Château Saint-Martin

It takes something special for a hotel to stand out in so storied a destination as the south of France, but the Château Saint-Martin & Spa is nothing if not unique. Here, on a hilltop overlooking Vence, is a site that was once a Roman fortification, later a Knights Templar commandery, and now — after substantial improvements by its new owners, the Oetker Collection — one of very few château-style hotels in Provence, offering a degree of luxe seclusion that the grand hotels in the seaside towns can’t hope to match.

A modern wing and a handful of villas have been added to the original structure, but the whole remains relatively modest in scale. The interior style is contemporary-classic, neither thoroughly antique nor jarringly modern; the colors are soft, in the Provençal manner, and the eye is ever drawn outward to the views, which seem to encompass the full length of the Côte d’Azur.

The grounds contain large expanses of gardens for wandering or lounging, as well as a swimming pool, a spa by La Prairie, and even a pair of tennis courts. There’s even a private beach club for guests’ use on Cap d’Antibes, complete with shuttle service; meanwhile the dining and drinking venues include a poolside bar, a more refined indoor cocktail bar, as well as a pair of restaurants: the summertime L’Oliveraïe, set in the open air of an olive grove, and the MICHELIN-Starred Le Saint-Martin, with views of the Mediterranean.