Les Bulles du Rocher de Fontainebleau

Boulders aside, Fontainebleu is better known for its fab château (25 minutes' drive), continuously occupied by kings and emperors for seven centuries. Napoleon loved this place so much he stopped off for a four-hour visit even as he fled to exile; nowadays, four fine museums and galleries make their home inside the château alongside 1,500-odd rooms done out in lavish style, including Marie-Antoinette’s Turkish-themed boudoir. The châteaux at Courance (15 minutes) and Soubiran (half an hour) are more modest than Fontainebleu but worth a wander, as are the Roman ruins at Sceaux-du-Gâtinais (40 minutes). If you want more high-adrenaline stuff away from the site, the towns of Souppe (half an hour) and Étampes (40 minutes) are both endowed with hefty activity centres for kayaking, diving, luge rides and horse treks. Make time to try the local specialities: in spots like Milly-la-Forêt and Boutigny-sur-Essonne (10 and 20 minutes) you can learn about, taste and buy bucketloads of the prized Gâtinais peppermint, watercress and honey. The latter ingredient finds its way into some very fine regional beers as well. It’s around 45 minutes’ drive to Paris for all that the busy world city has to offer and a fine contrast to the forest peace of your hanging bubble bedroom.