Luxury retreat on the Cote d'Azur
Fine art meets fine cuisine in St Paul de Vence
Escape the crowds of the coast and head inland, to the 400 year old walled village of St Paul de Vence and the Relais & Chateau boutique hotel, Le Saint Paul
Just a mile or two inland from glamorous Nice in the south of France is the 16th century hilltop town of St-Paul de Vence, encircled by massive, fortified walls, its terracotta-roofed stone houses and cobbled streets oozing Provencal charm. Le Saint Paul is an exquisite boutique hotel situated inside the walls, a well-kept secret with charming rooms, lots of individual touches and, naturally, spectacular cuisine.
The hotel only has 19 rooms, four of them suites. For much of the year, you can dine outside on a flower-filled terrace, or in a beautiful dining room, next to a splashing fountain. This is Provencal cuisine at its finest, using wonderful seasonal ingredients and combining the very light with the very rich. Try the melt-in-the-mouth zucchini flowers stuffed with pesto mousse (and scattered with generous shavings of truffle), or indulge in roasted lamb cutlets with a glossy, dark sauce of thyme, and stuffed zucchini. For something lighter, there's a a decadent lobster ravioli, or the most wonderful cream of mushroom soup drizzled with hazlenut oil, with chunks of flavorsome chestnuts lurking at the bottom of the bowl. Desserts centre around locally-grown figs, or rich raspberry millefeuille with fresh cream cheese sorbet. The wine list is extensive and almost exclusively French, with a helpful sommelier should you want to try something new or unusual.
Fortunately, this is a village for walking off all the food and it's possible to prowl the narrow streets for hours, peering into the many art galleries, some enticing, some less so, inhaling the scent of lavender from the many herb shops, sampling chunks of nutty nougat and stocking up on tasteful gifts to take home. In the town cemetery, you'll find the simple grave of the great painter, Marc Chagall, while down the hill is the wonderful Maeght Foundation, a treasure trove of contemporary art and sculpture with beautiful shaded gardens.
Prices from 516 Euro ($647) for two for two nights, including one dinner. For more information, visit http://www.lesaintpaul.com
