Auberge de la Cholotte

In a wooded valley filled with chattering birds, deer, foxes and wild boar sits a spacious pink sandstone farmhouse framed with bright blue shutters and rambling wisteria. A happy spot and spectacular in the autumn sunshine. Both the dining room with open-fire and the wood-panelled restaurant are open to the public and they host regular concerts here. Angelika serves up hearty local produce: ham baked in hay, local rabbit and trout, organic veg and German pastries; she’ll even cook the mushrooms you forage from the forest. Stay for supper and some music or head to restaurants in Gerardmer or Saint Dié. Like the communal spaces, all five bedrooms have a rustic chic feel, artistic colour combinations and paintings on the walls; all are on the first floor with harmonious views of pond, garden or forest. There’s much to do here: the Vosges mountains are nearby, the pilgrim’s path Saint Jean de Compostela passes the house, there are heaps of gardens, good walking and fishing. Such peace and quiet and such a friendly couple running the show, no wonder guests return again and again.