Villa Regalido

Finding a quaint medieval village in the south of France isn’t the world’s most difficult task; spend a day pottering around Provence and you’ll probably cruise through a dozen of them. When it comes time to settle in for the night, though, the town of Fontvieille has a great deal to recommend it, including the 15-room Villa Regalido behind the ancient walls of its city center. Located a few minutes from both the dizzying stone cliffs of Les Baux-de-Provence and the town of Arles, this hotel is a convenient midpoint between the stark isolation of the former and the UNESCO-sanctioned, Van Gogh–approved touristing of the latter.

Hotels in this region tend to be well versed in the splitting of differences (urbane and rustic, modern and medieval) and Villa Regalido is no exception. It may resemble a good-sized country residence, but at fifteen rooms, it’s too big to call itself a bed and breakfast with a straight face. Still, a kind of cozy down-home charm prevails — the lines are simple and clean, but never stark, and locally sourced stone bathrooms and private solariums provide a bit of a modern edge. Three of the suites come with an extra bedroom if you’ve got the kids in tow. And if you happen to have the whole extended family, the owners allow you to turn the place into your own private retreat.

The restaurant’s got the look of a vaulted cavern, and its three daily servings walk the line between country-kitchen specialties and local favorites. The spa is fairly robust for a hotel of this size, and the 2009 renovation brought with it a swimming pool located rather delightfully in the walled outdoor garden.

How to get there:
Villa Regalido is located 35 km from Avignon's and Nîmes' local airports.