At first glance, my arrival at the Hotel Chais Monnet and Spa doesn't appear to be particularly welcoming. Thick imposing walls conceal what was once a 19th-century trading house and cellars owned by ...

As a drink, cognac needs no introduction. As a destination, however, it hasn’t made quite such a name for itself. The small town, about an hour-and-a-half drive north of Bordeaux, sits in a prime ...

We took a short hop to southwestern France for an altogether more sophisticated take on the typical boozy weekend break. No bar crawls and crazy cocktails here – when we experienced the beautiful town ...

We jetted off to the charming southwest of France for a refined twist on your usual alcohol-filled weekend getaway. Forget pub crawls and wild drinks – our visit to the picturesque town of Cognac was ...

It’s a rare hotel that takes pride in its mould. But then Hôtel Chais Monnet & Spa in Cognac, southwestern France, is no ordinary hotel. And Baudoinia compniacensis is no ordinary mould. The fungus is ...

The distillery town of Cognac lies off the tourist route, making it ideal for a weekend break that genuinely feels like a getaway. Our Life&Style editor Steve Dinneen stayed at the wonderful Hotel ...

Jay Z stayed here for the launch of his own cognac brand (Picture: Solene Guillaud) The man showing me around the top suite at the Hotel Chais Monnet and Spa is far too Gallic and discreet to reply ...

Hotel Chais Monnet & Spa is a great place to stay in the birthplace of the brandy Hotel Chais Monnet & Spa “Cognac is a town from the Middle Ages,” says the disarmingly enthusiastic Cristiano Morelli, ...

You’ve done the Chateau visit, with a delightful vertical tasting of the last six vintages of the merlot/cabernet franc/cabernet sauvignon blend and a tour of the cellar’s new pumpover system. You’ve ...

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Beware of those commission scofflawsFor whatever reason -- sometimes it's malicious, often it's just a simple error -- it can be exceedingly difficult for advisors ...