Provence has its own aura, its own colorful, magical, vibe. It was hard to decide where, in all of Provence, we wanted to use as our base. In the end, we chose Les Baux de Provence, and the bucolic hotel Baumanière to stay in. It was truly the most lovely place from which to explore the French countryside, not to mention being one of the best hotels among so many beautiful choices.
Bucolic Baumanière, Les Baux de Provence /
In Provence, I fell in love — with an electric bike. I actually fell in love with many things in Provence, but the brand new matte black electric Peugeot was unexpected, I’ll admit. It had four speeds to help even the least fit cyclist tackle the ever-rolling hills of Les Alpilles. To be fair, I still found it quite challenging at times, even when I eventually needed to kick into turbo mode, as the ‘rolling’ hills at times felt, to me, like the Tour de France.
It was undoubtedly a spectacular way to see this beautiful piece of Provence, passing olive groves, vineyards, and pine forests, stumbling upon tiny hilltop villages along the way.
Past. meet present, in Les Baux de Provence
Our five days in Provence were spent at the magnificent and secluded property of Baumanière. Set on nearly 50 acres, and at the base of the prehistoric and looming limestone rocks and village of Les Baux de Provence, Baumanière has both a timeless and modern quality all at once.
Neo-classical French fountains and water features are woven into the hardscape and landscape, details found in some of the intimate and perfectly manicured grass surrounded pools. Garden pools that make you feel like you are at the manor home of an eccentric and wealthy French uncle. Then there are the modern touches, the electric bikes, for instance, and the uber-stylized main building with its severe architectural lines and geometric sculptures.
Most of Baumanière, in Les Baux de Provence, takes its cue from the past, the five manor houses that have now been turned into charming hotel suites, some with balconies overlooking bundles of hydrangeas and koi-filled ponds, some with large patios where you can order picnics and share a bottle of wine while reading Madame Bovary.
Climbing roses, purple agapanthus, pear trees, and pink oleanders are a mere fraction of what there is to discover while walking the grounds. Washed golden ochre walls from which green ivy delicately hangs. Large, ornate urns filled with overflowing petunias — all make for a setting that feels absolutely fairytale in nature.
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Garden hideaway in Les Baux de Provence
There are gardens at every turn, some displayed in a more typical French style while others feel wild and English. Roaming the property, your nose catches the scents of roses, lavender, and rosemary.
Wander further, and you may find the more secluded pools, with their low wrought iron gates that squeak to announce your arrival. The pool attendant appeared as if on cue with water, rosé, or a plush towel. The cicadas strike up a chorus, low at first, almost unnoticeable, and then slowly ascending into a full crescendo, before becoming so dramatically silent, that the silence itself is startling.
Soft, green, iconic French poplars are perfectly positioned, giving height to the landscape in all the right places. Archways covered in lush jasmine, natural canopies of flowers, and secluded sitting areas dot the meandering acres of Baumanière. You could stay a week and never need to sit in the same place twice, so many alcoves and paths to explore.
Les Baux de Provence
It was hard to leave Baumanière at all but knew we would have missed out on what Provence had to offer us in beautifully arid July. We walked the steep hill to the village of Les Baux de Provence, and while more touristy as the day went on, we enjoyed getting lost in the maze of narrow, cobbled, pedestrian-only streets that seemed to switch back on themselves in every direction.
Slowly, we made our way upwards to catch the views from the 10th c. clifftop castle that sits, in all its glorious ruins, at the highest point of Les Baux. We made a note to come back at sunset, excited to watch the sun’s fiery descent create a magical light show over the landscape and craggy rocks.
Biking Les Alpilles near Les Baux de Provence
Les Alpilles, the mini-Alps, is a low range of mountains that encompass fifteen lovely communes including Les Baux-de-Provence, Eygalières, and Saint Rémy-de-Provence. Our ten-mile bike ride to the tiny, quiet, hilltop village of Eygalières was the catalyst for my love of electric bikes, as well as all things Provence.
