A spirited escape to France’s most storied town, where heritage houses, polished hospitality and exceptional food make for a refined weekend away
Cognac is a name we know well from drinks trolleys and after-dinner menus, but as a destination, it’s far more intriguing than the bottle might suggest. Set on the Charente River, around an hour and a half from Bordeaux, the town is compact, elegant and pleasingly uncrowded. It has the calm confidence of somewhere that knows exactly what it has given the world and, as we soon discover, it is rightly proud.
We arrive in time for lunch at Poulpette, a small, relaxed, contemporary eatery that sets the tone nicely. This is not a town that rushes you. Over good food and stylish glasses that catch the afternoon light, we start to ease into the pace of the place. Cognac may be synonymous with one of France’s most famous exports, but the real pleasure is discovering how naturally that heritage slips into the everyday. Here, we’re immediately met with groaning shelves of decorative bottles containing the liquid gold, some names we know well, others we are soon to discover.
Our first proper immersion comes at Maison Hennessy, with a private tour that includes the Exception Paradis experience. Even for those who think they know the brand, the visit adds real depth, with access to the Founder’s Cellar, a historic 1774 building usually closed to the public and home to some of Hennessy’s rarest eaux-de-vie. We enjoy a very brief river crossing before moving into the Pavillons Cellar, where Hennessy’s MOBILIS VR experience proves unexpectedly brilliant: part art installation, part sensory deep-dive, using a mix of poetry and tech to pull you into the world of oak barrels, ageing cellars and the Maison’s fascinating history. We’re giddy, and that’s before we even get started on the cognac tasting.
From Hennessy, we stroll back to Hôtel Chais Monnet & Spa, our home for the weekend. The hotel is one of Cognac’s strongest arguments for coming here in the first place. A former cognac warehouse and distillery, it’s been reimagined as a five-star hotel with 92 rooms and suites, a spa, restaurants, bars and a striking contemporary extension that brings glass and steel into conversation with the old industrial architecture. And it works beautifully. The bones of the building remain visible, but nothing feels overly themed. Inside, the mood is sharp and warm: exposed beams, pale stone, clean-lined furniture, generous bedrooms and a warm colour palette that lets the heritage do the talking. It feels grown-up rather than grandiose, and all the better for it.
There’s enough time to properly appreciate the hotel, and more specifically, the bedroom. Ours is all pale linens, rustic beams and understated French polish with a giant bed that immediately demands a dramatic flop. There’s also a sweet little private garden space, so pleasingly unassuming for a five-star property, where we sit with a coffee for a quiet half-hour before heading for drinks at Rooftop 1838. The view over Cognac is low-rise and lovely, more tiled roofs and church spires than dramatic skyline, which suits the mood perfectly.
Dinner is at La Distillerie, the hotel’s impressive brasserie, where the look is smart, contemporary and very much in keeping with Chais Monnet’s industrial-luxe setting. It’s an easy first-night choice: well-paced service, a seasonal French menu and a room that feels sophisticated without being overly formal. After a day of travel and tastings, it gives us exactly what we need.
The next morning begins with a delicious buffet breakfast back at La Distillerie before we transfer to Maison Brillet, home of Belle de Brillet, in Graves-Saint-Amant. This visit brings a different vibe to the weekend. If Hennessy is all scale and heritage, Brillet is charm and delicacy. Known for its pear and cognac liqueur, the Maison has a gentler energy (read: more feminine) with the tour taking us through cellar, distillery and tasting in a way that feels both intimate and accessible. Belle de Brillet is still rooted in technique and tradition, but the fruit element brings a lighter, more modern feel. Here, we try our hand at cocktail making, which opens our eyes to the fresher side of cognac, far removed from the stuffy after-dinner stereotype.
We travel into the pretty town of Jarnac for a leisurely lunch before a visit to Maison Delamain. Known for its exacting approach, Delamain offers one of the weekend’s most atmospheric visits. Its cellars feel more intimate with worn stone, old barrels and the pungent aroma of Baudoinia, the black distillery fungus that gives the architecture of the region its distinctive dark drama. The tasting here is nuanced, drawing attention to the differences in age, texture, aroma and finish. By now, we’re beginning to pick up distinctions we would have missed the day before: lift, spice, floral notes, depth, dryness. It is satisfying to feel the palate waking up.
Back at Chais Monnet, there’s time to reset before dinner at Les Foudres. This is the hotel’s Michelin-starred restaurant and, visually, it is spectacular. Set beneath enormous old barrels, the room has real impact, but the experience is more refined than theatrical. The Signature menu with pairings is carefully judged, each course perfectly precise, with a strong sense of place running through the cooking. And it’s here that cognac really starts to surprise us. Too often, it’s treated as something reserved for the end of the meal, poured into a heavy glass and approached with reverence. At Les Foudres, it feels more versatile, more contemporary.
Saturday takes us to Maison Hine, another house with a distinct identity. Its links with Britain give the visit an added layer of interest, but the appeal is broader than that. Hine feels elegant and refreshingly individual. The house has history, certainly, but there’s a modernity to it that makes it feel entirely current. If the weekend teaches us anything, it’s that no two cognac houses tell the story of the spirit in quite the same way.
Back at Chais Monnet, the pace slows as we head to the spa, which feels like a well-timed refresh after two days of tastings, dinners and cellar visits. It’s one of the hotel’s biggest draws: sleek, calm and understatedly luxe, with an indoor-outdoor pool, treatment rooms, and plenty of space to properly switch off. We spend the afternoon between the water, the loungers, a heavenly facial, and the rare pleasure of not having to be anywhere for a while. It’s also a reminder that Cognac is not just for spirits enthusiasts. You could come here for the hotel alone and have an excellent weekend.
Fully rested, we head out to explore the town with Destination Cognac. The centre is walkable and charming, with pale façades, cobbled streets, river views and grand houses sitting alongside everyday French life. For all its fascinating history and global names attached to it, Cognac itself remains entirely modest.
For our final evening, we keep things relaxed, heading out on foot and letting the night unfold from there. After the polish of Les Foudres, it feels only right to have something lower-key: an easy dinner, a walk through the town and no real plan beyond enjoying Cognac after dark. We stumble across a live band with revellers spilling out onto the street and it becomes one of those unplanned travel moments that stays with you. We find an outdoor spot and order something cold and refreshing, we’ll admit, not cognac-based this time.
Cognac feels different from when we arrived. More open, more layered. At first, it’s tempting to see the place through its famous houses alone, but the weekend reveals something more interesting: a small French town with a strong sense of identity and a growing appeal as a destination in its own right. There are the obvious pleasures: tastings, cellars, exceptional bottles, polished service. But there’s also strong food, serious design, a superb hotel and an atmosphere that lends itself beautifully to a short escape. Importantly, you do not need to be a cognac expert to enjoy it, though you may leave dangerously close to becoming one.
Nightly rates at Hotel Chais Monnet & Spa start from €320 per room
Hotel Chais Monnet & Spa
50 Av. Paul Firino Martell, 16100 Cognac, France
Destination Cognac
