Jardins Secrets

Dating back a few years before Christ, Nîmes is a city of antiquity — Roman ruins, aqueducts, an amphitheater, dripping grottoes, temples, terraced gardens, crumbling towers, fountains, etc. — with a storybook feel quite unlike the countrified gentility of the rest of small-village Provence. It’s more mysterious and cerebral; think Édouard Manet instead of Claude Monet and you’ll get the idea. So while a softly lit, lilting panache defines its peers, the tiny Jardins Secrets rises gamely to the challenge of embodying that complex atmosphere.

An 18th-century coach-house with just 14 incredible — and surprisingly original — rooms, Jardins Secrets comes loaded with antiques, magnificent pieces arranged by an expert eye in unusual ways, creating a motif of curios rather than stuffiness. Add in a scattering of books and some chirping birds in ornate cages for good measure. The proprietors, a stylist and a photographer, nail this luxurious look down with fascinating details at the edge of every sightline, bathed in a romantically dappled light. Beds come with brocade canopies, naturally, as do vintage sloped tubs; ornate mirrors and elaborate chandeliers draw the eye upward to the lofted ceilings.

Outside is equally captivating: a slightly surreal, cloistered Provençal garden with cascading bougainvillea set against taut topiary, palms vying with evergreens, and a pièce de résistance marble fountain, all surrounded by a shaded loggia. Nested around the garden are a series of salons in the old sense, including a Napoleon III-inspired bar with elegantly upholstered wingback seating and a fireplace sufficient to hold off the relentless Mistral. And fear not: in a city famous for its restorative waters, Jardins Secrets rises to the challenge of its setting once again; from the jade-colored swimming pool in the garden to the carved lavatories in the bathrooms to the candle-lit spa and plunge, the immersive Nîmes experience is never far.

How to get there: Jardins Secrets is located in the center of Nîmes. By air, use either the Nîmes, Montpellier or Marseille airports.