Classical music, leather armchairs, a stone fireplace over which a few salmon are being smoked, a décor designed to instil a sense of absolute calm – the stage is set. Le Soldat de l’An II provides a calm restful setting. It is a Relais et Châteaux hotel in a former farmhouse not far from the rich historic centre of Phalsbourg. Breakfast here includes foie gras and scrambled eggs with truffles. George Victor Schmitt, the owner, sums the hotel up in one word - happiness. The menus depend on the morning’s arrivals – Breton lobster, game from the forest and a phenomenal wine list of one thousand wines. The terrace is well-shaded by trees, the richly-decorated upstairs dining room has a mezzanine and all the tableware is Limoges porcelain. This is quality at its very best.

Each of the seven bedrooms, including one suite, has its own identity and it can be an unexpected one when the warm comfortable bedding is juxtaposed to an open-end suite with a solid marble shower. The one suite is furnished with traditional Lorraine furniture. Stained-glass windows and parquet flooring complete the refined atmosphere inspired by the 18th century.
Note the private car park.