Cour des Loges

WALKING INTO COUR DES LOGES feels rather like entering a medieval Florentine villa. A glass atrium canopies the lobby, surrounded by soaring arched balconies and interior courtyards.

Take four magnificent Italian Renaissance houses tucked into the cobbled streets of medieval Lyon. Artfully link their 14th century stone walls, then play unexpected tricks with the ancient interior by overlaying history in an artfully contemporary style, and you have Cour des Loges.

Bold colours, contemporary artworks and giant candlesticks add touches of audacious confidence, setting off the time-worn stone and ancient surrounds to perfection. It's a stunner.

Rooms at Cour des Loges are seductive and theatrical; and how. Opulent schemes combine velvets, silks, damasks and linens; antiques, tapestries and objets d’art juxtapose modern furniture and art. Colours major on chic slate grey, taupe and terracotta.

Bathrooms, designed by Starck, boast double baths, jacuzzis, and power showers. All feel private. Superior Italienne rooms will tick all the boxes, while the Piazzetta suite, with its podium bed, provides yet more visual drama.

Private roof gardens

Our opulent bed with giant pillows and a crushed velvet throw had wicked intentions writ large across it. Pearl-white bedlinen, a hand-frescoed headboard and intimate lighting set the tone, while views over the private fourth floor roof gardens, basking in the spring sunshine, were an added plus. Our similarly lavish bathroom sported a huge double bath with the loo artfully tucked away behind a mirror.

This is France’s gastronomic capital, and cooking at the Cour des Loges deeply smart Café Epicerie not surprisingly dazzles. Eclectic menus feature grilled Brittany lobster tail with Japanese red shiso cress; saddle of rabbit with beetroot; scallops with poached rhubarb. Expect terrific breakfasts, too: we were taken with the spread of springy freshly-baked breads and cured ham to carve off the bone.

Outside, Lyon buzzes. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage site so culture vultures have rich pickings. Here in Vieux Lyons, you're surrounded by the winding alleys, cobbled courtyards and towers of a medieval gem. River walks and markets are not far away.

Having succumbed to a night in on the day we arrived, we were happy to plot a night out over cocktails in the darkly intimate bar next day. The very savvy concierge was more than helpful. So much, in fact, that we decided that to do this place justice, we'd need to stay an extra night.

© Room for Romance