Les Jardins de Joséphine - Le Manoir

The gardens are lovely to walk around, with beautifully laid out grounds and striking beech hedges against white gravel. The entrance is a grand drive once you find it, though the alley is well hidden and a little map would help. There are also two disguised shipping containers with a sign pointing to an office that doesn't exist. Entry is by code, a very efficient self-service setup. HR must be pleased. The place is quiet, and the parking and grounds may be just what you want. It's an interesting experience, and you won't suffer, but I couldn't quite warm to it. After a while, the atmosphere reminded me of an upmarket care home with no carers, plus some young people who'd also paid to be inmates. The manor-style building dates from around 2019, making it more than two centuries too new for the Josephine you're thinking of. The brickwork and modern aluminum double-glazed windows and doors look unweathered. It's not unattractive, just irredeemably faux. Perhaps that's unfair, given the attractive furnishings in the common areas and the coffee machines. If you time it right, you can find someone to sell you a reasonably priced bottle of decent wine. Our second-floor room wasn't spacious, but it was well equipped. So is a Premium Room at a Premier Inn in the UK, though they don't pretend to be boutique. There was no lift, despite this being a new building. Someone seems to have skipped one to save a few sous by staying below the size exemptions in the building regulations. That's inconvenient, especially as the population ages and accessibility requirements tighten, and it narrows the pool of potential guests. Our Josephine, having come down in the world since the start of the 19th century, gets through the door with her hat boxes and bags and finds her room on the second floor. That's the third if she's emigrated to the US. Where's the lift? There must be one. This is a new building. Amazingly, there isn't.