THE FACTS ABOUT ABBAYE DE LA BUSSIERE

France

The magnificent, 12th-century Abbaye de la Bussière, cocooned in a beautiful, ornamental park, is a truly luxurious base from which to explore Burgundy's rich history, culture, cuisine and vineyards. Much of the original abbey has gone, but 10 sumptuous bedrooms and two restaurants have been built in what remains, interwoven with stone staircases, ancient colonnades and huge, stained-glass windows. There is also a crypt, and a 14th-century winepress and cellar in the grounds. The English owners (of Amberley Castle in West Sussex fame) have splashed out on their new venture, and the bedrooms are every bit as good as the restaurant, providing a welcome retreat for gourmands, oenophiles and honeymooners alike. Bedrooms vary from grand country-house style with four-poster beds to cosy ateliers with sloping roofs and exposed beams, but it is the bathrooms with baths the size of plunge pools, vast showers and sleek basalt basins that most impress. Downstairs, talented chef Olivier Elzer feeds body and soul with lunchtime bistro and gastronomic dinner menus which, from the aromatic monkfish to the groaning regional cheese trolley, work in perfect harmony with the generous beds upstairs. WHEN TO GO Until a swimming pool is built, it's probably a good idea to avoid the summer. ROOM TO BOOK Depends if you are more abbot or monk, but the first-floor rooms are the biggest, and 'Fontenay' has wonderful lakeside views and a palatial bathroom. CONTACT La Bussière-sur-Ouche, Dijon, Burgundy, France (00 33 3 80 49 02 29; www.abbayedelabussiere.fr). COST Doubles from 160 euros; Fontenay from 295 euros