I was blown away by this gem of a hotel and actually hesitated reviewing it because we wanted to keep it a secret! If you head to Provence, you MUST stay here. We went for two nights in mid-April and thought it was the highlight of our 14 day trip. You weave your way through the tiny alleyways of lovely Arles, turn a corner, and suddenly you're in the middle of this incredible private courtyard where the only sound you hear are the birds chirping and the fountain trickling. Our room well-surpassed my expectations, we stayed in Room no. 5, a junior suite with a fireplace right off the garden. Huge four poster bed with great sheets and down comforter, a real functioning fireplace, massive stone tub with shower, big fluffy robes, fresh flower arrangements in your room each day and staff ready to do anything you need. Unlike the last review, the mattress great, one of the better out of anywhere we've visited. We were one of two couples staying there and basically had the place to ourselves. My husband and I ate alone in the beautiful dining room and enjoyed a home cooked, four star meal: cold red pepper soup with a drizzle of the local fruity olive oil, tender fall-off-the-bone leg of lamb prepared with provincial spices, fingerling potatoes and sugar snap peas, a cheese course and a delicious strawberry soup with vanilla ice cream for dessert. Breakfast each morning was SO worth the 16 euros they charge: fresh melt-in-your mouth crepes, omlettes made to order, delicious croissants and pan au chocolates, cheeses and salty ham, freshly squeezed orange juice (everything here is truly top notch) and coffee or hot chocolate.
We spent our first day wandering around Arles, visiting the amazing market that's in town Wednesday/Saturdays and the second day lounging in the sun by the pool, reading under their lemon trees and dozing to the sound of the fountain. Funny story: I accidently bought 6 KILOS of strawberries at the market, after stupidly pointing at one of the wooden crates and saying "Oui." 15 euros later, my husband wanted to kill me as he was forced to carry a massive plastic bag filled with the slowly masticating berries the rest of the day. In despair, we headed back to the hotel and I asked Bridgette, one of the proprietors, in broken french if I could wash them off in the kitchen sink. She immediately flew into action, grabbing silver trays, crystal bowls for the strawberries, china plates, sugar, and a silver bucket filled with water and ice to dunk them in. We had an perfect picnic lunch out in the garden, my mistake turned into a great moment....and our strawberry soup dessert for dinner that night. : )
Another highlight was our massages down in their fabulous Turkish baths. Yes, it is pricey (they charge 30 euros to use the bath/sauna area) but we viewed it as a special treat. If you stay here, I recommend doing it up, take advantage of all the special things they have to offer: dinner, a room with a fireplace, relax by the pool, and a visit to their fabulous bathes. Truly, an outstanding experience. We wouldn't hesitate to go back.

















