The Garonne river runs through the heart of southwest France
The recent opening of the spectacular Chais Monnet country hotel in Cognac has put southwest

France on the touring map. Jenny Southan outlines the wonders of a region which stretches from Bordeaux to the idyllic Ile de Ré, with Cognac and its new luxury destination hotel at its gastronomic heart
With environmental activists calling for 2020 to be a no-fly year, this is a good time to swap long-haul holidays for road and rail trips across the continent. And with the future relationship of the UK and Europe changing, heading to the home of the founding father of the European Union, Jean Monnet, in Cognac, France, feels apt. The Monnet family have lived in Cognac since the 19th century, and in 2018, their former mansion and distillery was turned into a luxury hotel ? the first for the region. Follow LUX on Instagram: luxthemagazine
Hôtel Chais Monnet has proved one of the most expensive hotel developments in the country in recent times, and has consequently become a destination in itself. The two-hectare former industrial site ? comprising cognac cellars, warehouses and barrel cooperage ? was transformed thanks to ?60 million of investment from British businessman and property developer Javad Marandi, who has also put money into Soho Farmhouse in Oxfordshire (the hotel embodies much of the look and feel of this high-end British retreat from the Soho House Group).
Positioned on the banks of the Charente river in a...