Just Opened: The Charming, Intimate Provence Hotel Domaine De Chalamon

Forbes Lifestyle Travel Just Opened: The Charming, Intimate Provence Hotel Domaine De Chalamon Laurie Werner Contributor Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. I cover singular, luxury travel and food experiences around the world Following Jun 19, 2023, 02:29pm EDT | Press play to listen to this article! Got it! Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin The 16th century Domaine de Chalamon Gaelle Leboulicaut The large, generic stores that line the turnoff to the road Chemin Chalamon, a few minutes outside of the city center of Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, are an alarming intrusion into this region’s pastoral charm. But once you enter Domaine de Chalamon a minute’s drive down the road, proceeding through a regal canopy of century old plane trees, the alarms turn off.

Opened in late May, this former 16th century bastide surrounded by magnificent gardens, offers all of the historic character and serenity a traveler comes to this famed French region to find. One of the bedrooms at Domaine de Chalamon. Gaelle Leboulicaut The 37-acre estate was once the domain of generations of French lords, then an aristocratic English family.

The owners are now Frédéric Biousse and Guillaume Foucher whose backgrounds are in luxury products and art and who are using their personal preferences to create a collection of intimate hotels, Les Domaines de Fontenille , with the feeling of romantic, private houses. That was clearly their intention here and to achieve it, they handed the transformation to a hotel over to the area’s preeminent architect Alexandre Lafourcade of locally based Lafourcade Architecture , famed for restoring and renovating many of the most important properties in the region. Lafourcade also knew this house well, having worked on it previously for the former owners with his father Bruno, also an architect.

The gardens of Domaine de Chalamon Laurie Werner As soon as you enter, the impression you get is of natural, understated style from the slightly rough textured limestone stairs to pastel color schemes of celadon green, soft blue and pink with rattan chairs and ceramics as accents. The doors are always open to the outdoors and guests gravitate there, to tables facing the gardens shielded by pink umbrellas. The French gardens themselves are a work of art, created by Alexandre Lafourcade’s mother Dominique 30 years ago and renowned as one of the most beautiful in the region-a series of six interlocking areas with labyrinths of clipped box trees, topiaries, cypresses, pine, laurel and olive trees with streams interspersed.

Walks through the garden are a popular activity as are yoga classes within them. The gardens also surround the pool and tennis court. MORE FOR YOU Ranking Netflix’s ‘Black Mirror’ Season 6 Episodes From Worst To Best Ukraine Shows The Fight To Make The Bradley IFV Safer Was Worth It Billionaire Andrew Tan’s Megaworld To Invest $6.

3 Billion On Philippine Townships, Hotels In Next Five Years Mediterranean tuna with ginger, sesame and carrots at Domaine de Chalamon Laurie Werner The restaurant is designed as a Provencal bistro with vivid flavors and local, often estate grown, ingredients in creative but not fussy preparations executed by chef Rémi Falsquelle who grew up near Marseille and trained in the Michelin three star kitchen at Le Bristol Paris. Even though the hotel was only a few weeks old, the kitchen was already running at a high level, as evidenced by luscious dishes such as red Mediterranean tuna with ginger, sesame and a swirl of carrots and roasted pintade (guinea fowl) with artichokes. The menu is small right now and the wines served at the moment are the ones produced by the Fontenille vineyards; both of those aspects are expected to expand.

While in the area, another restaurant to try is Chateau d’Estoublon ’s La Table d’Estoublon , a 20 minute drive away. Apart from the wine produced from its vineyards, the restaurant is open for lunch and dinner every day and features dishes such as a rich bouillabaisse with rockfish, fenugreek and lemongrass in a mint broth. Another option, Edú Restaurant , about a mile away from Domaine de Chalamon, is extremely popular with locals who spend long lunches catching up while sampling charcoal grilled aubergines, lime marinated fish and the catch of the day with Provençale sauce.

Bastide du Mourre in Provence’s Luberon. Laurie Werner Biousse and Foucher are extremely busy expanding the collection. Several weeks after opening Domaine de Chalamon, the two also soft opened Bastide du Mourre , a rustic, 19 room inn hilltop near the Luberon village of Oppède with stunning views of vineyards and the Luberon forest beyond.

Wellness is the focus here with a three-pronged approach of nutritional guidance based on naturopathy, activities such as various yoga practices, Pilates, bootcamp drills and intense hikes and treatments using local plant-based ingredients. The cuisine is also health-based and typically Provençal with dishes such as cod with eggplant caviar and vegetable jus and quinoa with artichokes and olives. Off property, the hotel is also ideally positioned for visits to some of the most beautiful Luberon villages: Menerbes, Lourmarin, Gordes and Bonnieux.

The view from Bastide du Mourre Laurie Werner How to get to both: Even if a new French law hadn’t been enacted to encourage travelers to use trains instead of short haul flights, taking the TGV to the Avignon TGV station from Gare de Lyon in Paris would still be the easiest way to get there. It’s a two hour and 40 minute direct trip with scenic views as you whiz by. Tickets with seat selection are available through Raileurope.

And if you don’t feel like carrying your own luggage, Alfred Travel offers a safe, reliable delivery service that will send your bags from Paris to your destination and back. Follow me on Twitter . Laurie Werner Editorial Standards Print Reprints & Permissions.