Few issues are extra effortlessly romantic than a highway journey by the South of France, with the automobile roof down, the solar in your shoulders and the panorama unveiling extra of itself at each flip. Even the occasional impatient native zipping previous with an expressive honk looks like a part of the journey. Whereas a GPS will gently information you from place to position, there’s a sure attraction in getting just a little misplaced, taking the scenic route from the palm-lined promenades of the Côte d’Azur to the rolling vineyards, lavender fields and postcard-perfect villages of Provence. Thankfully, navigating isn’t one thing to emphasize over: French roads are easy and well-kept, signage is obvious, and detours typically result in lovely, lesser-known corners of the area.
DAY 1-2: NICE TO THE CÔTE D’AZUR
Drive time: 1 hour
Les Roches Rouges
In the event you’re arriving by air, Good is a superb place to begin, the place you’re greeted by glowing shoreline and the sea-salted breeze. After amassing our rental automobile on the airport we set off on a leisurely 50-kilometre drive west alongside the Mediterranean, the highway curling previous ochre cliffs and parasol pines, till we reached Les Roches Rouges, an impeccably designed boutique lodge within the city of Saint-Raphaël. Right here, inside architects Antoine Ricardou and Clémentine Larroumet of Atelier Saint-Lazare have redefined Riviera stylish, marrying minimalist modernism with timeless coastal soul. Every of the 25 rooms is centred round a personal patio — we spent golden mornings sipping espresso to the rhythm of the waves and lingered over twilight cocktails as the ocean whispered beneath. Récif, the lodge’s Michelin-starred flagship, provides delicate, sea-inspired tasting menus; alfresco Estelo brings Provençal flavours in a relaxed setting; and La Chicoula, the breezy seaside bar, serves lighter bites — excellent for lazy afternoons.
DAY 3-5: CÔTE D’AZUR TO AIX-EN-PROVENCE
Drive time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Villa Saint-Ange
We set off early down the A8 (aka La Provençale route), letting the morning mild information us on the scenic two-and-a-half-hour drive inland, arriving in Aix-en-Provence simply in time for a leisurely lunch. Referred to as ‘The Metropolis of a Thousand Fountains’, this college city fizzes with a creative, free-spirited vitality that dates again to the rebellions of the fifteenth century. It’s the cultural heartbeat of the area, the place stone façades and leafy boulevards give technique to baroque magnificence in Vieil Aix (the Previous City). We spent the afternoon meandering by sun-dappled squares and lingering at café terraces with espresso in hand, serenaded by avenue musicians. Fountain-hunting grew to become a sport: it’s arduous to overlook the grand Fontaine de la Rotonde, but it surely’s the smaller gems — the moss-draped Fontaine Moussue, or sculptural Place des Quatre-Dauphins, encircled by 4 leaping dolphins — that had been probably the most pleasant.
For artwork lovers, Aix provides an intimate glimpse into the world of one in all its most well-known sons, Paul Cézanne. Comply with the Cézanne Path, stopping at landmarks tied to the painter’s life, and ending at Atelier Cézanne, his studio, the place time appears to have stood nonetheless. Only a quick stroll away, the Musée Granet has a treasure trove of European artwork, with works by Rembrandt, Picasso, and Ingres, housed in a restored Seventeenth-century priory. We timed our go to with the town’s vibrant open-air market (held Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays), and couldn’t resist gathering still-warm bread, native cheeses and thinly sliced saucisson from the stalls in Place des Prêcheurs for a picnic in Parc de la Torse. Gourmands must also make time to go to L’Atelier des Madeleines, the place these delicate desserts are infused with inventive, seasonal flavours; and Le Bistrot on Rue Campra, a captivating spot the place red-and-white checked tablecloths and a glass of wine are all it’s worthwhile to really feel deliciously French.
After lengthy days of sightseeing, it was a pleasure to return to our lodge, Villa Saint-Ange, tucked right into a cypress-wrapped enclave simply minutes from the bustling metropolis centre. A stately 18th-century mansion-turned-boutique-hotel, the 35-room property has been introduced again to life by virtually 40 completely different artisans, from gilders to cabinet-makers. Even the entry-level Traditional rooms are luxurious, with parquet flooring, Toile de Jouy materials, Carrara marble loos and vintage writing desks overlooking manicured gardens. Days started with breakfast on the sunlit patio — paper-thin crêpes, poached pears in saffron syrup, and espresso — earlier than melting into sluggish swims within the travertine-lined, emerald-green pool. At La Desk de Saint-Ange, the meals was as exact because it was poetic: sea bass with fennel pollen, glazed heirloom tomatoes, and a wine checklist anchored within the close by Coteaux d’Aix vineyards.
