Hostellerie Le Castellas ★★★★

Driving by vineyards along tree lined roads, the landscape turned gold and dusky green, the air fragrant with high summer and the heat beginning to prick our skin. We soon arrive to the Hostellerie Le Castellas and are quickly shown to ours rooms. Each room has WIFI, a flat screen television, air conditioning and a safe. That is where the similarities end however, as each room is unique, with its own quirky details and special surprise; be it a free-standing bathtub guarded by an angel fresco or a stairway leading up to a terrace overlooking the rooftops. One surprise awaiting us is the graceful arcs and deep blue, starry ceiling in our Egyptian style room. It is a fresh, sweet scented, airy space that offers a cosy, cocoon full of exquisite tiny touches that show the great level of love and labour that is vested in this establishment.

We quickly make a beeline for the outdoor pool. We find ourselves in a stone walled patio full of sunshine that glints off an elegantly shaped, azure pool. Around it are stylish deck chairs that give comfortable support and a sense of floating in the sun as you lay on them. After our swim we move on the shady terrace for an icy drink as we sit back listening to the cicadas chirping away in the trees. The perpetual song of summer in Provence.

As the sun begins to burn out and the shadows stretch out longer, we decide to complete an afternoon of sheer relaxation with a session in the hotel's Wellness Area. That night we dine at the hotel restaurant and it is an amazing experience. Using ingredients grown in the kitchen garden to make pieces of edible art, the chef takes you on a gourmet gastronomical journey. The perfect end to a stunning day at the Hostellerie Le Castellas.