Hôtel Le Sénéchal

Top choice in Île de Ré


The stunning creation of a Parisian architect, this 22-room boutique hotel on the church square in Ars-en-Ré languishes luxuriantly in several traditional old-stone maisons de village and exudes panache and good taste. Scrubbed wooden floorboards, exposed stone walls, designer bathrooms and beautiful fabrics dress each room. Breakfast is served in a flowery courtyard, and there's a pocket-sized heated pool.

Le Sénéchal also has two houses for four or five people, a vast villa and a beautiful 17th-century mill to rent – all fashioned in the same seaside-chic style as the hotel and with hotel service if desired.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Île de Ré attractions

1. Phare des Baleines

3.3 MILES

For an overview of the island, follow the crowds to Phare des Baleines, the island's scarlet-tipped, 59m-tall lighthouse on its northwestern tip. Scale…

2. Clocher Observatoire

7.1 MILES

A hike up the 117 steps inside the bell stone of fortified Église St-Martin rewards with a mighty fine panorama of St-Martin-de-Ré and the coast. The well…

3. Musée Ernest Cognacq

7.26 MILES

This small museum, opposite the tourist office at the entrance to St-Martin de Ré, explores island history through art, ceramics and maritime curiosities…

4. Tour de la Lanterne

17.59 MILES

Easily mistaken for an ornate church spire, the conical 15th-century Tour de la Lanterne is La Rochelle's beauty queen. It was so named because of its…

6. Tour de la Grosse Horloge

17.73 MILES

The gateway to the old city, Tour de la Grosse Horloge is a steadfast Gothic-style clock tower with a 12th-century base and 18th-century top.

7. Tour de la Chaîne

17.75 MILES

To protect the harbour at night in times of war, an enormous chain was raised between the two 14th-century stone towers at the harbour entrance to La…

8. Musée des Beaux-Arts

17.75 MILES

La Rochelle's Museum of Fine Arts, housed inside a stunning neoclassical building, hosts an impressive collection of 15th- to 20th-century art.