In an earlier post, I raved about Relais & Châteaux and their glorious hotels and restaurants, some of which welcome dogs as guests. A competitor, Grandes Etapes Françaises, owns ten 4-star châteaux and hotels in Alsace, Anjou, Burgundy, the Ile de France, the French Riviera, the Rhône Alpes, and the Val de Loire. We haven’t stayed in any of them, but they look stunning — and a customer service representative told me that dogs are welcome in all ten properties. “Access,” she said, “may be restrained to the restaurant and a few establishments apply additional fees for the night (5 to 15 €).” Be sure, when you’re making your reservation, to ask about rules applying to visiting dogs, so you know exactly what to expect at a given property.