27, Rue Maufoux, 21200 Beaune

Hôtel Le Cep

Name: Hôtel Le Cep
Address: 27, Rue Maufoux, Beaune, 21200, FR
Price range: 344 EUR
Rating: 4.25

Hotel-restaurant 5-star with spa in Beaune

Presentation

The Le Cep hotel brings together several 16th-century townhouses just a stone’s throw from the Basilica of Notre-Dame and the Hôtel-Dieu. You enter through a paved, listed courtyard, where a fireplace sometimes crackles at the end of the day in one of the adjoining lounges, while the other tends to keep a piano tucked away in a corner.

The rooms and suites, a little over seventy in total, each tell a different story. Woodwork, antique furniture, carefully chosen fabrics, and some even bear the name of a great Burgundy wine. You may sleep beneath exposed beams or facing a four-poster bed, depending on which wing you end up in. The furnishings do not try to mimic the codes of contemporary design; they prefer the patina of old wood and deep colors, a choice that will appeal to lovers of old stone and leave wanting those hoping for a decor straight out of a design magazine. In the oldest floors, you also have to contend with the building’s age: 16th-century walls block light better than noise, and a corridor with a bit of activity late in the morning can sometimes be heard. Nothing dramatic, but worth knowing before choosing the room closest to the staircase.

As you go up to the tower, a glass elevator rises above the rooftops and opens onto nearly all of Beaune, its glazed tiles and the rows of vineyards that begin almost at the edge of town.

In the basement, the Marie de Bourgogne spa spans nearly a thousand square meters, split between Ayurvedic treatments, a hammam, an outdoor sauna, and a circuit designed in several stages rather than as a single isolated treatment. Three rooms and suites in the hotel are also designed for people with reduced mobility, a detail that few establishments of this standard take the trouble to mention.

On the ground floor, LunchBox serves vegetarian Indian-inspired cuisine, far from the habits of Burgundian fine dining. For those looking for that classic style, Loiseau des Vignes, independently run by the Bernard Loiseau group, offers a menu that gives pride of place to local wines, with around twenty options served by the glass. The Saint Félix cellar organizes tastings among the Hospices de Beaune cuvées, and the Le Paradis smoking room keeps a selection of whiskies and cognacs for those who prefer to extend the evening at the bar rather than in their room.

Logistically, the valet takes over upon arrival (paid parking, as is often the case in the city center), and the Accueil Vélo label indicates that cyclists returning from the vineyards of the Côte de Beaune are welcomed with just as much attention as a vintage sedan.

In the morning, breakfast is served with no set time, either in the dining room or in the room. Enough to finish a coffee at leisure before heading out to explore the Saturday market, just a stone’s throw away, on Place de la Halle.

Summary of a few positive reviews read on the Web

Located right in the historic center of Beaune, a few minutes’ walk from the Hospices and the Saturday morning market on Place de la Halle.
Valet who parked the car and carried up the luggage as soon as we arrived, while we waited at the bar with a complimentary drink.
Breakfast buffet, calm service, eggs and bacon prepared to order rather than left under a heat lamp.
Very comfortable bedding, even if the old furniture and period fabrics will not suit those looking for a minimalist decor.
One room and two suites designed for people with reduced mobility, something rarely specified at this level.
Bicycles available on site for trips into the vineyards of the Côte de Beaune, with a welcome tailored to cyclists.