Reims for under £100 a night
COULD the capital of the Champagne region really be anything other than credit card-scorchingly expensive? The glorious answer is ‘oui’. Many of Reims’s Champagne houses have surprisingly affordable tours and tastings and in the best local ‘caves a vin’ you can pick up outstanding value bottles made by one of the staggering 19,000 producers. The town is a demure charmer too, replete with art deco architecture, chic brasseries and spruce gardens. All this joie de vivre is just four hours from London via Paris on the Eurostar and SNCF.
Where to stay ■ Hotel Azur
WITH a sun-trap of a courtyard to have your petit dejeuner, this white-washed, discreet hotel is superb value. Rooms are small but impeccably decorated in soothing shades of blue and turquoise. Quirky touches abound too; look out for the bedside lights made from teapots. B&B doubles from £59.50 (hotel-azur-reims.com)
■ La Closerie des Sacres
FIFTEEN minutes’ drive from the centre of Reims, these converted stables still have their straw mangers but have been beautifully refitted with open fires, wrought iron chairs and leather sofas. There’s a kitchen to prepare your own picnic and a boules set in the garden. B&B doubles from £91 (closeriedes-sacres.com)
■ Appart’City Confort
IT’s not particularly flashy, but the Appart’City Confort has everything you need. The location is convenient too as the hotel is just 500yards from Notre-Dame de Reims Cathedral and the Automobile Museum is nearby too. Rooms are simple but comfy with kitchenettes equipped with microwave, stovetop and fridge. Doubles from £69 (appartcity.com)
■ Le Clos des Roys
WITH just two rooms (Clovis I and Charles VII), this former fabric trading house is as intimate as guest houses come. Both are gorgeous, whitewashed retreats but the Charles VII room is superior thanks to its free-standing bath.
Wine wonder: Vine grapes
Breakfasts are huge with pancakes and waffles offered alongside the baguettes and café au lait. B&B doubles from £88 (leclosdesroys.fr)
Where to eat ■ A L’Ere du Temps
MEANING ‘in the era of time’, the muted tones and blonde wood décor of this stylish little restaurant
complements the house specialty of crepes, both savoury and sweet. The Celtique is a wonderful creation, stuffed with creamed mushrooms, eggs, emmenthal and ham for just £7.90. (aleredutemps.com)
■ Brasserie Excelsior
WOOD panelled and with a timeless feel, this is everything you’d want from a classic Gallic brasserie, but without the high prices if you choose the £17 weekday
express lunch option. This gets you a main course, dessert, coffee, and glass of wine. Expect sautéed veal with mushrooms and bacon while gazing out over the plush greenery of the Les Hautes Promenades. (excelsior-reims.fr)
■ Le Bocal
THERE’s something reassuring about a seafood restaurant with an ever-changing menu. It means a chef who’s thinking on their feet and championing the freshest dishes. This is true of Le Bocal, which bills itself as a fishmonger and seafood bar, pairing everything with, as you’d expect, the finest wines. It’s a simple place but often the best food comes from humble surroundings. (restaurantlebocal.fr)
How to get there
EUROSTAR has return trains from st Pancras to Paris from £58 ( eurostar.com). sNCF runs connecting trains to Reims from
£53 return (en.oui.sncf).