DAY 6-8: AIX-EN-PROVENCE TO THE LUBERON
Drive time: 45 minutes
Le Moulin
We hopped again within the automobile and headed north to the enchanting Luberon area, with its mediaeval stone villages, surrounded by vineyards and swathes of purple lavender. Everybody has a favorite, from the russet-toned Roussillon and storybook Gordes to the lesser-known Ménerbes, Bonnieux and Oppède. After which there’s Lourmarin; directly refined and characterful, it captured the essence of the area in each golden-hued stone.
The village is anchored by the Château de Lourmarin, a Renaissance gem that hosts summer time concert events and artwork exhibitions. Saturdays are made for the vigorous marché, when the slender lanes overflow with stalls providing sun-ripened figs, handwoven straw baskets, vintage linens and different native items. We stopped for goat’s cheese wrapped in chestnut leaves, and lingered over an espresso at Café Gaby, the village’s unofficial front room on rue Henri de Savournin, the place locals learn the paper and cyclists refuel on noisette and croissants. Simply past the primary sq., idea boutiques like La Maison Pernoise and Côté Sud provide a contemporary tackle native model: linen clothes, handmade ceramics and classic furnishings. For an extended, lazy lunch, La Louche à Beurre, hidden down a quiet aspect avenue, serves melt-in-your-mouth daube (beef stew) and tarte Tatin.
Le Moulin, our residence in Lourmarin, was as soon as a working olive mill, now reimagined right into a hideaway that marries rustic class with quiet luxurious. From the second you enter by its wrought-iron gates and step into its jasmine-scented courtyard, there’s a way of tranquillity. The interiors are all pure textures — cool stone, woven linen, pale wooden — and handpicked objets d’artwork trace on the constructing’s agrarian previous. Every of the 25 rooms is a haven: ours had a clawfoot tub beneath a timbered ceiling and a Juliet balcony overlooking a rose backyard.
Breakfast right here is served below century-old aircraft timber, with espresso in dainty cups, flaky croissants and home made apricot confiture. Evenings had been for sluggish dinners on the lodge’s café, the place Provençal classics, similar to lavender-honey duck and chèvre drizzled with olive oil, had been paired with wines from close by vineyards like Château La Dorgonne. Service is heat, polished and unhurried, and employees appeared delighted to cross on native intel. Whether or not you’re lounging by the turquoise pool, leafing by books within the library, or borrowing one of many classic bicycles, Le Moulin feels much less like a lodge and extra like the house of a really stylish, very discreet buddy.
It’s value lingering longer within the Luberon, with an evening or two at Le Moulin’s sister property Capelongue, perched simply above Bonnieux. The tempo is even slower right here — landscaped gardens are ample in lavender, roses and fig timber, inviting you to do little greater than curl up on a sunlounger, take a dip in one in all two serene swimming pools, and maybe attempt your hand at a recreation of pétanque or padel. Inside, the suites are effortlessly elegant, with lime-plastered partitions, pops of retro orange and large rattan lampshades. The meals, as anticipated on this wealthy terroir, is classy. At La Bastide, the Michelin-starred restaurant, we sampled dishes like beef tartare with contemporary coriander and briny Camargue oyster. For one thing extra rustic, La Bergerie provides wood-fired feasts greatest loved below the celebrities, adopted by a glass of chilled thyme liqueur on the bar — the right finish to an extended, sun-soaked day.
DAY 9-10: THE LUBERON TO MONT VENTOUX
Drive time: 1 hour
Our final cease was Hôtel Crillon Le Courageous, a property so seamlessly woven into its namesake village that it feels much less like a vacation spot and extra like a discovery. Set within the foothills of Mont Ventoux, this escape is shaped of seven restored Seventeenth-century stone homes, every with an understated aesthetic of whitewashed partitions, terracotta tiles, dove-grey furnishings and periwinkle shutters. In spring, the gardens burst with almond and quince blossoms; autumn is truffle-hunting season, guided by native foragers and their keen canine. Bicycles await the extra adventurous for exploring the cherry orchards close by, however we most well-liked to get pleasure from massages within the quiet vaulted rooms of the spa. Each nook of the lodge invitations lingering: by the secluded pool edged with olive timber, within the candlelit bistro or on a sunny terrace with a glass of rosé. The ultimate proof, if ever we wanted it — earlier than our coolly anticipated three-hour drive again to Good Airport — that in Provence, romance isn’t curated. It’s merely within the air.
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