Grand Hôtel Henri ★★★★

When my husband suggested a prolonged weekend in France for our anniversary, I was looking forward to it, but not expecting anything extraordinary. After all, in the years before we met, and the many years since, I have explored most of the desirable corners of our neighbours across the channel and, after a while, the hotels all blur more or less into one, if not the fabulous locations. The Grand Hôtel Henri was a different case altogether. This hotel is simply steeped in history, with its first appearance documented in 1785 as the Hôtel de Chartres, before it was notably the residence of choice of Empress Eugénie in 1867. From there, it had an extremely illustrious history, until Henri Toppin purchased it in 1969 and it became a family holding.

Because the Grand Hôtel Henri is all about family gatherings and festive occasions, when M. Toppin first bought it, he turned it into a place for village festivities. Weddings, birthdays, conferences, or even extended family gatherings took place here. Now, after a full renovation and celebrating its incredible 230th anniversary as a hotel legend, the Grand Hôtel Henri combines this warm family feeling and rich history with opulent design and modern comforts. Forget your typical chain hotels: This is something quite special!

As for its location, my husband couldn’t have picked a more idyllic spot. Isle sur la Sorgue is one of those French marvels that makes you wonder how it has managed to stay unspoiled all these decades. This charming old town is overflowing with unique little antique stores, dinky little cafés and some fabulous restaurants, all jostling for space around some of the prettiest babbling streams you will ever see. Here, the Kodak moments are plentiful, with crumbling stone bridges and archaic water mills creating a beautiful aesthetic of old-time France.

As we walked into the hotel, this sense of historic opulence continued in the Carrara marble and antiques that embellished each area. Modern comfort was not forgotten, however, with our room welcoming us in with its soft pastel colours, wonderfully soft bed and selection of luxury Annick Goutal bath products for some serious indulgence.

So far, so great, but still nothing extraordinary. That is, until you get a sense of the personal touches that fill each corner of this hotel, with antiques collected from the village, and beyond, adding a unique sense of family style, and the original decorative choices showing a proud imprint of the Toppin family’s own particular tastes.

Once we had unpacked, we decided to head straight to the hotel’s restaurant for dinner, and were greeted with even more intimate and personal touches. Julien Toppin, Henri Toppin’s grandson, has taken it upon himself to restore the restaurant, which now blends the fabulous expertise of award-winning Chef Pascal Ginoux along with Olivier Bouzon, firmly local ingredients, seasonal produce, and a real sense of family joviality.

Spending our days having leisurely breakfasts on the veranda, wandering the boutiques and cafés of Isle sur la Sorgue, and coming back for dinner or drinks, it became clear that this family welcome was infectious, really making us feel at home and drawing us back every evening. The Grand Hôtel Henri truly won us over during our few days, and we are looking forward to coming back soon!