A leisurely breakfast at 9am in the courtyard at La Maison de Rhodes. This was a simple but beautifully prepared breakfast in a glorious surround, the bread was perfect, the freshest squeezed orange juice, yoghurt and plump cherries with apple purée. A perfectly boiled egg with crisp white bread. The attention to detail on such a simple breakfast was only bettered by the outstanding produce.

This set us up for the long journey to Lyon, our next resting place for 2 nights. I have been to Villa Florentine on numerous occasions, 5 star hotel with 1 Michelin star restaurant. We arrived at Villa Florentine at about 3pm and we headed straight to the pool. Our reservation for 2 nights was not confirmed by email and on arrival our reservation was for 1 night only. We were upgraded to a suite, which we later found out (on our bill) that this upgrade had been charged to our account. A glass of Cotes du Rhone blanc by the pool €27 per glass, excessive by any standard. The famous restaurant was closed on Mondays, so we headed off down to Rue du Bœuf and picked out one of the nicer looking establishments, La Chimère at No. 14. The waiter was rude to the point of amusement. They did not have a menu in English and although the waiter spoke English he did his best not to be helpful. Heidi had a Duck Fagita which she described as succulent, melted in the mouth and totally yummy. I had a wok dish of squid with star anise and balsamic jus with jasmine rice. The food gave an instant wow factor. Prepared by a clearly very accomplished chef. We shared a trio of ice cream and each had a glass of cote Rotie, all for just €75, great value, great food and an amusing if not helpful waiter. Really enjoyed.

Back to the hotel to a now much cooler suite. The air conditioning was turned off at reception. This now made our duplex suite with spiral stair much more pleasant and the great views of the city were enjoyed with a Vodka Martini and Heidi had a sans alcohol cocktail.