When I had been a young warthog, I fantasised about likely to Provence to live on a farm. I imagined picking grapes during the wine harvest, pummelling all of them with my bare feet to create my very own plonk, love the farmer's son, and frolicking in lush lavender fields with pockets filled with cheese and a trail of baguette crumbs within my wake. Granted, these reveries most def derived from the propagandist Tricolore books, but still, the yearning was real.
Les Baux de Provence. Les. Baux. De. Prov. Ence. Keep in mind that name, as this little town within the South of France is like something plucked straight from a teenage francophile's dream. The area is, unusually for france, famed for that sweet golden olive oil manufactured in the region. This means olive groves punctuate saving money rolling vistas so far as the attention can easily see, while a soft Provencal breeze implies that the skies are perpetually pretty and blue. The landscape is drier than other parts of Provence, and it is characterised through the local stone making for a startling and dramatic panoramic. The jutting rock is coloured by swathes of lush green vegetation, and sweet farmhouses appear to grow from the stone itself, like little freckles. The view stretches for mile after mile, and makes you feel like a speck of dust, floating free and insignificant in a landscape which seems to put everything [Trump, Brexit] into perspective.
The Hotel:
Domaine de Manville is the passion project of a couple who fell in love with a classic farmhouse in the area. The renovated space includes various wings moored to some sun-drenched central courtyard which acts as the heart from the hotel, replete by having an outdoor swimming pool and bar. The primary building may be the original farmhouse, and houses the hotel's two restaurants and most of the 30 bedrooms. Once you step outside you will find the 'Winter Garden' – a sensational conservatory where breakfast is served, the spa, and extra rooms constructed with the region's distinctive limestone taking centre-stage. The hotel is intimate and effortlessly classy, for the reason that classic French way of being nonchalantly chic. The luxury seems to shrug and say 'What, this old thing?'. It's as if such relaxed splendour is simply a given; it's what we deserve, and this is what makes Hotel Domaine de Manville stand out. Apparently the swish and complicated owners designed the hotel 'like their own home', and you may sense that. It isn't OTT and lavish for luxury's sake, it's muted and sexy, it lulls you into believing this may be the norm.
The bedrooms are simply as stylishly slick, using the suites opening onto little antichambers that are ideal for reading, replete with designer furniture, mood lighting and much more ambience than you are able to shake a stick at. The rooms themselves are generous yet cosy, and have the ability to feel both extravagant and homely at the same time. Bathrooms are gorgeously clad with luxury fittings, with copper rain showers and roll-top bath as standard.
My favourite aspect of your accommodation is that they casually offer guests usage of their electric bicycles look around the surrounding area. And boy may be the area worth exploring. There's nothing more liberating than mowing the lawn through smooth country lanes, flanked on either side by breathtaking scenery. The streets are extremely smooth it seems like riding on silk. As well as local vineyards and olive groves to explore (where one can be a part of wine and olive oil tastings respectively), there's two must see spots. Les Baux de Provence is a touch medieval village which sits atop the mountain, and it is like something plucked straight from a postcard. The small village has 25 occupants, and its winding streets lead you up to the crescendo from the Ch^ateau des Baux, with spectacular ruins overlooking the vast valleys of Provence. On your way down again, stop off in the artisan shops which are curated based on the top quality local produce.
After going to the village, for that love of god make sure you get tickets to Carrières de Lumières, that was the only most spectacular experience with my entire life. Carrières de Lumières is a project unlike some other I've ever seen. Huge scale paintings through the great masters (Bosch, Brueghel, Arcimboldo) are projected to the walls of the dark, cavernous cave. And- it is spectacular. I'm able to barely perform the experience justice, but please take my word for this, this is something must see. Intense classical and contemporary music provides a backdrop towards the immersive art, which has been digitalised and adapted to match the space. The projections of the paintings play with the background music to produce a ludicrously trippy and sublime display. You'll find yourself gaping up, together with your gaze taken in the direction of the many transfixing surfaces from the unusual surroundings. The exhibit runs until January 2022, and for those of you who're fans of immersive art, I urge you to definitely pack your bags to Provence, asap.
The Food:
The hotel has two restaurants – the Bistro and the La Table, the previous is really a casual lunch spot, with gorgeous outside sitting area set amidst the Provencal hills. For dejeuner you need to order the truffled scrambled eggs, when the season's right. The brouillade aux truffes, the rolling hills, the sunshine of Provence = bliss. Have a bite of truffled egg, abide by it with a chaser of bread, which will be browsing the basket up for grabs for you personally, sip your wine, and you'll feel- full. Filled with food, yes, but more deliciously, lively, and filled with wonder. All this from an egg! If you aren't in an eggy mood, make sure you order the roasted chicken with tomatoes, mushrooms and chestnuts, (Provence on the plate).
For dinner, make sure to visit the hotel's 'gastronomic restaurant', La Table. It says something, surely, which i went to this restaurant alone with my book, and didn't open it up once over the course of a 3 hour meal – so distracted was I through the food. To start, scallops spliced with truffle. Truffle runs the chance of stealing every dish, as well as in this example, it did, but happily. Next, duck breast with burnt quince is a perfect pairing. Or, if you want to try something a bit alternative, order the crispy sweetbreads with grapefruit (I'll leave you to google the anatomy) – a lush, rich, melting dish. The puddings are as you'd expect in the masters of patisserie: painfully brilliant. Fluffy floating islands are filled with matcha and black currant, and a chocolate soufflé. The memory which is simply too tantalising to put into words.
The Spa:
Just beside the beautiful breakfast conservatory is the hotel's perfect little spa. For which it might don't have any size, it certainly makes up for with serenity. With the Alpilles as background, the Spa of Domaine de Manville at Baux-de-Provence opens its doors for any getaway of well-being among the Provencal landscape. The spa feeds from the general vibe from the hotel, and is not a lot a getaway, being an amplifier from the luxuriously slow and calm atmosphere. The little heated pool is ideal for several meditative laps before heading in to the jacuzzi, sauna and steam rooms.
The spa offers a number of treatments from body scrub to hot stone massage. The therapists are gentle and coaxing, and we suggest having the Half hour back and shoulder massage at the beginning of your stay, to help untangle those London knots and ease you to your languorous stay.
