I am in southern France, where three splendid new openings have taken place this summer, and I suggest you add them to your list. Specifically, I am on the verandah of the Hotel la Prison, perched on a high bluff next to the cathedral in Beziers. It has just opened as a boutique hotel, and beautifully done it is too. Stay here before it catches on and the prices rise. To the east, in the town of Agde, Chateau Laurens is a one-man folly: an extravagant mansion created by Emmanuel Laurens, with Art Deco, Art Nouveau, and Hollywood flourishes. And to the west, in Narbonne, the spectacular new Narbo Via houses a collection of funerary monuments rescued from the old Roman walls. All are easy to connect by rail in a matter of minutes, and I urge you to add them to your travel list.
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