From Gordes to St-Tropez

Provence has never been short of beautiful hotels, but the four in this issue could hardly be more different.

I started in Gordes, at Airelles La Bastide, my first stay with the group and, given how much one hears about Airelles, I was genuinely curious to see what all the fuss was about. The setting certainly helps. Gordes remains one of the most picturesque villages in Provence and La Bastide occupies a spectacular position right in the middle of it, with views that do much of the work before you have even reached your room.

Further south came Château de Fonscolombe, a Relais & Châteaux with a distinctly Italianate feel, set in an 18th-century château surrounded by vineyards and parkland, followed by Villa La Coste, a very different proposition altogether. Part hotel, part winery, part contemporary art collection, it has Palace status and works hard to blur the distinction between a luxury resort and an art destination.