Le Relais Bernard Loiseau

Incredible 5-star service and comfort. Every detail meticulously observed and included. Delicious breakfast, comfortable bed, cozy room with historical beams, thick robes, beautiful spa. Charming service with a smile. Lovely terrace over the interior garden. We had a delicious dinner at their Bistro so you don’t have to do the Michelin 2-star restaurant.

An afternoon of pampering in the spa with massage and facial was fantastic, followed with dinner in Bernard Loiseau’s famous restaurant was beyond what we could have expected. We felt like royalty. The food, service, and staff was more special than words can say. Thank you for the great experience. A night we’ll never forget.

This hotel was our favorite of three properties we stayed in during a recent tour of Burgundy. Our room was large and had a nice sitting area. The WC was separate from the huge shower and double sink area. So much storage, nice toiletries, and washcloths! There was a small patio off of our room.||The gardens are beautiful and the pool and spa areas are phenomenal. ||We enjoyed a delicious gourmet dinner on the property during our stay, and a really nice breakfast the next morning. Everyone was pleasant and helpful. ||The hotel is in a great location, walkable to the various shops, restaurants, and local parks. ||What a wonderful stay and I hope to go back for a longer visit some day.

A wonderful experience! The management knows that little things matter. Every aspect of the service was outstanding, but the whole team went above and beyond for our family with children. Gifts for the children, a treasure hunt and games room, 2* Michelin ice cream at the pool and even ensuring we knew there were times the children could enjoy the spa. Berangere Loiseau even made the effort to meet us upon departure. Bravo! We loved Le Cote d'Or, the history, the grounds, the building, the spa, the pool and Saulieu. Don't hesitate. We'll be back. Formidable.

We had the privilege to stay for a night and a diner at the restaurant ( not the fine dining) and a spa treatment. What to say beside Amazing stay. Wonderfull service. Relaxing spa face treatment a relaxing night after a long drive. The room under the roof was so cozy that I could stay for days. View on the area, breakfast WOW. Amazing products of course. This was my second stay and will do again and again. Thanks to the Team

Incredibly comfortable and relaxing stay at a beautiful hotel! Many thanks to the staff for accommodating us and our doggo in such a caring and professional manner. We only wishes we planned a longer stay.

Amazing second visit in Saulieu at Bernard Loiseau's resort. Everything is magic from the room to the "British" garden in Burgundy. ||Remarkable dinner with a touch of French "flair" in the selection of awesome local and sea products.||The staff is not only professional, it is also extremely gentle and empathy is not fake there||Will definitely come again and enjoy the good food and the spa in an atmosphere of "simple" luxury

After my challenges of trying every Michelin Stars in Paris and 3 Stars in France, I’m now tackling the « best », meaning the most famous or well known, 2 Stars in France on top of other things (Follow me for the reviews and updates) What’s extraordinary here? A gastronomic character that left an emotional heritage. What’s the best hommage? One unmissable stop on my 2 stars tour was Bernard Loiseau at La Côte d’Or. I’ve discussed in another review (auberge des templiers) on how mythical is the National 6 aka N6. Songs have been written on it. It was dubbed the « happiness highway » since it was the highway going down to the south. Le relai Bernard Loiseau was one of those important stop on that road. But it’s more than that. It’s a name. It’s a legend. The other day I was discussing with a young waiter that might have just been born when Bernard Loiseau left us in 2003, 20 years ago. This waiter was quoting him from a video he saw. In this video, a full of life Bernard Loiseau is showing an old menu to demonstrate how they knew how to live well back in the day (and having Beaujolais in lieu of water, on top of insane wines). Even in the mind of people way to young to have really known him, Bernard Loiseau is a legend because he celebrated a certain « savoir vivre », more focus on « they knew how to live  » rather than « they knew how to behave ». More about celebrating life. 20 years later, it does still resonate in the minds. 20 years later, his message is reaching us strongly, like a warning : Are we lost ? Are we still celebrating life or just pretending to be with some beautiful dishes with fancy names. 20 years later, he’s still there, reminding us. So, I obviously took the « Bernard Loiseau «  hommage menu. But then a strange feeling got the hold of me. I realize that I may not have been true to his logic. He was not nostalgic, he was about life, he was about how ephemeral the cuisine is. I should have taken the menu from the new chef and a great wine in his honor. It’s really hard to dissociate this restaurant to the character. For this particular case, don’t try. Go and watch the videos about him (plenty of them online). Nourish yourself of them. It’s important to keep this light burning. And enjoy your meal here, like you think he would have want you to. The crowd was very French non Parisian when I was there. It’s obviously a solid two stars even if I honestly have an hard assessing due to the BL effect. Next time I’ll take the “délice” menu which is may be a better hommage to do to him.

The restaurant is in a greenhouse-like corner of the hotel of the same name, which looks out onto an internal garden with sculptures of dogs and ostrich. We had for dinner one vegetarian 5 course and one Hommage Aux Saveurs menu with a substitution of the foie gras dish from the Mes Racines menu for the "Brochet A La Falcon D'une Fôchouse" white fish appetizer. The service is very warm and the waiters only know the word yes--just the kind of service deserving of a 2 or 3 Michelin white tablecloth fancy restaurant. The first dish was a great collection of local vegetables that struck us both as similar to Blue Hill at Stone Barns. We immediately Wikipedia'd the restaurant and learned that the previous head chef before he committed suicide was famous for using local fresh ingredients and low cream, revolutionary in his generation for French Haute Cuisine. Foie Gras dish was Bomb; I snuck a bite and it was delicious, perfect hot temperature, and not too fatty. The vegetarian dish for that course was a green asparagus with an egg cream. Savory dish for meat eater was veal served pink; savory dish for vegetarian was a layered potato with melted cheese and fresh cilantro on top. The cheese spread was amazing, and the wine was very overpriced compared to the Burgundy joints we visited.

Bernard Loiseau lived and died a legend. If you don't know to whom I refer, read "The Perfectionist" about the life of this legendary French chef who battled depression his entire career, but still became a Three-Michelin star chef. When reports came out that he was going to lose a star, he shot himself at a fairly-young age. If that doesn't make you want to stay and dine at his legendary hotel and restaurant, well, read the book, and then book it. Tucked away in a small town in Burgundy, lies the Relais Bernard Loiseau. It is a gorgeous, yet unconventional, hotel. It has large cabin-like rooms, and a beautiful spa downstairs where I did indulge in a treatment or two. While the hotel is gorgeous, gourmands flock far and wide for the legendary food and to clench a bit of the legend. As an ignorant non-foodie, I did not know much about Loiseau, when I arrived, but, was quickly educated. There is not much to do in this little town, with the exception of a few bars and the hotel and gift shop attached. It is very quaint and lovely. The restaurant is in word: astonishing. Each course is elegantly and gloriously prepared. I still think about their signature cocktail, my first frog leg, and the tenderness of the beef. The dining rooms are incredible, as is the lounges where you enjoy your cocktails and wine. I would recommend challenging your palette to one of the set menus. The pastries are divine. The hotel in general has exceptional service. They even provided us with our own driver/certified sommelier for wine tasting throughout burgundy. It really doesn't get any better than this. If you ever find yourself in France, it is worth the drive (only two hours if you don't get lost from Paris).