Domaine Méjan

The long and crowded commute every day to work, the noise, the traffic, the stress …

Breathe. Sometimes you really do need to get away from it all and simply take a step back from life to recalibrate, readjust and breathe.

Located in the heart of the Alpilles Regional Park in the Baux de Provence valley, the Domaine Méjan is the ideal place to do this. The only sound you’ll awake to here is the rustle of the trees and birdsong, and the only vistas you’ll see are rocky peaks and olive groves instead of high rises and train stations.

A unique sanctuary, the estate provides three luxury eco-friendly lodges, which perfectly blend in with their natural environment. Design conscious wooden structures are set within a dell of typical Mediterranean vegetation. This is the good life in Provence.

Choose from the Nature Lodge, Vintage Lodge or Design Lodge, each one offering contemporary architecture, natural wood-clad exteriors and large verandas. The Vintage Lodge features 1970s-inspired fittings, while the Design Lodge has contemporary glass and Perspex fixtures. Our favourite however is The Nature Lodge, featuring natural wood and wicker furniture. Fully fitted kitchens, flat screen TVs, heating, air cons and Wi-Fi means that everything you need is entirely catered for.

Arrive at your new abode, unpack, then sit out and relax on the loungers on your own private wooden deck. Here you can sit back and unwind with a welcome gourmet platter and glass of Champagne – what French break would be complete without one?

In the morning, awake to the views of the jagged Alpilles Mountains from your panoramic window, then make yourself a coffee and slide open the wide lodge doors to immediately be at one with your surroundings.

After breakfast and a morning dip in the heated pool, make use of the mountain bike rental facility nearby and explore the local area. The charming villages of Provence Le Paradou and Maussane are located close by. Lying at the foot of the Alpilles, these medieval villages are filled with quiet leafy streets, historic architecture and colourful gardens. To learn more, spend some time looking around Le Paradou’s museum, which houses over 400 historical artefacts and 32 scale models. Here you can experience the true Provencal life style, shopping for local delicacies in the markets to take back to your lodge and enjoying glasses of wine and platters of cheese in pretty, quiet squares.

Hiking is also an ideal way to get around the local area, strolling through olive groves, vineyards, fields of cypress trees and pine forests – the sweet smell of lavender and thyme following you as you go. Walking trails can also take you to historic monuments such as the castle of Les Baux de Provence, the archaeological site of Glanum and Daudet’s Windmill, among others.

After long days of using your leg muscles you’ll be in need of some downtime and just a little bit of indulgence, luckily, Domaine Méjan covers this too. Choose from a range of beauty packages, wellness rituals, treatments and massages, all in the comfort of your lodge or outside in amongst the sounds of nature. What more could you ask for in a blissful escape?