Château de la Chèvre d'Or

Èze is a fortified village that grew straight out of a rock between Nice and Monaco, and the Chèvre d'Or is threaded through it rather than built as a single block. Rooms and suites are scattered across a handful of old stone houses along the lanes, which means a stay here involves a certain amount of walking up and down steps with a view that makes it worth doing.

The terraces are the reason people come: the sea sits several hundred metres below, and on clear days the coast runs all the way to the Estérel. The kitchen has held Michelin recognition for years, and there is a second, more relaxed restaurant plus a bar cut into the ramparts. A small pool hangs off the cliff edge.

The house has been in business since the 1950s and has grown gradually by acquiring neighbouring properties, which explains its slightly maze-like character. Monaco is fifteen minutes away and Nice airport about half an hour, but the village itself empties of day-trippers by early evening and becomes remarkably quiet.