Château de Cocove ★★★★

I have been moaning about how I miss France for so long that my lovely partner has finally got the hint. This weekend I am being whisked away for a romantic break of mouth­watering cheeses, out­of­this­world wines and that oh­so­charming je ne sais quois that makes life so different and so delectable, just across the channel. Quite literally, for we take the car, hop on the ferry at Dover and hop off at Calais only to drive the short distance to our final destination. An honest to goodness French château in the middle of a vast parkland in the heart of Pas­de­Calais. A hop skip and a jump from the white cliffs of Dover and yet another world entirely. I am surprised that it has never occurred to me to stick around and explore this area, it seems almost too close and too good to be true. Yet I am immersed in true France; that architecture, those villages, the brocantes, bistros and bars. It's all here and we even have the baby sister version of the Louvre just a short drive from our hotel! Who knew? Not I, and I am thrilled to be finally let in on this little secret.

My excitement reaches new levels as we sweep up to our hotel (if indeed you can call it such) and that impressive, rambling ancient stone façade majestically greets us. It's even more idyllic than I could have imagined! The interior is just as enchanting, done with a precise elegance and care for evoking the establishment's regal past, whilst never erring on the side of being ostentatious. On the contrary, all is chic comfort and bright, welcoming spaces that make one feel immediately at home. Already I see a heavenly couple of days stretching out languidly before us as we live a life of sedate luxury and dreamy romance. Ah oui...c'est parfait!

Even more parfait is our bedroom – large, spacious and filled with a serene, green­gold light that filters in from the gorgeous, lush park beyond our wide windows. It illuminates a vast, sumptuous double bed, bare wooden floorboards and a soft sophistication that strikes a harmonious balance between old and new, embracing the best of both worlds. We are delighted and all the more so on seeing the plush bathroom and bathtub along with our fluffy slippers and bath robes in which to lounge about and curl up to watch a film on the large flat­screen television. Before succumbing to such lazy temptations, we take a turn in the grounds and then sit down to an early supper in the hotel restaurant. Using organic ingredients and fresh seafood straight from the sea, the chef, Patrick Hittos, manages to capture the castle's refined essence in his exquisite, graceful cuisine. This, coupled with the hotel's very own comprehensive wine cellar that could captivate any connoisseur, creates the perfect whole. We are even able to buy a few bottles to take home with us so that once this sojourn in the Château de Cocove **** is over, we can still taste and smell some of its magic in the weeks and months to come.