Plates Farm Hotel review: A luxury vegan getaway?

As a long-term fan of Plates, London’s Michelin-starred vegan fine dining restaurant, I was thrilled to hear they’d opened a hotel in south-west France, with the same ethos and look as the restaurant.

On a recent trip to France, where I also explored the vegan food scene in Toulouse, I booked a three-night stay at Plates Farm Hotel to get a good feel for the place and the local area.

Before I even arrived, the host, Matt, had booked me into a few local restaurants with vegan options. This was a welcome change from my experience elsewhere in the French countryside (like the Blue Dot Hotel), where finding vegan food was much harder. Needless to say, I had very high hopes for this stay.

Read on for my full Plates Farm Hotel review, covering the location, the rooms, the food and whether it’s worth the price.

Book your Plates Farm Hotel stay here

My experience

Here’s everything I thought (and loved) about my time at Plates Farm Hotel.

The location

Plates Farm Hotel is located amongst the beautiful rolling hills of the Gascony region of France. It’s in a remote spot, about 10 minutes’ drive from the closest town, which makes the place incredibly quiet and peaceful. I hadn’t slept so well in ages!

Unfortunately, I arrived after all the heatwaves, so most of the local countryside looked very dry and brown. But I imagine it would look incredible at other times, surrounded by so many fields of sunflowers and tree-lined roads.

I’d recommend hiring a car if you want to explore the local area. It’s just 1.5 hours from Toulouse and a little more from Bordeaux, so you can fly in and hire a car. If not, you can arrange an airport transfer with the hotel and make the most of the hotel and all its beautiful spaces. Plus, you can hire e-bikes to get out and about.

The amenities

Plates Farm Hotel is well equipped with plenty of amenities. The key selling point for me is the kitchen, which is available to use throughout your stay, so you can bring your own food to cook. They also have chefs who can cook for you, for a fee (more on that below).

On top of this, they have a small gym (with a treadmill, bike, rowing machine and some weights), a sauna, and a cold plunge / hot tub. There’s also a games room with board games, a pool table and a space to listen to records.

There are plenty of outdoor spaces to chill in, including a patio area with loungers, chairs and tables, as well as the saltwater pool with its fantastic view, and a table tennis table.

Overall, this hotel has SO much to offer. If you’re after a holiday where you stay put and enjoy, you’ll certainly be able to do that here.

The room

Just like the rest of the hotel, the rooms at Plates are beautifully designed, with a clean, rustic farmhouse style, lovely linen bedding, and a bottle of champagne waiting on arrival. It was the perfect space for a relaxing holiday.

My room had a huge jacuzzi tub, which was just the icing on the cake. I could have spent many hours just hanging out in the room.

The food

Each morning, there was a wonderful vegan breakfast spread out in the kitchen. This is included in the price of your room. It was made up of freshly brewed coffee, orange juice, locally made vegan croissants and pain au chocolat (they worked with a local bakery on the recipe!), fresh baguette, vegan butter, avocado and tomatoes, fruit and jams. It was honestly one of the best hotel breakfasts I’ve had, and I looked forward to it every morning.

The hotel can also arrange a private-style dinner for you at the hotel with one of their chefs. It’s a four-course dinner with a few options for locally made wines. 100% vegan food, of course. My dinner included gazpacho, a beautiful tomato salad, tofu saag with a spring onion relish, and a lemon posset. It was comforting and homely.

It wasn’t quite like the food they serve at their restaurant in London (which is more fine dining), but it was a lovely experience. They also run retreats where they offer fine-dining menus.

There are also a few restaurants nearby offering vegan menus, including Mr Guss in Nérac (a stunning town) about 30 minutes’ drive away, and Le Bastard in Lectoure about 15 minutes’ drive away. The host can help arrange the reservations for you. The food was enjoyable at both, with a fine-dining approach, but it was a little veg-heavy, with little protein and lots of carbs, like pasta or pastry.

The price

I was very impressed with the Plates Farm Hotel experience, and I believe it was worth every penny. At the time of booking, it cost €200 per night, which includes breakfast. It’s a luxury stay in a beautiful location, with great amenities.

You can spend a similar amount on other hotels in France, including the vegan Blue Dot Hotel, which is also on the luxury side of things. As for the vegan hotels in Italy (like Agrivilla i Pini), you’ll be looking at more than €200 per night. So, all in all, I’d say it’s excellent value.

Plates Farm Hotel review verdict

I had a super relaxing three-night stay at Plates Farm Hotel. The space was beautiful. I loved sitting in the kitchen lounge area playing old records, and floating around in the saltwater pool. Not to mention hanging out with the adopted farm cat, Ceci.

It was really handy being able to cook lunches in the kitchen. And all the food we had cooked for us was delicious.

Matt, the host, was extremely helpful and attentive, but also quite hands-off, so it always felt like you had the hotel to yourself. Like a second home, but with all the convenience of a hotel.

I’m already keen to return, hopefully for one of their retreats!

Book your Plates Farm Hotel stay here