Travel magazines exhort us to venture into lesser-known neighborhoods to eat “authentic” this and “nontouristy” that, but there’s something to be said for dining in a wonderful restaurant right in the very place we’re staying. It’s so easy and relaxing, and superb cuisine amid beautiful surroundings is an amenity that we’ve come to expect at the best hotels and resorts. We had the fortune to dine in many excellent hotel restaurants this past year, but these examples truly stood out.

Le Chantecler

Le Negresco, Nice, France

The chartreuse-and-fuchsia color palette of Le Negresco’s Michelin one-star dining room belies the subtle and sophisticated dishes created by chef Virginie Basselot. Our meal started with a fantastic assortment of delicate amuse-bouches, including a bite-size pastry that was a nod to the pissaladière, an anchovy and caramelized onion tart that’s one of Nice’s most famous street foods. Next came a succulent tartare of Mediterranean sea bass and Normandy oysters in a light cream sauce topped with Sologne caviar and an exquisite cod with local saffron, Japanese tapioca pearls, mussels and fennel. If only we could return tonight to sample the latest items on the menu.