Coquillade Provence Resort & Spa review: an invitation for ultimate unwinding

Enjoy instant relaxation and luxury at this quintessential Provençal retreat

This luxurious property is located on a glorious 100-acre estate
This luxurious property is located on a glorious 100-acre estate
(Image credit: Coquillade Provence Resort & Spa)

There are few places that upon arrival make you feel instantly relaxed, like being handed an ice cold drink on a muggy day. A place that immediately gets to work unravelling the sterile, stressful atmosphere of an airport; massaging away that clammy, crowded flight.

Why stay here?

This luxurious Relais & Châteaux-affiliated property is located on a glorious 100-acre estate studded with ancient vineyards. It has rightly been acknowledged as one of the world’s top hotels, gaining its fifth star in 2011. It sits on a restored 11th century hamlet and monastery founded by Cistercian monks of the Sénanque Abbey, and the hotel does an excellent job of feeling intimate and village-like, although it’s actually fairly large, with 63 spacious rooms and suites, a six-bedroom villa, three restaurants, two bars, a cycling centre, and an expansive luxury spa.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

The site is dotted with poppies, wizened olive trees, rosemary and white roses, lavender and vines. The air in June is warm and scented with fragrant jasmine, and beyond the tall, statuesque cypress trees and two exquisite turquoise pools, blue hazy mountains on the horizon beckon toward the Spanish and Italian borders.

The rooms have been thoughtfully and meticulously designed, at once both simple, spacious and stripped back, but never scrimping on luxury. Featuring locally crafted stone walls and woodwork with neutral tones, the rooms blend in beautifully with their surroundings.

There are 63 rooms and suites and a six-bedroom villa

There are 63 rooms and suites and a six-bedroom villa
(Image credit: Coquillade Provence Resort & Spa)

Eating and drinking

Dining at Coquillade is a thrice-daily event, with seasonal produce from the estate garden and from local producers dotting every menu. The buffet breakfast is a sumptuous feast, featuring all manner of local cheeses, meats, decadent breads and pastries made fresh every day, honey from the hotel’s six beehives, and a chef whipping up fluffy omelettes along with the other hot food.

The Italian-inspired restaurant, Cipressa, is perfect for a spot of casual yet glamorous al fresco dining beside the Hockney-esque hues of the swimming pool, with freshly made plump, sumptuous pizzas, wickedly indulgent pastas, and flowing wine from the hotel’s Aureto vineyard. Particular standouts were the generously portioned truffle rigatoni, the pizza of the day featuring bresaola and fresh herbs, and an affogato to rule all affogatos.

Les Vignes and Les Jardins des Vignes is the hotel’s Provençal restaurant

Les Vignes and Les Jardins des Vignes is the hotel’s Provençal restaurant
(Image credit: Coquillade Provence Resort & Spa)

Dining at Les Vignes, the restaurant tucked away amid the vines of the rolling vineyard, is a truly memorable evening experience. We feasted on fabulous swordfish ceviche, pate, gorgeously fat, local pork ribs accompanied by fine green beans and salty, crispy fries, and a marvellous chocolate concoction to finish, all while gazing out over the vines as the sun went down. Service was impeccable, and wine from the hotel’s vineyard was perfectly matched to the food. Everything feels so effortlessly relaxed here.

There are excellent cycling routes near the property

There are excellent cycling routes near the property
(Image credit: Coquillade Provence Resort & Spa)

Things to do

Outside the hotel’s walls, if you can tear yourself away from a pool-side cocktail or two, there are excellent cycling routes that take in Pont Julien – a Roman stone arch bridge over the Calavon river dating from the third century BC – the majestic village of Gordes, windmills, and the charming, sleepy village of Lacoste. You can see Lacoste perched on the hillside with its castle once belonging to the de Sade family, and later fashion designer Pierre Cardin.

There are rolling fields of cherry and oak trees, precipitous drops and gentle climbs rewarded with stunning views. The countryside is really particularly beautiful, with fields of goats guarded by big, sleepy white fluffy dogs, locals sipping coffee in the morning sunshine and cheerful children forming a merry crocodile on their way to school. It’s ripe territory for a spot of exploring.

Relax in the outdoor Jacuzzis next to the vineyard

Relax in the outdoor Jacuzzis next to the vineyard
(Image credit: Coquillade Provence Resort & Spa)

The spa

Back at the hotel, the state-of-the-art spa is exceptional, and all the more pleasing for its outdoor rest area and natural light, ensuring it never feels too dark and dingy (in case the Marquis de Sade is still lurking in the back of your mind).

It’s certainly been comprehensively designed, with the 21,527 sq ft area boasting plunge pools, a large sauna and steam room, a sensory shower, Kneipp pools, ice fountain, heated indoor pool, outdoor Jacuzzis, a relaxation room, herbal tearoom and weight and cardio training room. The spa has been recognised multiple times by the World Luxury Spa Awards, and rightly so.

The hotel feels intimate and village-like

The hotel feels intimate and village-like
(Image credit: Coquillade Provence Resort & Spa)

The verdict

This hotel is almost impossible to fault, with its relaxed easy-going atmosphere and absolute commitment to tranquil, understated luxury – even for the grumpiest of guests frazzled by the perils of cheap flights.

Felicity Capon was a guest of Coquillade Provence Resort & Spa. Rates start from €750 per room, per night and include a welcome gift, a selection of the minibar, breakfast, access to the spa and fitness classes, and access to the Aureto Winery throughout the stay. Hameau Le Perrotet, 84400 Gargas, France; coquillade.fr

Sign up for the Travel newsletter for destination inspiration and the latest news and trends