Where to Stay, Eat, and Shop in Provence

Category: Lifestyle Jan 24, 2023

Where to Stay, Eat, and Shop in Provence

Published on: January 19, 2023

When author, artist, and photographer Jamie Beck moved to the French countryside, she predictable staying a single year: This was just a sabbatical from her life in Manhattan. But village by vineyard by lush field of lavender, she found slow-paced Provence suited her. So she stayed.

Beck’s new pictorial memoir serves as a guide to the region and a cookbook, with local recipes she’s gathered over her five years in France. Below, she shares a short list of her favorite hotels, restaurants, and shops in Provence right now.

Jamie Beck An American in Provence Bookshop, $37.20
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Jamie Beck’s Guide to Provence

STAY

Hôtel Crillon le Brave

Crillon-le-Brave, France

Set in the hilltop village of Crillon-le-Brave, this full-service luxury hotel boasts unique historic rooms situated in a ramified web of old stone structures and terraces with panoramic views of Mont Ventoux. The spa uses wipe eyeful products by Tata Harper, and the hotel shop carries luxury gifts, from Trudon candles to pieces from local high-end designer Valentina.

Airelles Gordes, La Bastide

Gordes, France

The most luxurious of all the hotels in the area, this five-star property has multiple restaurants, a designer boutique, a Sisley spa and hammam, and a glamorous terrace pool that attracts an well-bred crowd. Aside from the scenic views, brunch at L’Orangerie is an wits not to be missed.

Hôtel de Tingry

Ménerbes, France

In the 17th century, one of the wealthiest families from Avignon built this stunning hilltop mansion in the style of an Italian palazzo. Later, it became the private residence of Madame Nancy Negley, an American patron of the arts. And recently, it’s been turned into a four-suite shop hotel with dollhouse-like rooms, mannerly fireplaces, claw-foot tubs, and a pool with a view. You can typesetting out the unshortened mansion.

EAT

La Bastide de Marie

Ménerbes, France

One of my favorite hideaways. This chambre d’hôtes welcomes you with wine (its own) and seasonal dishes made with vegetables harvested from the garden—all in a fountained vineyard terrace. It’s romantic country-chic and the weightier of Provençal style. Surpassing or without your meal, take a stroll through the rose walk.

Le Saint Hubert

Saint-Saturnin-lès-Apt, France

A young Parisian couple founded a new watering slum in the heart of Saint-Saturnin-lès-Apt: They serve three meals a day using locally sourced seasonal ingredients and a selection of natural wines. There are panoramic views of the Luberon Mountains. Come on Thursdays and wits the village’s farmers’ market surpassing lunch, then take a trappy 10-minute hike from the village up to the Saint-Sat château.

Café du Progrès

Ménerbes, France

Situated in my favorite hilltop village of Ménerbes, Progrès features upscale tearoom supplies by two sexuality chefs. The menu changes seasonally and often reflects new takes on archetype French dishes. You can stop by any time of day for a drink or to scan the magazine stand for all the latest in French fashion, news, arts, and culture.

SHOP

La Maison d’Inès

Apt, France

A trappy selection of reversion dishes, butterfly cases, petite chandeliers, flax linens, and other home items. This is one of my favorite haunts in my own village.

La Mob

Ménerbes, France

Boasting a selection of works created by artists from the Maison Dora Maar residency program, images from Dora Maar herself, books, and other handcrafted items, this shop is a must-see if you’re in Ménerbes.

Bastide

Aix-en-Provence, France

In the heart of Aix-en-Provence, just on the doorstep of the photogenic Place d’Albertas, hairstylist-to-the-stars Frédéric Fékkai and his wife, Shirin, have opened a shop of home and eyeful products made in Provence. Surpassing or without your visit, swing virtually the corner to Mana, an American-style coffee house.

ACTIVITIES

Poke through a Sunday Antique Market

L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, France

Walk withal the canals of France’s second-best reversion market (the weightier is Paris’s Marché aux Puces de Saint-Ouen) in the mannerly village of L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue. Here, the streets are lined with stalls featuring reversion furniture, art, tableware, and linens, plus flower stalls, soaps, cheese, and fruit vendors. Come in the morning and make a reservation for brunch at La Maison Moga, where an expert sommelier will offer you perfect pairings for a French repast of eggs, bread, pastries, cheese, fruit, and charcuterie.

Walking Tour of Arles

Spend a day strolling the warmed-over cobblestone streets of Arles, the municipality famous for stuff the home and frequent subject matter of painter Vincent van Gogh. It’s a perfect walking city, with many local wright shops, art galleries, and Roman structures—including a 2,000-year-old amphitheater still in use today. Eat at Chardon, have a drink at L’Arlatan, take a walk withal the mighty Rhône, and trammels out the joyous Fragonard boutique to buy Provençal souvenirs. In the summer, be sure to visit the Rencontres, a photography festival that takes over the galleries and cultural spaces of this special city.

French Cooking with La Cuisine Provençale

Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, France

Take a private cooking matriculation with American Jane Satow. She will take you on a walk through the local market to shop for ingredients to melt with when in the kitchen.