Food • May 2015
Hotels for food snobs
Craving a blue-chip culinary getaway? These retreats boast top-notch beds combined with award-winning bites, fit for satiating the most discerning of guests. Alicia Miller, assistant editor at Sunday Times Travel Magazine, takes us on a tour
L’Andana, Tuscany, Italy
Mediterranean herbs fragrance the gardens of L’Andana, a Medici villa turned luxe country crashpad. As it’s partly owned by uber chef Alain Ducasse good food is a priority, from the on-site winery and olive trees to cookery courses and a ‘gourmand’ spa – plus a Michelin-starred restaurant. Doubles from £200.
Mouth-watering moment: The epic Sunday brunch, with everything from Tuscan cinta ham to shellfish.
L’And, Alentejo, Portugal
A slick white monolith ascending from rugged soil, minimalist L’And is decidedly chic. But thanks to local vineyards and a Michelin-starred eaterie featuring modern Portuguese bites, it’s a foodie hotspot too. Doubles from £125.
Mouth-watering moment: A vineyard and winery visit, followed by a pairing of award-winning tipples with a tasting menu (£89).
Les Prés d’Eugénie, Landes, France
Chef Michel Guérard’s famed nouvelle cuisine isn’t the only reason this southwest France estate shines. Decadent rooms with old-world charm, spa retreats and a nearby Guérard-owned beach lodge are on tap – as is one of the country’s finest cookery schools. Doubles from £178.
Mouth-watering moment: Guérard’s ‘slimming’ menus, which are delicious and satisfying.
De Librije, Zwolle, Netherlands
Is it the atmospheric, glass-ceiling dining room, or the quirky Dutch style, which brightens guestrooms and dishes with bold pops of colour? Or the grand Dutch manor that holds it all together? We don’t know, but when you’re on a foodie break at De Librije, there’s no place you’d rather be. Doubles from £185, room only.
Mouth-watering moment: Composing your own tasting menu.
Finca Buenvino, Andalucia, Spain
Deep in the hills of Sierra de Aracena Nature Park, Sam and Jeannie Chesterton welcome visitors into their elegant home to feed them well. Whether nibbling through veg from the garden on the week-long cookery course, or lazing under the trees munching house-cured jamón, it’s always mealtime at Finca Buenvino. Doubles from £85, B&B.
Mouth-watering moment: Communal dinners on the terrace.
Zigante, Istria, Croatia
Verdant Istria has all the gastronomic draw of Italy, minus high prices and tourists – and it has Zigante. The rooms may be simple and modern, but the cooking is inspired by local flavours, which means truffles. Try tagliatelle with truffles, scampi with truffles, or lamb chops with candied beetroot… and truffles. Doubles from £70, room only.
Mouth-watering moment: Did we mention the truffles? In these parts they are in everything.
This article has been tagged Food + Drink, Hotels