maison du Val

Domaine de la Corniche in Rolleboise

A great show! Set on a chalk cliff planted with terraced gardens, this estate offers a sumptuous view over the waters of the Seine. Romantic as hell, the site has long been the stuff of legend. Leopold II, King of the Belgians, and Blanche de Vaughan, then became a pleasure house... Today, as a hotel, it unfurls around the four main rooms.The four buildings house 44 rooms with a contemporary Zen atmosphere, divided between the manor house, two manor houses and the spa. A 600 m2 wellness area features a 14 m indoor pool, steam room, sauna and Cinq Mondes treatment rooms. Adjacent to the cinema and next to the billiard table, the Le Panoramique gourmet restaurant (led by Gaëtan Perulli) is chic and cosy, as is the Le 20 bistro, with its vintage glass roof and furniture sourced from nearby antique dealers. A warm, bucolic place, set in the middle of the countryside, with chickens in the garden and two yurts for the children. Enough tomake you want to put down your suitcases for several days, just long enough to visit the villages that dot the Seine valley, Giverny in particular.

• Double room from 166 euros, breakfast included.
• 5 route de la Corniche 78270 Rolleboise. Tel: 01 30 93 20
• Further information on Le Domaine de la Corniche

La Minotte in Montfort-l'Amaury

A precious, secret address, only whispered about between friends... Half an hour from Paris, this dream refuge nestles in a historic mansion, flanked by its stables. Here, only 8 rooms and lofts answer to the names of "Lucas", "Margaux" or "Juliette" and display a perfect style... Vintage furniture, a palette of greys and fawns, views over the village rooftops, the flower-filled garden and the ideUnless you'd prefer to book a yoga class or take a wellness break in the hammam and try out one of the many massages on offer. Last but not least? A table d'hôtes from Thursday to Sunday evenings, with a new menu every time, depending on the mood and the market return of the guest chef.

• Double room from 165 euros, breakfast included.
• 7 rue de Versailles 78490 Montfort-l'Amaury. Tel: 06 23 56 74 92
• More information on La Minotte

Le Barn à Bonnelles

There's no need to introduce this ideal country house address, which has been a favorite since its inauguration in 2018, seducing all those thirsty for nature. It has to be said that the location has everything to seduce: a dream location, backing onto a 200-hectare stud farm near the Rambouillet forest; 69 rooms and suites with a sober, elegant décorShaker furniture, English curtains and a china cabinet for breakfast on the terrace overlooking the undergrowth. The spirit of the restaurant is the same, with local produce and generous seasonal cuisine served on large wooden tables at La Verrière. A stone's throw away, the old mill houses a sauna, hammam and treatment rooms staffed by a masseuse-reflexologist and an ayurvedic masseur. Just the thingto recharge your batteries after a day of horseback riding in the forest, cycling on the Chevreuse Valley trails or playing golf at nearby Château de Rochefort.

• Double room from 204 euros, breakfast included.
• Le Moulin de Brétigny, 78830 Bonnelles. Tel: 01 86 38 00 00
• Further information on Le Barn

Les Étangs de Corot in Ville d'Avray

In the heart of Ville-d'Avray, one of the 19th-century artists' favorite havens, this romantic address seems to sit right on the water, overlooking the ponds named after the painter Camille Corot. The 42 rooms and suites infuse this poetic, refined atmosphere, with decor by Christophe Bachmann - antique furniture, green and ochre tones blending with wallpaper by Pierre Frey. Also prized for its culinary delights, the hotel is home to Rémi Chambard's gourmet Le Corot, the delicious Bistrot des Artistes and La Paillotte, housed in Ville-d'Avray's historic guinguette. Thefinal highlight of this charming hotel is a spa with hammam, sauna and KOS and Phytomer treatment rooms, to be enjoyed in natural light with a hypnotic view over the ponds.

• Double room from 189 euros, breakfast included.
• 55 rue de Versailles. 92410 Ville d'Avray. Tel: 01 41 15 37 00
• Further information on Les Étangs de Corot