Le Clos Saint Saourde

Rooms

Of the 5 uncluttered bedrooms and 1 self-catering cottage, 4 of them are built into the side of a piece of rock, giving more than a little caveman chic. You get exposed stone walls, original beams, cast-iron beds and incredible bathrooms. All the rooms are big, a couple cavernous! Beds are dressed in antique linen, colours are kept warm and natural.

Strangely enough, our favourite was the vast ground-floor Beaulieu room. The least expensive (because it only has a shower), it has a sofa built into the rock face and a four-poster bed without the posts – a madly wonderful space. Walls of glass open onto the courtyard at the front; curtains protect your privacy.

Next door is Zellige, another magnificent piece of art, with a bathroom of quite epic proportions, where a deluge shower hangs above a vast mustard-coloured sculpted bath. The room has exposed stone walls, a red sofa, painted beams and a contemporary bed.

As for the first-floor suites, we lucked out in duplex Castillon. There’s a small sitting room with exposed stone walls, then steps up to ornate cast-iron beds with voile drapes above. A spiral staircase leads up to a magnificent mezzanine bathroom, with a contemporary free-standing bath and a pebbled shower. Golden stone walls and rustic wood ceilings are the order of the day. There’s also an open fire in the bedroom that you can spark up in winter and, as in all rooms, underfloor heating.

Since our visit, duplex Terre de Saffre has been added. This is the only suite with a second bedroom, making it perfect for families. There's also a spiral staircase up to the mezzanine level, plus it has a private courtyard.

Suite Roche d’Espeil, is the only room not built into the rock face. To compensate, it has its own terrace in a small front garden. There’s a table with chairs and views to the pool, but if it all gets too hot, you can cool down on the daybed in the sitting room. The bedroom is big, there’s another open fire and a mezzanine bathroom with free-standing bath and separate shower.

There’s also self-catering cottage La Grange, a gîte with its own 10m swimming pool and alfresco dining area. It has a courtyard garden built into the rock, a big high-ceilinged sitting room and a fully-equipped kitchen. Bedrooms are much simpler: exposed stone walls, simple beds, good linen, timbered ceilings. It has 1 double and 6 single beds but says it can sleeps up to 10 - we think that that would be too many. The bedrooms - two on each floor - are separated by good bathrooms (with shower).

Features include:

• Bathrobes
• WiFi

Eating

Breakfast is served on the terrace by the pool in good weather, where a large table waits in the shade. On colder days, you eat in the half-panelled dining room of the main house. It’s often a convivial meal, with fellow guests all at the same table. You get a couple of types of bread and hot croissants, jugs of coffee and pots of tea, cereal, fresh fruit and yoghurts, then a plate of cold meats.

One of the great advantages here is that there’s a small kitchen in the pool house which guests are free to use. You can store food and chill drinks, which means you can lounge about by the pool all day, then make your own lunch, even fire up an evening barbeque. All you have to do is forage for food in nearby Beaumes de Venise, where you can gather bread, cheese, pate, salad and wonderful wine.

Since we visited, the owners have introduced a gastronomic plate which can be ordered to your room, or to be enjoyed while sat by the pool. It consists of lots of indulgent elements such as foie gras with figs, parmentier de canard, cheeses and desserts as well as including numerous wines to accompany each course. However, it must be ordered 2 days in advance.

If you eat out at night, you’ll find lots of choice in high season and a reduced choice in low season. We ate La Table des Balmes in Beaumes de Venise (the nearest village, 2km away), which serves good country fare. A little further away in the pretty village of Gigondas, try L’Oustatlet for excellent food at reasonable price. For a spectacular setting head to Le Barroux, where you can eat good simple food on the top floor or seriously swanky food in the restaurant below (father and son respectfully); both have terraces that look down the valley. If you want the best food in the area, head south to L’Isle-sur-La-Sorgue and book into Le Vivier, with a Michelin star.

