Honestly, their social media team is SO bad, we almost did not book here because so many other…read moreplaces nearby had stunning pictures of rooms, the grounds, etc. which looked a LOT better! Coquillade's seemed to hype DJ nights and restaurant menus. (Ironically, The only part of our stay we didn't enjoy was the restaurants ... and thankfully there were no DJs/dance parties while we were there!!)
We looked at Airelles Bastide in Gordes and Crillion la Brave in Vaucluse ... we weren't blown away by either of the rooms and for our stay, the dates were not available. We stumbled upon an article in a travel magazine, which stated this was one of France's top resorts and despite not much information to go on ... we booked it. Long story short ... great decision! It was a highlight of our trip.
Before getting into the specifics ... I will just say that while we were there, it just felt like home. We only had 3 days, but by the second day, the staff knew us by name and we felt that we could wander around the property freely, which we loved. There are walking trails which lead you past lavender lined walkways, fields of clover, vegetable gardens and unspoiled hills and forest. While we HATED the lobby (it felt like a high end golf club ... or conference center hotel) and did not love any of the restaurants ... the room was fantastic and cozy.
There is not much to do around this hotel. In Provence, literally everything closes at 9 p.m. It is impossible finding something to eat at 10 p.m. and after 9 or 10 ... there really is nothing to do at this resort. The pool is closed, it feels like a ghost town ... luckily the rooms are great. We were upgraded to a suite and were in love! So much space to spread out ... a beautiful bathroom with dual vanity, separate tub and a steam shower.
The bed was comfy and there was a small patio overlooking the vineyard. I am a cigar smoker and loved this view. We also had a big window, floor to ceiling, which opened and each morning we laid in bed and looked out over the winery and tall pointy trees. Each day, sweets and treats were left for us ... bignets, candied oranges and our mini-bar was stocked each day with waters, local beer and little jars of nuts ... all of this was included in the room cost. A very underrated feature ... unlike tye US, there was no resort fee!
The breakfasts were amazing, and also included! Relais y Chateau properties focus on local foods ... much of the fruit, vegetables and honey were grown on property. The cheese plate was amazing! And they had a hot egg station, sausage and anything you could want for breakfast (except for Mimosas).
While you are basically in the middle of farmland, it's a 15-30 minute drive to some great towns. Of course Gordes gets all the glory being ranked one of the most picturesque towns in the world. (We found it overrated.) Rossillion was our favorite town nearby. Its an instgram dream. We did not see Lacoste which is also nearby ... but the concierge recommended a few great, local restaurants. One was a roof deck restaurant, which was very cool. The other was Clover Gordes ... very expensive and fancy but essential for the Provence experience.
Onsite, we had 2 dinners ... mostly because it was far to drive elsewhere at night. Both were average at best ... and expensive, although not shockingly so. The restaurants need work here ... thai and Italian at a French resort. Blah. We did have pizza at the pool one day, which I will admit was good Neopolitan style pizza. The pool was super warm ... although a bit crowded. It was huge though, most other resorts feature narrow pools for dipping ... this one seemed more for recreation.
The landscaping is breathtaking here. All the gardeners deserve a raise. Hedges of wonderful smelling jasmine ... flowers ... and of course the lavender hedges. We were not there for the flowering but even so, we snapped a little bud off here and there to smell before we went to bed at night. The rows look wonderful with the tall, pointy green trees. The only downside to the grounds is its a bit hard to relax in the room in the morning/afternoon because there are lots of hedge trimmer, leaf blower and other machinery sounds as the groundskeeping staff keeps the property looking beautiful.
Overall, we loved our stay. 5-stars and then some. Even though nights were boring, we could have stayed an entire week. It felt like home. Driving or biking, know that you will need to take some day trips ... but losing yourself in the French countryside is what this place is all about. If you want to be more in the action/closer to town, maybe Arielles Resort in Gordes would be better for you. However, if we were to return to the area, we would stay here again!
