L'Hostellerie du Vieux Cordes

Description:

• This stylish and sophisticated inn is set midway along the length of the walled-in medieval city, within what was originally built in the 1200s as the monastery associated with the Eglise St-Michel, which sits immediately next door. Its centerpiece is its restaurant, a glamorous yet intimate affair. Public areas, including the scarlet-colored dining room, are more richly furnished than the bedrooms, which are outfitted with ceiling beams and massive wooden furniture that includes, in most cases, a bulky armoire. None of the rooms are air-conditioned, but thanks to windows whose views sometimes sweep out over the valley, and ceiling fans, they sit on the receiving end of welcome breezes. Each is accessed via a winding stone staircase that passes such atmosphere-inducing accessories as full suits of armor. Each room was renovated in the late 1990s or later, and each has a contemporary-looking tile-sheathed bathroom.

• © Frommer's 2012