This northwestern corner of France is located just south of the West Country and is ideal for both long holidays and quick weekenders. The French come here themselves to sample the first class cuisine on offer in the many restaurants, which makes use of local produce like artichokes, cauliflower and seafood. Cider is the favoured drink and the pace of life is slower than at home.

CHATEAU RICHEUX
Cancale, Brittany (00 33 2 99 89 64 76; www.maisons-de-bricourt.com). Some chefs extend their empires across France and beyond, but Olivier Roellinger remains loyal to the seaside town of Cancale. His gastronomic restaurant, the Relais Gourmand Olivier Roellinger (see WHERE TO EAT) is the centrepiece of his collections of hotels and eating places. Château Richeux is a luxurious 1920s villa overlooking Mont-St-Michel. £££

HOTEL LE GOYEN
Place Jean Simon, Audierne, Brittany (00 33 2 98 70 08 88; www.le-goyen.com). This smart property has a good restaurant and rooms overlooking the port. £

LA VOILE D'OR
Allée des Acacias, Sables d'Or Les Pins, Fréhel, Brittany (00 33 2 96 41 42 49; www.la-voile-dor.fr). The nautically themed bedrooms above the restaurant (see WHERE TO EAT) are very 1980s but comfortably equipped. There are more modern finishes and brand new bathrooms in the Lagune annexe next door. £

LES RIMAINS
Cancale, Brittany (00 33 2 99 89 64 76; www.maisons-de-bricourt.com). Another part of Olivier Roellinger's empire, Les Rimains is a tiny hotel with four rooms in a stone cottage overlooking the sea. £££

LE TEMPS DE VIVRE
19 place Lacaze Duthiers, Roscoff, Brittany (00 33 2 98 19 33 19; www.letempsdevivre.net). Jean-Yves and Line Crenn have opened a boutique hotel in the 16th-century granite house next to their restaurant (see WHERE TO EAT). Inside what was once a privateer's house all is minimalist chic, with exposed stone and dark wenge wood. £

MANOIR DU MENEC
Bannalec, Brittany (00 33 2 98 39 47 47; www.manoirdumenec.com). A converted manor with an indoor swimming pool and restaurant, close to Pont-Aven. £

MANOIR DU VAUMADEUC
Pleven, Brittany (00 33 2 96 84 46 17; www.vaumadeuc.com). Everything you'd expect from a small romantic chateau set in the countryside between St-Brieuc and St-Malo: big stone fireplaces, high beamed ceilings and 13 spacious bedrooms with antique furniture. ££

TI AL LANNEC
14 allée de Mezo-Guén, Trébeurden, Brittany (00 33 2 96 15 01 01; www.tiallannec.com). An early 1900s villa with sea views, the hotel has comfortable rooms, effusively decorated with printed fabrics, a good restaurant and a thalassotherapy spa. £££

LA VIEILLE TOUR
75 rue de la Tour, Port du Legue, Plérin, Brittany (00 33 2 96 33 10 30; www.la-vieille-tour.com). Nicholas Adam is a young talent, possessor of a Michelin star and very much part of the young generation of Breton chefs. Located in a row of fishermen's cottages overlooking the estuary, the dark wood and parquet, red leather seats and sophisticated LED lighting are the sort of thing you'd expect in cities like London, Milan or Paris rather than provincial France. But the decor perfectly suits Adam's modern bistro cooking. The Mac'Adam, the fois gras 'burger' with raspberry ketchup, has become a signature dish.

LA VOILE D'OR
Allée des Acacias, Sables d'Or Les Pins, Fréhel, Brittany (00 33 2 96 41 42 49; www.la-voile-dor.fr). La Voile d'Or is a long-slung, 1960s building which overlooks the lagoon at Sables d'Or Les Pins; the view changes from one of sand and grass to one of water almost to the roeadside as the sea comes in. A fish specialist and one of the pioneers of the 'country-maritime' style, chef Michel Helio's sometimes surprising combinations include chitterling sausage with fish, and duck with langoustine. His son Maximin, who has joined the kitchen to make it a family enterprise, tries out new dishes on the weekday lunchtime menu before adding them to the main carte.

