Fodor's Expert Review Les Prés d'Eugénie

Ever since Michel Guérard's restaurant fired the first shots of the nouvelle revolution in the late 1970s, the excellence of this suave hotel and culinary landmark has been a given (so much so that breakfast here outdoes dinner at most other places); hence a stay at (or at least a visit to) Les Prés d'Eugénie remains an important notch on any gourmand's belt. Thanks to Guérard's signature flair, cuisine minceur—the slimmer's dream—collides with the lusty fare of the Landes region (langoustines garnished with foie gras and mesclun greens, lobster with confetti-ed calf's head). In the lovely Second Empire–style hotel, set in a fine garden, grandeur prevails and rooms are formal. However, rooms in the "annex"—the former 18th-century convent Le Couvent des Herbes—have an understated luxe and look out over the herb garden. To top it all off, the complex includes an excellent spa, dance studio, two pools, and a 9-hole golf course, while "theme" weeks are devoted to cooking, perfumes, wines, or gardening.