Provence
January 6, 2009 By: Luxury Travel Advisor Luxury Travel AdvisorTucked into the perfumed hills of Provence, three properties offer rustic splendor, seaside escape and exclusive French Riviera
At
the Four Seasons Resort Provence at Terre Blanche
(www.fourseasons.com/provence),
the whole of which is the size of Monaco, guests will feel as if they
have been dropped into the middle of a French village. There are 114
suites and villas on this sprawling property; the former consisting
of Superior, Deluxe and Premier Executives, while the villas comprise
Deluxe One-Bedroom, Premier One-Bedroom and the exclusive Villa
Estérel, Villa Provence and Villa Terre Blanche.
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Our
Premier Executive suite was spacious and elegantly casual, with
French doors in both the living room and bedroom that lead to a large
terrace with chaise lounges overlooking the valley or golf courses.
Top Touch: The marble bathroom has a heated floor, spacious
glass-enclosed shower and large double vanity. We luxuriated in the
deep soaking tub, which boasted L’Occitane bath amenities.
For
in-room relaxation, there is an entertainment center with a CD
player. The staff was kind enough to leave us an Edith Piaf CD for
our listening pleasure.
The
absolute crème de la crème at Four Seasons
Provence is the fully detached three-bedroom Villa Terre Blanche,
which we couldn’t resist peeking at. At 3,230 square feet, your
VIP clients will feel as if they are in a posh Manhattan apartment,
but with the peaceful hills right outside. The view can be enjoyed
from the spectacular terrace and the private pool and whirlpool. Your
clients can entertain in the indoor or outdoor dining areas, which
both seat eight. The kitchen facilitates catering and service.
The
master bedroom features a king bed and oversized dressing room, while
the two other bedrooms have king or double beds, their own living
rooms with sofa beds and private terraces. The en-suite marble
bathroom will pamper guests with its free-standing deep soaking tub
and a guest powder room is adjacent to the living room.
The
Spa is in a 34,446-square-foot, two-story Provençal villa with
12 sleek treatment rooms—four with private terraces—including
two VIP couples’ suites, a Zen studio and a beauty center.
Guests can choose from a variety of treatments and products from ESPA
and Terraké. Heat “experiences” include a sauna,
laconium, steam room and vitality pool. The ultimate in pampering
here is the spa’s signature treatment, the Provençal
Escape, which uses coarse salt from Camargue, olive oil and lavender
buds for exfoliation. The spa director is Delphine Quargnul
(delphine.quargnul@fourseasons.com;
011-33-04-9439-3891).
There
are five restaurants on-site, including the one-star Michelin
restaurant, Faventia, serving contemporary Provençal cuisine.
The Guadina Lounge is an elegant yet casual lounge bar with a pianist
to entertain in the evenings, while Tousco Grill, adjacent to the
swimming pool, is open seasonally and serves meals buffet style. The
Clubhouse Restaurant is perfect for pre- and post-golfing meals, and
Café Infusion, in the spa, offers a fresh menu.
Golfers
will want to take a loop on the property’s two 18-hole
courses—Le Château and Lew Riou. There’s also a
David Leadbetter Golf Academy.
Kids
Considered: Children are welcomed to their rooms with child-size
robes, special toiletries and a welcome treat. The Kid’s Club
is open to ages 2-12 and will engage them in a variety of programs,
such as a flora and fauna discovery workshop.
For
VIP requests, luxury travel advisors should contact Director of Sales
and Marketing André Devillers (andre.devillers@fourseasons.com
; 011-33-04-9439-3661).
One
of the most classically beautiful properties in the Provence
countryside is L’Auberge at Château de Berne
(www.chateauberne.com), a member of Châteaux et Hotels de
France and Relais & Châteaux. This romantic estate has a
history dating to Roman times—grapes were grown on the soil
even then. In the middle ages, Cistercian monks lived here, and
legend has it that at one point, the Knights Templar took over the
estate. Since 1985, it has been praised as a top wine-producing
estate.
