L'Ariade

Carved from a Périgord farmhouse near Monpazier, one of the Dordogne's classified bastide towns, L'Ariade sits along the Maran hamlet road outside Gaugeac, a ten-minute drive from the bastide's arcaded market square. The setting suits couples and families touring the Périgord Pourpre at a slower pace than the region's busier riverside hotels allow.

Rooms open onto shared lawns and stone outbuildings rather than corridors, with family rooms sized for the extra cot rather than a squeezed-in extra bed. Breakfast is taken outdoors when weather allows, and free parking removes the usual bastide-town circling for a space.

Monpazier's Thursday market and the Château de Biron are both within easy reach for a day trip.