Fodor's Expert Review Hôtel Villa Navarre

In the 1800s, Pau became home to a colony of elite British expats (including famed climber Henry Russell), who were drawn by the mountains and climate, and evidence of that era remains at Villa Navarre: built in the second half of the 19th century, it’s the only English manor in Pau open to overnight guests and one of only two hotels in town with views of the High Pyrénées. You can almost see Russell’s ghost (with a drink in hand) haunting the estate's grand gardens and refined common areas. Rooms are spacious with an understated English influence (picture classic plaid upholstery and stately antiques, or gray-and-black-tone furnishings). The genteel setting also comes with an on-site restaurant that offers typically French haute cuisine and a spa with a heated indoor pool.