Hôtel Château de Berne

According to the estate's own history, vines already grew here in Roman times: the land lies on a branch of the Via Aurelia, the road between Italy and Spain that carried the wine trade, and an oven found in the vineyard shows that amphorae were made on site. In the 12th century the Count of Toulouse, Raymond V, gave the estate to Bernard de Clairvaux of the Cistercian order. In 1307 Philippe le Bel confiscated the land in favour of noble families, and for nearly five centuries it belonged to the Marquis de Villeneuve. Marius Estellon, a former frigate captain of the imperial army, created the winegrowing estate in the 19th century, enlarging the land, planting new plots and modernising the vineyard.

The château then changed hands several times: Dr German owned it from 1949 to 1960, then Mrs Smeets, head of the Jean Mineur advertising company, until 1985. The vineyard, somewhat neglected by then, was bought in 1995 by an Englishman who replanted 32 hectares, modernised the winemaking and rebuilt the cellar so that the harvest arrives by gravity, and who decided to develop a hotel concept centred on wine tourism. The most recent purchase in the estate's account dates from 2007, when a British businessman with a passion for Provence bought the property; that same year Château de Berne launched what it calls the first square wine bottle.

Today the château has a grand library with a wraparound mezzanine and a terrace for dining outdoors under stone arches, and stone-built villas stand close to it for more private stays. The estate around it produces Côtes de Provence rosés, reds and whites; its rosé, grown and made on site, is easy to recognise by the metallic gold sun emblem that crowns the bottles. The vineyard holds High Environmental Value (HVE) level 3 certification as well as the organic AB label, the hotel is a member of Relais & Châteaux, and the MICHELIN Guide gives it one Key.

The rooms, set among cypresses, olive trees and rows of vines, are designed in what the hotel calls a 'chic country' spirit, and the MICHELIN Guide finds the rooms and suites extremely comfortable, decorated roughly two parts traditional to one part contemporary-boutique, all in Provençal colours. The villas, scattered across the estate for complete privacy, are decorated in a chic style that the hotel calls refined and authentic, and their interior designers favoured the materials long used in Provençal homes: wood, terracotta and earth. The Bastide des Gomberts, a former sheepfold, was restored by the estate's architects in keeping with traditional Provençal architecture.

The hotel stands in the Var, on a private estate between Lorgues and Flayosc. Two rivers cross it, and its landscape mixes forest, olive groves and organic vines under a mild climate: Provence averages 300 days of sunshine a year. The woods are Mediterranean, with umbrella pines, Aleppo pines, evergreen oaks and olive trees. The fortified medieval village of Lorgues is a 10-minute drive away, and Draguignan is less than 20 kilometres off.

The Gorges du Verdon are 45 minutes to the north. For arrivals, Les Arcs-Draguignan TGV station is a 25-minute drive, Toulon and Saint-Tropez airports are an hour away, Nice airport one hour 15 minutes and Marseille airport one hour 30 minutes, and reception can arrange transport to the hotel.

Rooms and suites all have a balcony or terrace. The suites come in three types, from 40 to 70 m², and their private terraces or balconies look over the château, the vineyards or the estate's forests.

The family rooms, which the hotel calls warm and refined, pair comfort with discreet modern decor. One of them, for instance, is split into two rooms: a king-size bedroom and a second room with two single beds that can be put together. Its very spacious shower and bath suit children, and pets are welcome there.

Of the estate's villas, the Bastide des Gomberts has seven rooms over two floors for up to ten guests, and its private swimming pool, 3.5 by 10 metres, is fitted with a child safety system.

Le Jardin de Berne, led by chef Louis Rameau, holds one Michelin star in the 2026 guide. It is open for dinner only, and its kitchen makes a strict selection of produce, renewed with the seasons, with the restaurant's own organic vegetable garden to draw on. The dining room pairs a bright atmosphere with contemporary decor. Breakfast is served here too, or by room service for an extra charge.

The estate has three restaurants in all: a Michelin-starred table, a gastronomic restaurant and a Bib Gourmand, whose chefs use local produce, some of it straight from the estate's kitchen garden. Le Bistrot, under chef Aurélie Liautaud, serves local cooking and is open all year round, while L'Olivier de Berne serves cuisine for sharing. Pastry is overseen by Eric Raynal, winner of the MICHELIN Guide's Passion Dessert award. The bar is open from 12:00 to 00:00, and room service is available.

The spa, an 800 m² space with refined decoration, works with Cinq Mondes and Vinésime. Its indoor pool, with counter-current swimming and a gooseneck jet, looks out over the vineyards and olive grove, and the facilities include two jacuzzis, a sauna, a hammam, a solarium, massage tables and a relaxation area with a herbal tea room; vinotherapy sessions are also offered. Vinésime creates its active ingredients from vines selected in the Climats of Burgundy, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The spa is open daily from 10:00 to 19:00, and until 20:00 on Saturdays.

An exclusive body scrub, the rosé 'Château de Berne par Vinésime', is made from the marc of Grenache Noir, the château's emblematic grape, from the Plateau de Berne plot at 300 metres, whose vines have been grown organically since February 2021. The fitness room looks out over the surrounding nature and has the latest Technogym machines and a ping-pong table, with yoga and wake-up workouts led by a state-certified coach if guests wish. Yoga classes also take place among the vines, and there is an outdoor swimming pool.

The estate's tasting cellar is open every day from 10:00 to 18:00 throughout the year: the cellar team pours the estate's wines at the counter or during a tour of the cellars, with three tours to choose from, and the sommeliers also lead commented tastings and oenology workshops. Tailor-made wine tours and early-morning walks through the vines are offered too. The oenologist, Alexis Cornu, is an agricultural engineer in viticulture and oenology. Landscaped paths lead on foot or by bike through gardens, vineyards, olive groves and woodland, six hiking trails explore the estate's farmland, riverbanks, forest and vines, and guests can visit the kitchen gardens as well as the Provençal, French, English and Japanese gardens.

For a number of years the estate has staged its own Jazz à Berne festival in the Provençal hills, from mid-July to the end of August, and twice a year it hosts a Food Truck Festival, where regional specialities from around the world come with Château de Berne wines. Tennis and a pétanque pitch, with all the equipment needed, are reserved for hotel guests. A babysitting service is available, and at Easter the hotel organises an egg hunt for children on the estate. The hotel also has a shop.

The hotel also offers the estate for weddings, seminars and other private events, and it holds only one event a day. Couples can choose the Bacchus Room, 230 m² under vaulted ceilings and arches, with a large dance floor and a view over the cellars, or the Jasmine Garden, 288 m² among vines and pine trees under a heated and air-conditioned glass roof; each takes up to 130 guests. For an outdoor wedding, the amphitheatre has a 115 m² round stage set on a lake and ringed by stone seats. A secular ceremony can be held in the estate's chapel, and bridal hair and make-up can be done in the spa.