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Welcome to Provence, France.
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Multi-spice (not hot) chicken at Restaurant Les Santons, Moustiers-St-Marie
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Provence is rather a large region in France. Bigger than most people think. The name has become an adjective that summons images of olive oil, fresh herbs with scents of lavender, rosemary and thyme, crisp rosés and deep red wines, colorful markets filled with every fresh vegetable imaginable brought in from the Mediterranean shores.
We think of warm days of sunshine, sandy beaches, café sitting and long evenings lingering over dinner. But most visitors never leave the coast. They don't realize that most of Provence is inland, tucked away in the hills and valleys of the pre-Alps or spread about in the broad delta lands the Rhone famous for their bullfights and white horses.
Just up from Nice, less than an hour's drive, you can ski in the winter. No kidding! In the hill towns of Haute-Provence, the pastel colors of the coastal fishing villages give way to variations of rusty red mined in Roussillion to pale ochre, to sand and wheat. Often there is no stucco at all, just walls of river rock and mud or sand colored mortar. North of Aix-en-Provence is the valley of the Durance that leads up to Sisteron and Grenoble.
Goat cheeses (fresh and aged), game, rosé and red wines, meat stews, herb fed free range lamb, black truffles are all typical of the highland in Provence.
The Rhone delta region, the Carmargue, is famous for its salt march fed lamb and beef, its olive oil and the bright red rosés of Tavel and the heavy, deep reds of Chateauneuf du Pape.
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The coast with its plethora of fishing villages is big on fresh fish. Nice is famous for its Niçoise cuisine which is very hard to find in an authentic fashion.
With autoroutes leading everywhere these days and refrigeration, chefs can get almost anything their hearts desire so the regional differences do not need to make a difference the way they once did. But the trend that has taken over from Nouvelle Cuisine has had the happy result that creative chefs search for the freshest local ingredients.
The interest in this for foodies is that, as Chef Daniel Jourdan of Hostellerie de la Fust told me, carrots grown in the soil of the coast pick up a different balance of nutrients from that soil than from the soil say in the valley of the Durance. The same applies to the fish, the game, the lamb, the chicken... you get the idea. It is not just wine that is individualized by the soil, all food ingredients are.
While it does not take long to get from one end to the other of Provence, you can spend months in a small region and only just scrape the surface of getting to know it. For Linda and I, the historical sights, Roman ruins etc. take second place to entering the daily life of a small village. Conversations over coffee or pastis is a pure delight.
So choose your pleasure. The list of hotels and restaurants below offer excellent starting points in your exploration. Or you might prefer to rent a self catering villa and really emerce yourself.
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Lavindin in Haute Provence on the plain of Valensole.
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Market stall for dried and preserved meats at Riez.
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Côte d'Azure & Near Coast
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Le Mas Candille****, Mougins (Cote d'Azur), Southern France.
A lovely four star hotel set on the hill-side that slopes down from the famous gastronomic village of Mougins, a stone's throw from the sparkling Mediterranean sea as well as Cannes. 25 kilometres from Nice Cote D'Azur international airport. A lovely setting with spacious grounds, 2 swimming pools, jacuzzi, an award winning Shiseido Spa, but most notable for us, a superb chef de cuisine with one Michelin star - Serges Gouloumès.
3 1/2 Chef Rating.
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Hotel "Byblos"****, St. Tropez, Riviera, France.
If you are in the mood for a stellar dose of glamour, "Byblos", in Saint Tropez, is the place to stay to see and be seen and just plain enjoy yourself in one of the best run hotels in the south of France.
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Restaurant "Spoon Byblos", St. Tropez, Riviera, France
"Spoon Byblos", with it's accent on the Mediterranean cuisines, of the Riviera, Italy, Catalonia, Andalusia, Tunisia and Morocco, gives you the option of mixing and combining your own imaginative choices. Located in the hotel complex of "Hotel Byblos" is one of the many, world wide "Spoon" restaurants of famed chef Alain Ducasse.
Three Chef Rating.
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Hotel Villa Marie"****, Ramatuelle (nr. Saint Tropez), Riviera, France.
Set in the peace and calm of a pine covered hillside with a view of the sea, with rooms and buildings dripping with the colors of Provence and Italy, with charme just short of excess - in short the perect holiday spot, pick this hotel in the country but just minutes from the center of St. Tropez.
