Le Domaine de Verchant Relais & Châteaux

English is spoken by the hotel team, alongside French, so you can sort out the practical details without resorting to hand signals after a long day. Le Domaine de Verchant is a Relais & Châteaux hotel with a polished, grown-up feel, built around food, wine-country surroundings and time spent properly switching off.

This is a good fit if diving is one part of a wider Montpellier stay rather than the whole programme. You have a spa, two swimming pools, a bar, restaurants and enough space for a quiet afternoon when the idea of another activity feels about as appealing as a leaking mask strap.

The hotel is in Castelnau-le-Lez, at 1 boulevard Philippe Lamour, just outside Montpellier. The town centre is only a few minutes away, giving you access to the city without putting you in the middle of its traffic and late-night noise.

The nearby Château de Flaugergues, Esplanade de l'Europe and Corum Convention Centre give you straightforward options for an outing between dives. A golf course is around 2 miles away, while the hotel itself has gardens and a terrace for staying put when the sensible plan is to do very little.

For a couple, the double rooms keep things simple: a proper double bed, air conditioning, heating, a private bathroom, Wi-Fi, a safe and a minibar. That last detail earns its keep when you return warm, thirsty and in no mood to go looking for an open shop. Bathrobes and slippers help with the transition from travel clothes to evening mode.

If outdoor space matters, look towards the terrace rooms or terrace suites. They give you somewhere to sit without having to descend to the public areas, which is useful when one of you wants fresh air and the other wants to remain horizontal. The junior and prestige suites are the more spacious choices for a stay where the room is part of the plan rather than merely the place where the luggage is abandoned.

Families and longer stays are catered for through the apartments and the Small House. The room range also includes family accommodation, although the exact sleeping arrangements depend on the category selected. Across the accommodation, you can expect private bathrooms and, depending on the room, toiletries, a hairdryer, telephone and additional storage or living space.

There are two restaurants, both open for lunch and dinner. Marcelle works with Mediterranean cooking, built around seasonal produce and a more creative approach than the usual post-dive plate of something fried. La Plage sits among the vineyards, giving the meal a distinct setting rather than making every evening feel like a repeat of the last.

One bar, simply called Le bar, handles the drinks between meals or the final glass before bed. Breakfast is available, while the exact meal arrangement depends on the booking selected, so check the board basis rather than assuming the morning meal is automatically included. There is also coffee, tea and bottled water on site for the less ambitious moments of the day.

The main reason to stay here when you are not diving is the spa. It covers 2,150 square metres and includes massages, facial treatments and exclusive RESET programmes, with a sauna, steam room and indoor pool adding the practical bits for tired shoulders and legs. Outdoor swimming is available as well, so you can choose between a proper swim and the more common holiday technique of floating until somebody asks about dinner.

A high-tech Fitness Club is available if you still have energy to spend, and there are table-tennis facilities and a tennis court for something less structured. Golf is available nearby, at around 2 miles, while bicycle hire, hiking and the hotel garden offer ways to get outside without turning the afternoon into an expedition.

The library, terrace and sun terrace suit the quieter end of the scale. Families have access to a play area and babysitting, and pets are accepted, which makes the property workable for a broader trip rather than a narrowly defined diving stop.

Reception is open around the clock, useful when travel plans refuse to behave or a flight arrives at an inconvenient hour. Check-out is at noon. The hotel has Wi-Fi, on-site parking, an electric-vehicle charging station and a taxi-booking service, so arrival by car or by transfer can be arranged without turning the front desk into an obstacle course.

A concierge, tourist-excursion assistance, luggage storage, laundry and dry-cleaning services cover the useful details of a longer stay. The property is wheelchair accessible, and express check-in and check-out are available. Visa, Mastercard and American Express are accepted, along with cash, PayPal and bank transfer.

The hotel is non-smoking and accepts pets. Air conditioning and heating are available, and the rooms include the basics needed for a comfortable night: a private bathroom, Wi-Fi and, according to category, a minibar, toiletries, safe and bathrobes.