LES MAISONS DE BRICOURT
1 rue Duguesclin, Cancale, Brittany (00 33 2 99 89 64 76; www.maisons-de-bricourt.com). When chef Olivier Roelling's Les Maisons de Bricourt were awarded a third Michelin star in 2006, it set the seal on the resurgence of Breton cooking. Roellinger has made his mark by combining the region's fish with subtly blended spices and the restaurant, Relais Gourmand Olivier Roellinger, is housed in the elegant 18th-century mansion where he was born.

LE QUELLEN
18 corniche Goas Treiz, Trébeurden, Brittany (00 33 2 96 15 43 18). Chef Olivier Goarin and his brother Bruno, who mans the front of house, opened Le Quellen in 2003, transforming a simple restaurant ouvrier into a serious, excellent-value restaurant. Olivier has a strong pedigree, having worked at Gleneagles in Scotland and Le Martinez in Cannes, and he puts his personal touch on Breton produce with the use of plentiful herbs and spices. Fish is to the fore, although there is also a meat option. It's all an incredible solo feat by Goarin: from the amuse gueule to the mignardise with the coffee, he does everything in the kitchen himself with the help of just one apprentice.

LE TEMPS DE VIVRE
19 place Lacaze Duthiers, Roscoff, Brittany (00 33 2 98 19 33 19; www.letempsdevivre.net). Set on the main square by the lovely 16th-century Renaissance church, the restaurant occupies the ground floor of a nondescript hotel (see WHERE TO STAY), but the dining room is calm and bright. Chef and owner Jean-Yves Crenn was awarded a Michelin star in 1997 and while his cooking can seem extremely simple at first, the food will linger in your memory.

BREST
One of the biggest cities in Brittany, Brest's most famous must-see draws are the Recouvrance Bridge, Brest Castle, rue de Siam and the military arsenal. Rue de Siam, named after the impressive visit by the King of Siam in 1686, has plenty of cafés and bars where you can spend the day watching people pass by.

ST-MALO
A port city and former island by the English Channel, St-Malo was once famous for its pirates. Nowadays, people come here to discover the historic walled city, the Cathedral of St Vincent, the château and its nautical exhibits, and the many seafood restaurants.

QUIMPER
The capital of the excellently-named Finistère ('end of the world') has plenty of sights: the 12th-century Roman church, priory and medieval garden, the ancient bishop's palace that now houses the Breton Museum, and the pretty houses of Place Terre Au Duc St Mathieu, which have beautiful stained windows, should all be explored. The local Office de Tourisme (00 33 3 98 53 04 05; www.quimper-tourisme.com) can help you plan your visit.

LA ROUTE DES PEINTES DE CORNOUAILLE
This is an award-winning art trail like no other: backed by the Caisse National Monuments Historique (the French equivalent of the National Trust), La Route des Peintres en Cornouaille helps travellers connects the landscapes of Cornouaille, Brittany's south-west corner, with the phenomenal art it inspired between 1850 and 1950. This period saw the province move from a poor and backward area to one of the most prosperous, hi-tech regions of France. All you need to follow the trail is a book, a car and your imagination. The key tool is the 130-page guide named after the trail, available in English, which contains high-quality reproductions of many relevant paintings and a lively explanatory text - it is sold in museums, bookshops and tourist offices around Cornouaille.

April has some of the wild winter weather that suits this rugged grey coast so well, with a welcome touch of spring sunshine.

AIRLINES FROM THE UK
Air France (0870 142 4343; www.airfrance.co.uk) flies daily from Heathrow Airport to Quimper via Paris;
Ryanair (www.ryanair.com) flies directly from London Luton Airport to Brest.

BY BOAT
Brittany Ferries ( www.brittany-ferries.co.uk) sails daily from Portsmouth, Poole, Plymouth and Cork to Roscoff, St Malo and Cherbourg.

BRITTANY TOURIST BOARD
1 rue Raoul Ponchon, Rennes (00 33 2 99 28 44 30; www.brittanytourism.com). The official tourist board has a very good and useful website, which can help you plan your itinerary.