Domaine de Chalamon
Parterre piece
Painterly corner of Provence
When it comes to hotels, we’re usually more concerned about the beds indoors, but at Domaine de Chalamon, a 16th-century bastide magically turned into a chic, pastel-hued home as part of the Fontenille famille, we’d rather spend time in its six gardens, which are lovingly cultivated by Dominique Lafourcade. They could easily compete for the loveliest in Provence with their boxwood hedging, trim topiary, cypress, pine and plane trees, and dainty parterre, rolling out into lush olive groves. There’s ample time for frolicking in the lavender fields in the surrounding Alpilles, but we’re happy to read a book on Van Gogh under the arbour, linger over a picnic or play gentle tennis games until afternoon pâtisserie, Med-style dining and – we suppose – returning to those indoor beds to snooze.
Planes
Avignon Airport, a 30-minute drive away, is the closest, with a limited number of domestic and European connections. But Marseille (an hour away) and Montpellier (90 minutes away) both have a wider spread of direct routes. The hotel can help with transfers; from Marseille they’re €286 one-way for three guests or €306 for a seven-person van.
Trains
Avignon station, which has direct links with Marseille and Montpellier, is a 30-minute drive away. Transfers can be arranged from €84.
Automobiles
A car will come in handy if you want to explore beyond the hotel’s tree-lined drive, especially for hopping between Provence’s petits villages. There’s free parking onsite.
Worth Getting Out of Bed For
Eat your heart out, Frances Hodgson Burnett, because Domaine de Chalamon has no less than six secret gardens, some with topiary, some with artfully arranged boxwood hedging, one planted with herbs and vegetables… And then there’s the olive trees that run for acres, a drive lined with plane trees, cypresses guarding the gate, and beyond, the verdant majesty of the Alpilles (or its purple hazes of lavender in season). You could just soak in the greenery with a novel or glass of Provençal wine under the hotel’s arbour, or you could play tennis, frolic in the pool, practice yoga (for an extra charge) soundtracked by birdsong and scented with pine, or hop on an e-bike (the hotel can help with hire) to zip through the scenery. Taste wines and oils at local farms and vineyards (staff can point you in the right direction), or try your hand at beekeeping. The wildly pretty village of Saint-Rémy-de-Provence is a five-minute drive or 20-minute walk away; it’s where Van Gogh admitted himself to the asylum at the Monastery Saint-Paul de Mausole, which you can still visit (several rooms have been dedicated to the tragic painter), but its history stretches further back still, with the ruins of the Roman town of Glanum. Arles, which attracted Picasso, Gauguin and – again – Van Gogh for its enchanting light, is a 30-minute drive away and boasts a very well-preserved Roman amphitheatre and a bountiful market, plus the serene green of the Camargue Nature Park. In summer, it’s host to photography festival Rencontres d'Arles. Avignon, to the north, holds a huge multidisciplinary arts festival in July. A local guide can be arranged to show you all of the region’s loveliest villages: Eygalières, Les Baux de Provence, Fontvieille, Paradou, Maussane, Mouriès… Or to take you up the Alpilles – from the top you may see a rare eagle or vulture take flight.
