Hôtel La Villa Saint Ange

The house began as an 18th-century bastide and was later entirely renovated and enlarged. Its outline is defined by a scalloped Second Empire roof, which the hotel describes as elegant. The rooms carry precious and unique objects, screens and ceiling mouldings, with delicate wallpapers that have Orientalist echoes and rare pieces of furniture; the detailing varies from one room category to the next.

The Salon Malmaison gathers the house's decorative instincts in one room: high ceilings with mouldings, Zuber mural wallpaper evoking 18th-century chinoiserie, a black ebony central table, a silver chandelier and Limoges porcelain.

The estate sits close to the centre of Aix-en-Provence yet remains secluded, surrounded by greenery. The Prestige Rooms are a short distance from the city centre and Cours Mirabeau. For arrivals, the Aix-en-Provence TGV station is 15 minutes from the hotel, and Marseille Provence International Airport is 30 minutes away by car.

Every category offers a king-size bed or twin beds. Classic Rooms, from 21 to 32 m², overlook either the pool or the garden with its cypresses, centenary olive trees and statues. Superior Rooms extend to between 25 and 40 m². The three Deluxe Rooms, 38 to 40 m² and decorated in pink tones, are divided between the Grande Bastide, which holds two, and the pool, beside which stands the third.

Prestige Rooms, at 46 to 54 m², sleep 2 to 3, with silk curtains held by bronze brooch tiebacks, screen patterns, ceiling mouldings and monogrammed robes. The three Prestige Deluxe Rooms, 50 to 55 m², add a terrace, alongside parquet softened by carpets, sand-toned silk curtains, rare period furniture and faïence tiles.

Âma Terra serves Mediterranean-inspired cooking built on fresh, seasonal produce. The restaurant sits beneath a Second Empire glass roof, a dining room the hotel likens to a winter garden, filled with light and close to the gardens outside. Guests sit in cabriolet armchairs at tables laid with silverware, china and glassware under crystal chandeliers. In fine weather, a large terrace opens onto a Provençal garden of flowered arbour, basins, fountains, lavender and wisteria.

The bar, set within Âma Terra around a Lyon zinc counter, takes its intimate mood from 18th-century townhouses. The barman's signature cocktails draw on Vasarely, Vilmorin, Picasso and Mirabeau, served at the bar or on the terrace. Breakfast of local jams, breads, seasonal fruit, juices and eggs, some organic, is served under the glass roof, in the garden or in the room.

The outdoor pool is heated in season, from Easter to mid-October, and forms a mirror pool at the centre of the park alongside an outdoor whirlpool bath. The spa, in a natural setting centred on wood, offers treatments and massages by professional practitioners, with a duo massage room. Its fitness area looks onto the Mediterranean garden and is equipped with a WaterRower rowing machine, a WaterRower bike and a weight bench.