A luxe dream in Provence | Review: Domaine de Manville, France

Was I crazy? Fellow French guests at the soigné new Domaine de Manville hotel, deep in the Luberon heart of Provence clearly thought so. They were dressed with insouciant chic in winter clothes already, cashmere scarves tied decisively around their necks (albeit still wearing sunglasses). I was surely a modern rendition of Noel Coward’s “Mad Dogs and Englishmen”, incarnate. They stared with disbelief and shrugged as only the French. Yet to me, a midday swim in a 30 metre, heated, outdoor pool flanked by plane trees on the last day of October was a serendipitous opportunity I couldn’t squander. Then, after my invigorating swim, I was able to slip into Domaine de Manville’s spa, and plunge into the far warmer, smaller, pool decorated with mirrors and chandelier-like sconces, before lingering in the steam room and the sauna overlooking the gardens. All-weather luxuries, for sure.

Domaine de Manville is a luxe dream, different to the chintzy Provence norm

Domaine de Manville is a luxe dream, different to the chintzy Provence norm. It is extraordinary in style, interior space and design heft: a pistachio leaf velvet armchair sits next to a hunky grey timber table, and there are distressed wrought iron chandeliers with beautiful vintage and contemporary glass in the “winter garden” – a sweeping modern conservatory.

Baby blue ostrich leather armchairs in reception counter the rustic swagger of the gastro-pub bar (with live jazz Thursday-Saturday). The bistro and its gorgeous terrace, fronted by stone slopes, are linked by elevated Zen walkways to the luxurious bedrooms. This is a dream, too, for Domain de Manville’s owners, Patrick and Edith Saut, who wanted to create a stylish but assuredly contemporary country palace in their home region.

Keen golfers, the Sauts now have the only 18-hole course in Provence, with stunning views of Baux’s semi-ruined chateau standing proud on a craggy Alpilles hilltop.

Fortunately, though there are golf buggies by the entrance, golf doesn’t dominate the hotel in any way. Central, instead, is the inspired cooking of chef Steve Deconinck, who trained with Marc Veyrat and shares his mentor’s extreme passion for elevating vegetables, wild herbs and flowers to leading roles in his exquisitely presented dishes of compelling purity. A tasting menu included an artwork of late summer vegetables with anchoide, bouillabasse re-interpreted with gazpacho, candied red mullet, chorizo and saffron sorbet and superb veal from Carroze with artichoke barigoule and chanterelles.

Patience, however, was required for lunch at the Bistrot where we had to wait so long for our simple yet flavourful plates of pasta that we’d quaffed a whole bottle of rosé drinking in the views from the terrace before they materialised. I suspect the teeing off fraternity had simply arrived first and I gather an additional chef has now joined the Bistrot.

Breakfasts, always a litmus test for me, were exceptional, with probably the best and flakiest made-in-house pain raisin and brioche I’ve ever tasted, along with an ultra-light cheese and fig tart, plus the luxury of a whole frame of honey-laden honeycomb from Domaine de Manville’s own hives, maintained by the same jolly apiculturist who looks after the bees at the Senate.

Visits can be arranged for interested guests and full apiculturist regalia including hat and veil is supplied. I loved the peace and maquis-scented clear air as I climbed at a somewhat sedate pace up a rough path for a visit and picnic at the peak.

Whilst I was encouraged to enjoy a last coffee by the pool, the GM himself called an emergency summit

Discovering I’d mislaid my iPhone by leaving it in the pocket of my dressing gown meant I put guest relations to the test moments before leaving. Whilst I was encouraged to enjoy a last coffee by the pool, the GM himself called an emergency summit more befitting to a guest lost in the hills and supervised a hunt in the laundry himself, emerging with my phone intact with time to spare.

Domaine de Manville is so supremely stylish, yet so cosy, that I felt inclined to cocoon. But there’s plenty to explore nearby – the market at Eygalière is deeply photogenic, with pristine fromageries to visit and plenty of Daylesfordesque shops full of bleached timber artefacts and expensive boho jewellry. For a jolt from bucolic dreams, visit the room where Van Gogh stayed at Hospital Saint Paul in Saint- Rémy de Provence, and experience the view of the gardens he painted (though there’s no access to the grounds, as it remains an asylum). Most of the BCBG French couples/families seemed to disappear for much of the day allowing me to indulge in a little wild daydreaming of having a place rather like Domaine de Manville (albeit on a more modest scale) of my own one day. C

Domaine de Manville, 13520 Les Baux-de-Provence, France
+33 4 90 54 40 20; domaindemanville.fr*

*Website with music klaxon!