Hôtel François 1er

Top choice in La Rochelle


This 36-room themed hotel, squirrelled away in a centuries-old bourgeois mansion, is a secret museum of street art and rock memorabilia. Monumental portraits by local photographer Marie Monteiro dominate otherwise dazzling white rooms, and original works by France's top street artists pepper public areas. There are numerous acrobatic figures stencilled in white by Jérôme Mesnager and wildly expressive, plaster-cast faces by Gregos.

Guests can don a pair of headphones and listen to music in front of the faux fire in the lounge, or linger in the bar beneath the alluring gaze of David Bowie and exquisite portraits crafted in feathers by Île de Ré artist Marie-Ange Daudé. Pieces change every month and owners Guirec and Ida, passionate collectors for the last 30-odd years, are happy to talk guests through their huge collection.