DINING

The restaurant at Alain Ducasse’ country inn celebrates the legendary restaurateur’s return to his culinary roots. Under the expert care of Chef Eric Santalucia, a Ducasse protégé, La Bastide’s menu is a sensory delight of Provençal and Mediterranean specialties and has earned the inn a Michelin star. Menus are created daily to take advantage of the finest regional ingredients available – Sisteron lamb, Banon cheese, Riez truffles and Cavaillon melon – complemented by just-picked produce from the inn’s own gardens.

There are two separate wine lists representing more than 300 vintages. The Bastide de Moustiers wine list celebrates the finest wines of the region, while the Alain Ducasse wine list showcases the best of France.

Guests can enjoy an exceptional meal in a choice of four distinct dining rooms – The Fireplace Room, Faiance Room, Library and Lover’s Room (an intimate niche with just one table and nighttime views of the castle at Aiguines). In warm weather, guests can also choose to dine al fresco on the Terrace, under the chestnut trees or by the pool.

Picnic baskets, filled with fresh tarts, breads and other culinary delights, can be reserved to be enjoyed under the shade of a tree during a stroll through the countryside.

La Bastide’s cozy Lounge offers comfortable seating around three wooden tables, where guests can settle (by the fire, in winter months) to enjoy a fine selection of coffees, teas, aperitifs, digestifs and herb infusions from the inn’s gardens.

SPORTS AND RECREATION

Exploring the grounds: La Bastide’s grounds offer plenty of diversions, including a heated outdoor swimming pool and Jacuzzi, open in May through October, a garden with more than 300 varieties of herbs and vegetables, a park with gentle animals for children to pet, mountain biking, an electric bike, and pétanque and other lawn games.

Massage: Guests at La Bastide can avail themselves of a tempting spa menu of  Ayurvedic massage and body treatments,  including several designed especially for men.

Pottery Workshop: On the second weekend of every month, potter Corinne Astier hosts a two-day workshop for guests at La Bastide. Guests leave with a finished, glazed work of art.

Excursions: La Bastide’s expert staff can help guests plan walking tours of historic Moustiers and other quaint villages, arrange for guided mountain hikes, four-wheel-drive adventures, and a wide variety of recreational activities in the spectacular Verdon Gorge and Sainte-Croix lake. Paragliding, hot-air ballooning, sailing, swimming, and rock climbing are among the many options for outdoor enthusiasts.