Mildiss Hotel Spa & Restaurant, BW Signature Collection

Perched at just over a thousand metres in the valleys of the Auvergne, the Mildiss Hotel Spa & Restaurant, BW Signature Collection, Besse-et-Saint-Anastaise, France, is a four-star retreat for a restorative escape, wrapped in forests and meadows about fifteen minutes from the Super-Besse ski area, with a restaurant, a bar, and a spa featuring a jacuzzi, sauna, and hammam. Wellness treatments and an atmosphere of understated, warm elegance make every stay a memorable experience, while a regular programme of exhibitions adds a cultural touch. The elevated green setting keeps the air fresh and the pace unhurried. Besse is an old black-lava village in the volcanic heart of the Auvergne, near the deep crater lake of Pavin and the summit of the Puy de Sancy, the highest peak in central France, with the ski runs of Super-Besse, the spa town of Le Mont-Dore, and the walking trails of the Volcans d'Auvergne park all close by. Up here, the old grey-stone houses and the rounded green volcanoes feel a world apart.