Guests at La Grange have their own fully equipped kitchen - oven, microwave, hob, dishwasher, fridge and a truly Gallic array of pots, pans and utensils - all gleaming in stainless steel against the stone walls. There's a pretty, wicker-covered dining terrace for 8-10, with views up to the Dentelles; in bad weather you'd have to squeeze around the kitchen table (8 at a push). Basic provisions (oil, salt etc) are provided, and Jerome can book an excellent private chef if you want to give yourselves a day off.

Features include:

• Breakfast
• A communal kitchen area and fridge in the pool house

Activities

Wine fields: you are bang in the middle of AOC vineyards (Côtes de Rhône, Côtes du Ventoux), and only 2km from Beaumes de Venise, home to a Muscat that’s admired around the world. If you’re here on July 14th, head to Vacqueyras for Les Fêtes du Vin. Chateauneuf du Pape is close, too.

The Dentelles de Montmirail, a small range of mountains which sit between Beaumes de Venise to the south and Vaison La Romaine to the north (come for the dance festival in July and August). You find serrated hills, wine fields and beautiful old villages stuck to the slopes. It’s the one of the loveliest micro-areas we discovered in Provence, a perfect place to get lost for a day. Guided walking and rock climbing can be arranged.

Mont Ventoux, the iconic mountain of Provence, which is less than 10km east. Every other year the Tour de France climbs up it. Lance Armstrong did so in 55 minutes, which is simply ridiculous (ordinary humans take three hours or more). You can hire bikes at the bottom (or the top!). Views from the summit stretch to Nice and Mont Blanc. If you come, ascend from Bedoin in the south; that’s how the cyclists do it and old chalk messages are writ across the road. A magical mountain.

Avignon is close. You can drop in for a day of culture, visit the Papal Palace, walk to the end of its famous bridge or enjoy its annual festival (mid-July-early August) for theatre, opera, classical music, exhibitions and lectures set against the backdrop of its spectacular architecture. It’s a big event (200,000 people visit); parking can be tricky.

L’Isle-sur-La-Sorgue is home to one of Europe’s biggest antiques markets. It takes place every Sunday, about 350 stalls that wind through the narrow streets of the old town and spill out across the water. It’s even bigger at Easter. Some brocantes shops are open all year round, but tend to close on Mondays and reopen on Thursdays.

The Luberon villages: Gordes, Roussillon, Oppède, Menerbes, Bonnieux and Lacoste, a collection of impossibly beautiful hilltop villages about 30km south. The villages have a rich programme of cultural events throughout the summer, not least Pierre Cardin’s opera in a quarry in Lacoste. The chateau is his country retreat; precious owners include the Marquis de Sade, who lived here before being carted off to the Bastille.

Activities on site or nearby include:

• Cycling
• Hiking
• Historical sites
• Horse riding
• Shopping / markets

Kids

Children are welcome but bear in mind that you're quite isolated - there's not a huge amount for restless teenagers to do.

Family friendly accommodation:

Terre de Saffre has space for 5 thanks to a second twin bedroom (and space for an extra rollaway bed). The self-catering Grange would be great for a large family, with 4 bedrooms and a private pool (fenced for security). The Castillon Suite and Roche d'Espeil Suite can each take an extra bed or baby cot;

Cots Available, Extra Beds Available

For more family-friendly places, see our Kids Collection

Location

Le Clos Saint Saourde is a couple of km east of the town of Beaumes de Venise, and 35km northeast of Avignon.

By Air:
The nearest airports are Nimes (95km) and
Marseille (100km). Taxis are available but we recommend that you hire a car (to be picked up at any airport or TGV station). You'll need a vehicle to get around, as the hotel is in a rural location and does not serve meals. Being only 25km off the A7 (Autoroute du Soleil), it's easy to reach from all directions.

By Train:
If you'd prefer to travel overland from the UK, take the Eurostar from London to Paris, then switch to a TGV (high speed train) to Avignon. The hotel is only 35km from here so the total journey time from London is about 6 hours, which makes it barely any longer than flying.

Detailed directions will be sent to you when you book through i-escape.com.

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