La Chambre d'Alice

Naturist chambre d'hôtes with a single room, for two people, in the home of Christine and Gilles in Fontcrépon, a village of around a hundred inhabitants in the hills of the Val d'Allier, 15 km from Issoire and 27 from Clermont-Ferrand, with the A75 motorway ten minutes away. The room is a 35 m² studio with stone walls, a bathroom with shower and a small courtesy kitchenette (not designed for cooking); some find it cool in summer but without a view, as it lies partly below garden level. The garden, well tended and full of nooks, is shared with the owners, as are the infinity pool reserved for naturists and the spa under a transparent dome, both with views of the Sancy range; the whole property is naturist. Breakfast, generous and homemade, is included in nightly stays (but not in weekly lets) and you often have dinner with the hosts, whom guests describe as very welcoming and attentive. Christine and Gilles also offer tantric massages for couples, which the website presents as a sensory experience of letting go and of desire: something worth knowing before booking. It is a quiet place, for couples seeking peace and well-being, and a base for walking among the volcanoes of the Auvergne, where there is no shortage of waymarked trails. The owners have a dog; some found that the jacuzzi was charged extra and, on one occasion, that the pool was not in good order. With an FFN licence you get a free spa day. Open all year round, booking by phone or email with a deposit.