It?s easy to escape to the lush hilltops of the south of France with family in tow, writes Claudia Dudman
Discreetly tucked away in a valley, in Les Baux-de-Provence, in the heart of the Alpilles, is a former farming estate that has been lovingly transformed into a 30-bedroom luxury, contemporary hotel.
A Labour of Love
Domaine de Manville opened in 2014, and for its owners, Edith and Patrick Saut, their project has been a labour of love. After busy careers, both originally from the area, they returned to work to renovate and extend the original farm buildings. With the hotel now open, the Sauts are hands-on proprietors and, on my visit, were hosting an exhibition launch of sculptures dotted around the grounds.
Domaine de Manville is a very pretty hotel, and looking on its website at its sun-dappled, shuttered buildings framed around a gorgeous swimming pool, I didn?t think that it could live up to what it promised. I was wrong. Upon arrival, I was greeted and taken to my room, which was a Junior Suite set on the ground floor just adjacent to the pool. It had a small sitting room with complimentary mini bar, a bathroom with a rainfall shower, a freestanding claw-foot bath, and a separate loo. The bedroom complete with flatscreen TV was light and airy, and just outside the French doors was a table and chair, sat snugly in their own little sun trap waiting for me to join them.
A family suite at the hotel
The Things They Do to Food
On my first night, I ate in the hotel?...