The
estate is so enormous that once we drove onto the property, it took
another 10 minutes to pull up to the main house. (Note: There
is no concierge, although there are receptionists and luggage
handlers.) The feel of a turn-of-the-century vineyard lives
throughout the property, evoking true Provençal country
ambiance—in a word, gorgeous.
The
hotel has a mere 19 rooms and suites, all named after herbs or
fruits, such as Lavande, Thym and Pomme d’amour. Nice Touch:
Guests are greeted at the entrance of their rooms by a hand-painted
Provençal-style plaque with room names scripted on it. Ours
was the Basil room. Down a small flight of steps, the room had a
rustic, country-home layout. Charm Factor: The bathrooms are fitted
with old-fashioned copper knobs, handles and faucets and
country-style blue-and-white tiles, and guests are treated to
Châteaux et Hotels de France toiletries. The balconies afford
views of the entire domain, including the Old Cave of the winery,
tennis court and vineyard.
The
“Grand Suite” is Olivier. It is smaller than the average
suite and simply furnished; however, it has a king bed set off by a
canopy, sitting room, dressing room, large bathroom with clawfoot
tub, private roof terrace and lovely European-style balcony with a
magnificent view of the estate.
All
19 rooms can be booked for weddings or special events, which can be
held in one of the reception rooms, including the Salle de Bacchus, a
755-foot covered terrace accented with bamboo. For a truly unique
wedding, arrange for your newlyweds to have their ceremony in the
500-person, Roman-style amphitheater. Insider Tip: A bride can land
via helicopter onto the extension for a most memorable entrance.
The
restaurant at the Château de Berne serves gourmet Provençal
fare. Our menu was a delightful orchestration of misé en
bouche (appetizers) of zucchini soup and salmon sushi. A
cant-miss is the slow-roasted lamb cannelloni with lamb chops.
A
stay here will not only make your clients feel like royalty on their
palace grounds, but they can get an education and stoke their
creativity as well. There is a wine school in the ancient caves and a
cookery school, which is conducted in an old fortress. Treatments in
the private spa include Thai and Swedish massages, reflexology,
manicures and pedicures and skin therapies.
Relaxation
is completely in the cards at Berne. Its sparkling heated pool
overlooks the vines, olive trees and forest that are part of the
property. The Parc des Autruches is a large playground/picnic area
where families can enjoy the beautiful landscape. Sports enthusiasts
can play tennis and boules, go quad biking or mountain biking, or
head to golf courses nearby, and oenophiles can participate in wine
tastings.
Luxury
travel advisors should reach out to Sales Representative Vanessa
Gringet (vanessagringet@chateauberne.com;
011-33-04-9460-4888) for VIP or group requests.
Probably
the most luxurious and exclusive property we visited in Provence was
the five-star Le Beauvallon (www.hotel-lebeauvallon.com).
This grand Belle Époque palace, constructed in 1914,
gracefully stands between the villages of Grimaud and St. Maxime
right by the Bay of St-Tropez on the French Riviera. Many celebrities
have stayed here, including Lady Churchill and Senator Edward
Kennedy. Rumor has it that F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote his famous novel
Tender is the Night here.
Through
the hotel, you can arrange for your VIPs to get a limousine or
helicopter transfer from the Nice airport or, if they’re
arriving by private jet, from La Mole Airport, about 20 minutes away.
Of
the 64 rooms, the most requested is the Sea View Room, and what at
that! Overlooking the Bay of St-Tropez, guests can witness the most
dazzling sunrises. The best suite in the house is the new
fourth-floor Sky Suite, which also overlooks the Bay. Tip: If you are
booking a family or group, ask for a Family Suite, interconnecting
Sea View Room or Studio Suite.