We passed fields of sunflowers bowing their large heads towards the eastern sun, as well as gated villas with long lavender-lined entryways. I imagined a future where I could bike to town, pick up a warm baguette, and bike home for lunch — on my beautiful electric bike, naturally.
ancient hilltop villages
We locked the bikes at the base of the village and hiked up the narrow streets, passing sea foam green and ice blue colored shutters that lay against the ancient stone-walled homes. Shutters, that in this part of the world, are functional, not merely decorative.
Lovely flower pots and window boxes sit in doorways, looking well cared for yet in the most nonchalant way. We sat for lunch at Le Progrès, a simple French bistro where we could watch the nuances of village life unfold around us.
We then walked to the church at the top of Eygalières and stopped to take in the quiet that surrounded us. Birds were silently swooping past, and we admired the way the light created shadows through the windows of the ancient church which sat high above the village.
Stars under the stars
L’Oustau Baumanière Restaurant, with its two Michelin stars, is a short walk from the manor houses of the hotel, and along a pretty, quiet lane dotted with houses and views up to Les Baux. Butterflies followed us as we walked as if they already knew how spectacular our dinner was going to be, and hoped to get an invitation.
Walking out onto the sprawling sunlit patio of the restaurant, I still felt that I was playing the role of the manor guest. Mature trees acted as natural umbrellas, and waiters dressed in dark, tailored suits, seemed to outnumber the guests 2:1. The waiters were nearly invisible, as they were so swift and silent. A well-orchestrated dining ballet of sorts.
There was a lovely buzz that surrounded the veranda, all of the guests dressed with an air of old-world elegance, and seemingly from all corners of the earth. I noticed one woman smoking leisurely at her table, looking like a movie star from days gone by.
Champagne and cheese
As a nod to days of formal dining, the champagne and cheese trolleys slowly wove in and around the tables throughout the night. Never one to pass on a cheese course, we let the waiter choose an array of local varieties and enjoyed a 2007 Châteauneuf du Pape, Clos du Pape from Baumanière’s enormous cellar.
We were told the cellars of Baumanière house more than 50,000 bottles of wine from all of the treasured wine regions of France. I had the wonderful opportunity to visit one of the cellars during our stay. Some vintages were from the turn of the century, and first-growth verticals that would make any wine lover’s head spin.
Kindly, the sommelier indulged my love of wine and spent 30 minutes or so showing me around the collection. We had just discovered that he had been the mentor of our sommelier from Albert 1er Restaurant in Chamonix, where we had been staying only a week before. The wine world of France is certainly small and tightly connected!
Boutique-y Saint Rémy
Art galleries, boutiques, and charming sidewalk café life kept us busy for a morning in bustling Saint Rémy-de-Provence. There is a varied mix of locals and tourists, as Saint Rémy is certainly more of a town than a village. We walked among the cheese, wine, and chocolate shops of the old town and used another coffee break as an excuse to sit and watch the world pass us by.
It was especially humbling to see the house where Nostradamus was born, dating back to the year 1503, and realize just how much history this part of France has to offer.
The Golden Goat
We didn’t see a single cloud for days. Dry air, warm temps, and aquamarine skies added to the dream-like quality of Provence. Our breakfasts were spent at the more casual restaurant at Baumanière, Le Cabro d’Or. It was there that I fell in love again—this time with lavender honey. I could happily spend hours on that veranda, fresh berries, granola, nuts, yogurts, all drizzled in local lavender honey—there was no need to ever leave!
At night, Le Cabro D’Or doubled as the other dining option, and the food was as magical as the setting—wrought iron tables and chairs with simple white linens, which allowed the stunning scenery and setting sun to take center stage. Again, impeccable service, and the vast wine list, together created an atmosphere that reiterated why you never ever have to leave the property.
Au Revoir
While it was hard to imagine leaving bucolic Baumanière and Les Baux, part of me knew that it was a special enough place to return to one day. Maybe, in fifteen years or so, I will have my electric bike, my warm baguette, and my own long, lavender-lined entryway to my gated villa in Provence. Just maybe.
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Five reasons to get lost:
- Sitting poolside with a French picnic and a bottle of rosé
- The baby goats that stumbled on their newborn legs in the small farm area on the property
- Biking to small villages and towns in turbo mode
- Looking through the well-curated wares of the on-site boutique at Baumanière
- Coming upon a trio of hovering paragliders as we biked through the vineyards and olive groves