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Hotel "La Bastide Saint Antoine"****, Grass (near Cannes)
This lovely Provençal manor house surrounded by 400 year old olive trees is not only a marvelous and superbly comfortable hotel but has one of the best restaurants in France if you love modern, Mediterranean cuisine. (See below).
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Restaurant "La Bastide Saint Antoine", Grass (near Cannes)
Chef Jacques Chibois is doing some of the very best cooking we have yet to taste. Light, interesting, novel taste combinations, focus on regional produce and flavors. Served on a terrace overlooking the valley that leads to Cannes and the sea or in four delightful dining rooms.
Five Chef Rating.
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"Restaurant Villa Belrose", Gassin, St. Tropez, France
This is the excellent restaurant of Hotel Villa Belrose. Style is modern French Mediterranean with superb vegetable and fish dishes. Incredible view from high on a hill side overlooking the bay of St. Tropez.
Three Chef Rating.
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"Villa Belrose**** Luxe", Gassin, St. Tropez, France
New Florentine influenced luxury hotel high on the hillside overlooking the bay of St. Tropez. Quiet, private, comfortable, superb pool and cuisine. Excellent for family holiday or romantic interlude.
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Bastide de Saint Tropez****, Saint Tropez, Var
This charming, upscale retreat is a balm to the soul. Just on the outskirts of the village, within walking distance of the cafes, the restaurants and the center of town. Great restaurant (Below).
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Château de Nans, Nans-les-Pins (St. Maximin), Var, France.
With food from a talented former sous chef of both Alain Ducasse and Ducasse's pal Bruno of the "truffle menu" fame, this small, charming Chateau with just a hand full of regal rooms cannot help but succeed. It is brand new and still developing. Located in a former gastronomic "no man's land", this is a little utopia caught between the verdant green of a golf course on one side and hectares of vineyards on the other. A must on your travel list.
Two Chef Rating.
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Restaurant "La Coast", Port de Villefranche, Alpes-Maritime, France.
This restaurant, new in Spring 2001, has changed it's name from Le Voile d'Azur to La Coste but the cuisine is still bursting with both flavors and ambiance of the sea. Modern Mediterranean cuisine, light and well presented. View of the harbor, the bay and the sea from a ship like sail covered outside deck.
Two Chef Rating.
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Eze - Medieval Hill Top Village
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Hotel Château Eza, Eze Village, Alpes-Maritime, France.
Château Eza is an enchanting hotel and restaurant tucked away in one of the most exciting sites on the Côte d'Azur. Pretty as a postcard, the hotel clings to the side of the ancient rock walls of Eze, a thousand-year-old medieval village 1,300 feet above the Mediterranean Sea. Great romantic stay and superb food.
3.5 Chef Rating.
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Hotel Château de la Chèvre d'Or, Eze Village, Alpes-Maritime, France.
Perched 1,500 feet above the Mediterranean Sea in the Medieval hill top village of Eze near Monte Carlo on the Côte d'Azure, this 4 star luxury hotel is a truly magical place with an view that is hard to beat. Luxury mini and full suites all with a view from St. Tropez to Monte Carlo. Excellent 2 Michelin star restaurant. (below)
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Restaurant "La Chèvre d'Or", Eze Village, Alpes-Maritime, France.
New Chef Philippe Labbe has brought his 1 Michelin star to this excellent restaurant. His recipes full of Provence. Quietly efficient and friendly service. Views out over the sea from 270º plate glass windows from St. Tropez to Monte Carlo. Constantly changing panorama.
Four Chef Rating.
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Restaurant "Les Remparts", Eze Village, Alpes-Maritime, France.
Lunch al fresco on the terrace of Hotel La Chèvre d'Or, this restaurant has the same view over the Mediterranean Sea as the rooms of the hotel but out in the fresh sea air. Light deluxe brasserie food, very fresh from a small menu.
Two Chef Rating.
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Restaurant "Le Grill du Château", Eze Village, Alpes-Maritime, France.
A high quality everyday restaurant with very fresh plates with attention to generous fresh vegetables, marvelous fish and seafood dishes as well as more traditional Provençal dishes and tastes rendered in a modern fashion. Small and intimate. Filled with simple charm.
Two & 1/2 Chef Rating.