All
rooms and suites have handcrafted king-size beds and Bulgari bathroom
amenities. The décor evokes a Mediterranean feel, with
oriental silks for a touch of the exotic, and French windows hark
back to the Belle Èpoque. Each of the 16 suites at Le
Beauvallon is individually decorated in contemporary style. Other
rooms have views of the garden and golf course.
St-Tropez
is the place to see and be seen. There are boutiques for shopping,
markets every Tuesday and Saturday, and celebs for star-gazing, and
it is only eight minutes away by boat from the hotel's private
pontoon. Tip: A Beauvallon butler can arrange a private boat charter
for the day. The first week of October is a great time to go for
boating enthusiasts, as Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez regatta takes
place then. The hotel chef will pack a picnic, complete with some
Provençal rosé, and off your clients go for a slow
cruise around the French Riviera.
Equally
relaxing is the 82-foot, heated infinity-edge pool and hot tub,
flanked by cabanas and sun loungers. The pool leads out to the beach,
but it has the illusion of leading right out to the Mediterranean.
For
clients wanting something more active, there is the 18-hole Golf de
Beauvallon, clay-court Tennis Club de Beauvallon and Beauvallon
Sailing Club, where guests can take sailing and windsurfing lessons.
Each
of the two 98-foot private Spa Studios has a decked terrace
overlooking a Japanese Zen garden, a private steam room, jet showers
and whirlpool for two, where your clients can be reinvigorated with
an exclusively imported Japanese volcanic mineral soak. Our insiders
say that the most requested treatment is the Beauvallon Midnight
Romance for couples only. This two-hour massage session includes a
bottle of Champagne, a silver platter of fresh mint leaves dipped in
chocolate, an aromatic flower-petal bath and lit candles around the
deck area. For spa reservations, contact Head Butler Jacky Grenon
(reservation@lebeauvallon.com;
011-33-04-9455-7888).
Les
Colonnades restaurant, headed by Executive Chef Jean Michel Belin, is
a fine example of creative gourmet dining. Our party sat down to an
inventive meal of royale of duck foie gras and sakura salad with
yuzu, fillet of beef au gratin with morels and a spicy demi-glace and
a composition of red fruits and chibouste cream. Cocktails,
appetizers and breakfast can be had in Le Salon Sud, where
floor-to-ceiling French windows provide views of the terrace and the
bay beyond.
For
reservations, travel advisors can contact Reservations Manager Assma
Couhaili (reservation@lebeauvallon.com;
011-33-04-9455-7888).
For
VIP requests, Director of Sales and Marketing Véronique Lenoir
(commercial@lebeauvallon.com;
011-33-04-9455-7888) is the person to contact. July and August are
the most popular months, so book as far out in advance as possible.
Note: The hotel closes seasonally from late October to April.
AGENT
INSIGHT:
Brenda Newsome, owner of Newsome Travel, choses
Saint-Rémy-de-Provence as her favorite part the region. “You
have to visit St. Rémy on a market day,” she says. “What
a joy! You can experience all the Provençal
products—incredible foods, savons, flowers, fruits and
vegetables.” To take in the natural beauty of the region, she
recommends a stay at the Hostellerie Vallon Valrugues
(www.vallondevalrugues.com) in St. Rémy. “The hotel has
an idyllic setting, nestled among the vineyards, olive trees and
fields of lavender. The gardens are lovely and relaxing.”
ACCESS:
Formule
1
Just
outside of St-Tropez, the famed AGS Formule 1
(www.agsformule1.com)
driving school is an opportunity your VIP clients won’t want to
miss. They can choose from a variety of adventures in F1, F3 and
Grand Prix racing cars, doing laps around the Circuit du Var.
Customized events can be arranged, as well as photos and videos of
your clients’ experience. There is a helipad onsite, so clients
can chopper in. Travel advisors can contact Sales Manager Nathalie
Auvray (mail@agsformule1.com;
011-33-494-609-700) for details and reservations.
