Lagrange City Aparthotel Lyon Lumière ★★★★

A UNESCO world heritage site, Lyon has it all: first-class shopping, antique markets, museums and one of Europe’s largest renaissance neighbourhoods. It has also played a role in the history of cinema. The first public showing of the Lumière brothers’ cinematographe may well have taken place in Paris, but it was in this city that it was invented in 1895, and the hotel is directly opposite L’Institute Lumière in the district of Monplaisir. So lights, camera, action! Time to get ready for a blockbuster of a city. The hotel’s 130 apartments – 104 studios and 26 two-bedroom apartments – are spread between two buildings over five floors (with lifts), set round a shrub-filled courtyard. Some have a balcony or terrace. They marry comfort with functionality, and there is the added bonus of a spa, terrace and buffet breakfast.

Our apartment is modern, clean, simple and, above all, spacious. It’s decorated in white and pale colours with modern and refined furniture. We also have a flat screen TV, air-conditioning, telephone and Wi-Fi. The small kitchen is fitted with ceramic/glass hob, microwave, dishwasher, coffee machine and toaster. The cityscapes of Lyon printed directly onto the walls are a nice touch.

The continental breakfast buffet lives up to what you would expect from France’s capital of gastronomy, and gives us the energy needed to explore the city. The hotel is half way between Metro stations Sans-Souci and Monplaisir Lumière, which will take you to the old town, or Place Bellecour. But we start with the Lumière museum, which is right next door. Next stop is La Maison des Canuts to learn all about the silk trade, whose history is interwoven with that of Lyon. Next we stroll through the cobbled lanes of the old town, explore its traboules, then climb up to La Basilique de Fourviere –a late 19th century basilica – to enjoy stunning views of the city. For a romantic afternoon walk, head for le Parc de la Tete d’Or, a lovely park complete with rose garden, zoo and lake. Pick up some of Lyon’s famous ‘Coussin de Lyon’, a green-coloured, curacao-flavoured, chocolate and marzipan treat, to nibble on while you stroll.

In the late afternoon, after a day’s site-seeing and before the evening’s entertainments begin, take some time out in the hotel’s spa. There’s a hot tub, sauna, steam room and treatment centre, so you can choose to pamper yourself or just relax. The real star of the show is the outdoor hot tub, sitting on the wooden terrace offering a fabulous panorama over the rooftops of the city.

Feeling relaxed and revitalised, it’s time to head out to one of the city’s typical bouchons on La Rue Mercière to enjoy the gastronomic delights Lyon has to offer; common fayre includes sausages, duck pate and roast pork. Of course, a Lyonnais meal wouldn’t be complete without a tasty vintage...as the journalist and writer Léon Daudet once said, “Lyon is a town fed by three great rivers, the Rhone, the Saone and the Beaujolais”.