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Western Mediterranean Coast & Near Coast
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Hostellerie Les Frênes****, nr. Avignon, Southern France.
Enjoy the serene delight of Hostellerie Les Frênes (a new member of the Stein Group in 2007) in the quiet outskirts of Avignon just 15 to 20 minutes from the city. It is a wonderful place to stay while touring the Papal City or visiting the nearby Luberon region or just enjoying a quiet time to de-stress.
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"Le Jardin des Sens****, Montpellier, Provence"
Two 3 Michelin star rated brothers create unique and ultra modern cuisine with local Provençal ingredients from their region and from around the whole Mediterranean coast.
Five Chef Rating.
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"Brasserie La Compagnie des Comptoirs, Montpellier, Provence"
The brothers Pourcel of Le Jardin des Sens have created a superb everyday eatery with excellent tastes from all around the Mediterranean sea, but with a more simple preparation to keep the price down. Reasonable prices, order one dish or many. Open 7 days a week lunch and dinner.
Three Chef Rating.
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Oustau de Baumanière, Les Baux de Provence *****
This wonderful hotel located in the heart of Provence gives todays' travelor a real trip back in time to France as it existed numerous decades ago but with all of todays'' comforts and at a deluxe level.
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"Oustau de Baumanière, Les Baux de Provence"
We are delighted to report that here is once again almost back where it belongs. It is excellent, modern and refined without loosing track of the fact that in the end, what is on the plate is food.
Three and a half Chef Rating.
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Provence-Inland
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Hotel "La Bastide de Marie****", Ménerbes (near Avignon), Provence.
La Bastide Marie is simply one of the most charming and discrete deluxe luxury country inns we have come across. Tucked away in a valley carpeted in vineyards at the base of the village of Ménerbes, not far from Avignon and a stone's throw from Bonnieux; this area of the Luberon is a nature park in itself. A land of rustic beauty.
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Hostellerie de la Fuste***, near Manosque, Haute-Provence
An underrated and overlooked country inn and restaurant, Daniel Jourdan and his wife created in the mid 1980's a quiet, Provençal retreat with high quality food on the banks of the Durance serving modern provencal tastes long before Ducasse and others caught on to the idea. His wife died a few years ago and his cuisine suffered almost as much as he did himself. But his spirit has returned to his cuisine and to himself which he is celebrating with the finished constrution of a lovely new diningroom.
Three Chef Rating.
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Les Voutes du Mont d'Or, Manosque, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence
Just bought by new, young chef M. Tchekemian from Marseilles who, if whispers on the grape vine are correct, is producing excellent food at reasonable prices in the fine tradition of this lovely, golden restaurant in the heart of old Manosque..
No rating available as yet.
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La Bastide de Moustiers-Ste-Marie****, Haute Provence
This is the personal "auberge" of Alain Ducasse, the worlds top rated chef who currently holds 6 Michelin stars and is involved in many other eateries including his two 3 Michelin star restaurants in Monaco and Paris and the chain of restaurants world wide called "Spoon". However, the Bastide is his retreat. Created in 1995 with just five (now twelve) charming rooms in this old, stone farm house, the food is sophisticated and delicious. This is a must for anyone staying more than a couple of days in Provence.
Three and a Half Chef Rating.
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La Bonne Etape Restaurant, Haute Provence
Far removed from the normal tourist routes, this fine Relais et Chateaux hotel and restaurant offers a very special experience of Provence. On the route to Grenoble that Napoleon forged, the Gleize family have brought a simple post house up to world standards for comfort and cuisine. Tastes refined and filled with the essence of Haute-Provence.
Four Chef Rating.
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La Bonne Etape Hotel****, Haute Provence
An old poste house, this Relais et Chateau country inn is a delux hotel, quiet and filled with the style, aromas and refined taste of Haute-Provence. A must on a trip to Haute-Provence.
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Les Santons, Haute Provence, France.
What this story book restaurant lacks in fine tuned cuisine, it more than makes up in its ambiance and location. Romantic, beamed ceilings in tiny dining rooms with white washed wall, a terrace that looks out over at once the church square and the entire valley of Moustiers. The restaurant was a favorite of M. Francoise Mitterand who would drive over from the Luberon just for lunch. The food is tasty if not "haute". The welcome is warm and the new owners seem to be carrying on the same style of cuisine.
Two Chef Rating.
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