Appart'Hôtel Les Cordeliers ★★★★

I didn’t know much about Dijon before I arrived. Of course I had heard of the mustard, and the Burgundy wine produced nearby, but that was really the extent of my knowledge. I’m not sure exactly what I was expecting, but I certainly didn’t realise that it was somewhere quite so charming. The city centre is filled with elegant medieval and Renaissance buildings and there are many museums and galleries celebrating the city’s cultural heritage. The Appart’Hotel Oralys Les Cordeliers is in a great location for exploring, right in the heart of the city and is itself very charming with its setting in a former cloister. But while the original building might be historic, the apartments are bright and modern with small, but perfectly formed, kitchenettes.

The food and wine might have been the original reason for my visit, but I was also keen to immerse myself in the culture and history too. The Musée des Beaux-Arts is generally regarded as one of the most outstanding museums in France. The sprawling galleries housed in the monumental Palais des Ducs are home to everything, from Egyptian art to six centuries of European paintings, but as well as the works of great masters there are also exhibitions by local artists which I really enjoyed. After my fix of culture for the day I picked up some supplies for a simple supper on my way back to the hotel and enjoyed a relaxing evening in my apartment planning activities for the rest of my time in Dijon.

I spent the next few days alternating between visits to museums and churches and shopping in the vibrant markets, in addition to just watching the world go by in a neighbourhood bar or bistro as I enjoyed the local gastronomy. Of course, I couldn’t leave without taking a vineyard tour and I spent an enjoyable day tasting some wonderful wines produced in the region. Dijon is a city easily navigated on foot and it was very enjoyable just strolling along the streets taking in the atmosphere, and I couldn’t help feeling that it had been underrated and was losing out to more high-profile destinations.

I loved staying at the Appart’hotel Oralys Les Cordeliers as I had all the comforts and conveniences of a hotel, like the breakfast served in the beautiful vaulted former chapel and the on-site spa, but with the freedom and space of having an apartment. I left a firm fan of Dijon, with a head full of happy memories, a camera full of photographs and a suitcase full of mustard, cheese and wine!