Provence

Tucked 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.

 

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.