Cour des Loges ★★★★★

The real Lyon is found in the city’s 5th arrondissement, which is full of old buildings, typical restaurants and famous traboules (alleyways). This is Old Lyon, UNESCO World Heritage Site, and it is utterly charming. So I was delighted to have the opportunity to take a break in the Hotel Cour des Loges, which stands proud in the centre of Lyon’s culture and history.

As if carved out of stone, the four buildings making up the hotel have retained the neighbourhood’s typical Renaissance architecture, saved from ruin by André Malraux in the sixties. But the true guardian angels of the hotel’s magnificent architecture, inside and out, are the Sibuet family. They have managed to preserve the building's 18th-century spirit while bringing it up to date with contemporary artworks and five-star amenities.

Still, you don’t only choose the Cour des Loges for its history, even though the high French ceilings and period furniture cannot fail to impress. In fact, this prestigious building has to be the most luxurious establishment in Lyon. In a city with a reputation like Lyon’s, this is no small compliment.

First, I treated my skin to some well-earned attention at the Pure Altitude Spa. I did a few lengths in the modern Greek baths-style indoor swimming pool before surrendering to some facial pampering. The hardest part was deciding on the treatment: salt and mountain plant linen wraps or hot oils with basalt stones? Afterwards, the sauna, Turkish baths and herbal tea on the veranda left me certain that Lyon is the capital of pleasure.

Jésus saucisson, rosette saucissons and grattons are just a few of the many delicacies that have cemented the town’s reputation. At lunchtime, try the cold meats platter at the hotel’s Café-Epicerie, an impressive and historical room with a vaulted ceiling, exposed stone and silk tapestries. In the winter, you can choose a seat along the steel counter, and in summer you can enjoy the chance to sit outside on the terrace and try pâté, quenelles and andouillette, looking out over Saint Marcellin square with that special someone, because the Cour des Loges is a romantic destination.

The former convent now offers 61 private bedrooms, which have been decorated in a calming style that retains the building’s historical charm. The refined design blends Renaissance accents with subtle contemporary features, and the carefully considered details come together into a magnificent whole.

We began the evening with a pre-dinner drink at the hotel’s Les Loges restaurant. Wine tasting in the cellar or a cocktail in the vaulted lounges? However you choose to kick off your evening, you can be sure that it will be to the highest standards, perfect for preparing you for the experience of Anthony Bonnet’s cuisine. The chef selects the highest quality ingredients in France and invents striking taste combinations that truly live up to Lyon’s reputation as global food capital. Savouring our dinner in the sumptuous surroundings of a covered Florentine courtyard, we agreed that Lyon really knows how to pull out all the stops.