Hotel Richer de Belleval

Set in the centre of Montpellier, Hotel Richer de Belleval is made for a city break with a proper place to sleep, eat and regroup between outings. The address sits on Place de la Canourgue, with the historic centre beginning around you rather than somewhere reached by taxi.

This is a polished urban hotel rather than a resort built around staying on site all day. You can use it as a comfortable base for exploring Montpellier, return to a quiet, well-equipped room, and sit down to dinner without turning the evening into another logistical exercise. The hotel's website is available in both French and English.

The building dates from 2020 and contains 50 rooms. A 24-hour reception, concierge service, luggage storage and free Wi-Fi keep the practical side of the stay straightforward.

The address is Place de la Canourgue in Montpellier, France, right in the city centre. Place de la Canourgue, the Atger Museum and the Hôtel de la vieille intendance are all nearby, so the hotel works particularly well if you would rather explore on foot than spend your evenings looking for parking.

Montpellier's historic streets and main points of interest are close enough to fold into an unhurried walk before dinner. The hotel is not on the coast; the Mediterranean is reached separately, while the airport is around 7 miles away.

For drivers, parking is available at the hotel. The property is also accessible by wheelchair, with an accessible restaurant and a lift.

The room choice is broad, but the useful distinction is simple: choose a double room for a straightforward couple's stay, a twin arrangement when two divers prefer separate beds, or a single room when you are travelling alone and want to keep things compact. The Superior category includes a courtyard-facing double option, while the junior suite with balcony gives you a little more room to spread out and step outside.

Air conditioning matters when you come back warm, salty and ready to stop thinking for the day. Standard, Comfort, Superior, Executive, Grandiose and junior-suite categories include air conditioning, blackout blinds and soundproofing, along with heating for cooler nights. That combination is more useful than a decorative list of cushions: you can darken the room, cool it down and close the city out.

The better-equipped rooms include a private bathroom, toiletries, towels, bathrobe and slippers, as well as a mini-bar, bottled water, tea and coffee facilities, a safe, television and Wi-Fi. A desk is available in several categories if you need to deal with a few messages before dinner. For a low-fuss night, the standard double does the job; for a stay where the room is part of the plan, the junior suite with balcony is the one to look at.

There are two restaurants, and they cover rather different moods. Jardin des Sens serves gastronomic cuisine in an interior setting that retains its original decor and notable frescoes. Lunch runs from 12:00 to 14:30, while dinner is served from 19:30 to 22:00, with a casual dress code rather than a ceremony requiring its own suitcase.

La Canourgue takes the more relaxed route, with bistronomic cooking on the terrace. Its food is described as simple, generous and flavourful, which is exactly the sort of brief that makes sense when you have spent the day moving around rather than posing for the menu.

Breakfast is available at the hotel, and restaurant dining is on site. The meal arrangements attached to a booking depend on the selected rate, so check the room offer if breakfast matters to your morning routine.

Montpellier does most of the entertaining here. From the hotel on Place de la Canourgue, you can set off on foot through the historic centre, browse the nearby museums and points of interest, then return to the terrace without having to plan an expedition around it.

For a slower hour indoors, the hotel has newspapers, a terrace, a boutique and concierge assistance. The concierge can help arrange excursions, while the ticketing service is useful when the next outing needs a little more organisation than a stroll around the square.

The practical comforts are there for the less glamorous parts of travel too: luggage storage, laundry and dry-cleaning services, a safe and a lift. Pets are welcome, and the property is non-smoking.

Check-in is available from 15:00 until midnight, and check-out is by 12:00. Reception operates around the clock. Guests arriving by car can use the available parking, while an airport transfer can be arranged privately or as a shared shuttle through the hotel on request.

Montpellier–Méditerranée Airport is around 7 miles away. Contact the hotel on the eve of arrival for the check-in instructions, particularly if you expect to arrive late. The concierge can assist with excursions and tickets, and Wi-Fi is available free of charge throughout the stay.

Visa, Mastercard, American Express and cash are accepted. The hotel also offers wheelchair-accessible facilities, an accessible restaurant and lift access.