Provence

Lavender, the blue horizon

©Laurent ParraultPurplish-blue, mauve, plum, aubergine, lilac-mauve... There aren’t enough shades to describe lavender in blossom. Setting sun or iridescent dawn, buzzing air or leaden paleness: from the Luberon to the Lure mountain, the Valensole plateau to the foothills of Digne, the light confuses the range of purples and makes heads turn. While July is when the happening takes place, what happens afterwards is just as joyous, as the sense of smell takes over from sight! Far away, slim, shiny chimneys announce the presence of the distilleries, in which the plants are mashed to deliver up the oily nectar with its powerful scent.

Guests at the Relais & Châteaux de Provence are also at the heart of the matter: they can enjoy lavender in their hotels... and on their plate! At the Abbaye de Sainte-Croix in Salon-de-Provence, the lovely gardens surrounding the hotel are fragrant with lavender until mid-August. At the Hostellerie Le Phébus in Joucas, it grows wild in a little garden and can be found in bouquets hanging from the walls or placed in vases, in the restaurant, bar and reception...

©Laurent ParraultAt the Oustau de Baumanière in Les Baux de Provence, it is also found in bouquets in the privacy of the bedrooms and corridors, while the hotel shop also offers some pretty compositions.

La Villa Gallici in Aix-en-Provence goes even further. Not content with having a large lavender border and drive, the hotel is scented with pure lavender essence all year round. The aromatic plant is also found on the menus!

The Hostellerie de Crillon le Brave in the Vaucluse offers succulent “Carpentras strawberries marinated in lavender”. Up to mid-September, the Hostellerie Le Phébus daringly offers “roast saddle of lamb in a lavender and lamb juice” and “peach stuffed with lavender-infused semolina, served with an olive oil sorbet”. There’s no limit to the inspiration excited by the “purple beauty”.

Hôtel Crillon le Brave Provence
Hotel and restaurant in a village
Perched above the village roofs, the hotel welcomes you to a green haven behind tall, ochre walls. Its rooms, bathed in the scent of honeysuckle and jasmine wafting up from the Italian-style gardens, offer stunning views across the vineyards to the Mont Ventoux, once cherished by Mistral and Cézanne. Enjoy sun-drenched cuisine and wines from the region, the Rhône and other parts of the world. ...Read more
France, Crillon le Brave

Villa Gallici
Hotel and restaurant in town
This country house overlooking Aix is bathed in the soft Provençal light so often depicted by Cézanne. Set amidst an elegant Florentine garden, where cypress trees are reflected in a luxurious pool, it offers sumptuous rooms with terraces and private gardens. Linger over an aperitif in the shade of the plane trees, then savour traditional Provençal cuisine accompanied by the finest Bordeaux, Burgundy and Aix wines. ...Read more
France, Aix-en-Provence

Le Mas des Herbes Blanches
Hotel and restaurant in the country
The Mas, almost a village in itself, pays tribute to the ancient Bories dry-stone hut building technique. On the heights of Joucas, tucked away in an isolated 5-hectare park, you will delight in a unique view of Luberon. All the rooms come with a terrace, balcony or private garden. The restaurant, with its panoramic terraces, offers Mediterranean cuisine and a wine list brimming over with Côtes du Luberon wines. ...Read more
France, Gordes

Oustau de Baumanière
Relais Gourmand Restaurant ‘Relais Gourmand’ and hotel in the country
Baumanière is one of those truly exceptional settings that perfectly reconcile tradition and modernity. The legendary welcome and the luminous rooms immerse you in the contrasting Alpilles landscapes. Jean-André Charial, whose pure poetry is in pursuit of the utmost perfection, is the mythical narrator in the Baux region. The «œuf de poule au fumet de truffes noires» ranks alongside revisited classics. Exceptional wine cellar. ...Read more
France, Les-Baux-de-Provence

Hostellerie Le Phébus
Hotel and restaurant in the country
Here in the Luberon, between Gordes and Roussillon, in the heart of the Garrigue, the cuisine and the atmosphere have a Mediterranean flavour. A dry-stone residence in a 4-hectare park, erected over remains dating back to the Templars, offers its guests beautiful rooms full of the colours of Provence, some with a private swimming pool. Xavier Mathieu conjures up creative culinary delights full of Mediterranean flavours. ...Read more
France, Gordes

Abbaye de Sainte Croix
Hotel and restaurant in the country
This magnificent XIIth century abbey, set amidst gardens of lavender and rosemary, has been lovingly restored and the monks’ cells converted into luxury suites and guest rooms. You will be enchanted by the superb Romanesque architecture, the beautiful vaulted ceilings and the delightfully rustic furniture. Dine on the restaurant’s panoramic terrace and savour Provençal cuisine and excellent local vintages. ...Read more
France, Salon-de-Provence

©Photo : Laurent Parrault


Check availability

Check-in date Calendar


Check availability

Central reservation office (United States)

+1 800 735 2478*

Calling from another country ? Click here