T+L 500; Best Hotels in the World – Travel + Leisure

"In 1994, while riding my motorcycle at random on the roads of Provence, I discovered a house standing amidst lavender and olive trees. I made it my anchoring harbour, my home, before deciding to open it to others. It has always had this very special place in my heart, and it still has today… "
-  Alain Ducasse

In the Alps of High-Provence, at the foot of the village of

Moustiers, the legendary restaurateur Alain Ducasse opened his first country inn: La Bastide de Moustiers. Once the country house of a master potter, La Bastide has been restored and renovated to perfection, with 11 individually designed rooms and one luxury suite, each charmingly named to evoke a particular Provençal theme: Lavande. L’Olive. Framboise (raspberry). L’Abeille (bee).

This is a place that celebrates the best of country living. Fresh Provencal cuisine is skillfully prepared by Chef Alain Souliac and his team (all former pupils of Ducasse himself) and has earned the inn a Michelin star. A day’s menu might feature such local specialties as Sisteron lamb, Banon cheese or Riez truffles, and always offers plenty of vegetables, herbs and fruits harvested daily from La Bastide’s own gardens.

Guests are welcomed as if at a private home, with freedom to wander wherever they choose – even into the kitchen. Each day holds its own distinct delights with several activities offered, from pottery classes once a month to a game of pétanque, a romantic picnic, or a four-wheel-drive adventure through the spectacular Verdon Gorge. Children and the young at heart will be enchanted by La Bastide’s menagerie of animals – ponies, fawns, donkeys, and a horse named Eliot.

Paragliding, kayaking and rock-climbing are just a few of the recreational options that await thrill-seekers in the surrounding countryside, and the resulting sore muscles can be soothed with a tempting menu of Ayurvedic massage treatments back at La Bastide. Yet no one could blame a guest for choosing to simply relax by the heated pool, or on a hammock in the shade of the trees, whiling away the hours with a book or a refreshing aperitif.

La Bastide de Moustiers is one of three exceptional inns in the Alain Ducasse Country Inns collection. The other in Provence - Hostellerie de L’Abbaye de la Celle, in Tuscany - L’Andana.

La Bastide de Moustiers
Chemin de Quinson

04360 Moustiers Sainte-Marie, France

Phone:  + 33 (0) 4 92 70 47 47

Fax: + 33 (0) 4 92 70 47 48
Owner: Alain Ducasse

Reservations:

E-mail: contact@bastide-moustiers.com
or visit the hotel's website directly below.

11 rooms and 1 suite
Airports: Nice (2 hrs.); Marseille (1 hr. 45 min.)
Credit cards accepted at hotel: American Express, MasterCard, Visa, JCB, Diners
Air conditioning: yes
Currency: Euro
Open: March - December (closed January and February); Restaurant closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from November - April.