Casa9 Hôtel

Among lush greenery and echoing to the sound of flowing water, this lovely old house with its whitewashed, wood-beamed rooms is a calm haven. Casa 9 feels deliciously remote from the outside world, but the sights of Perpignan are only ten miles (16 km) away. It's a 20-minute drive from the airport and you can be on a Mediterranean beach in less than half an hour. The building is an old Catalan farmhouse, retaining original features such as brick vaults and dark oak doors, but facilities are bang up to date and include a sauna, a pool beside a small brook shaded by bamboo, palms and bougainvillea, and speedy wifi in bedrooms and public spaces. This isn't a full-service hotel (there's no restaurant or bar as such), but the owners provide a lavish continental breakfast and snack platters as well as drinks are available in the evening. Bedrooms are neutrally coloured, even monochrome, with king-sized beds dressed in Egyptian cotton. You'll find fluffy robes, slippers and luxury toiletries in bathrooms. Most rooms have walk-in showers, while a huge duplex suite has a bathroom with a roomy granite tub. Perfect for a short break, but good too as a base for exploring Roussillon and the eastern Pyrénées, which loom hazily on the horizon.