Le Pigonnet

French landscapes have inspired countless artists. Van Gogh liked the light of Arles, while Monet’s backyard garden in Giverny was the subject of his famous Water Lilies. Paul Cézanne lived and worked in Aix-en-Provence: back when Hotel Le Pigonnet was a private estate, he used to carry his easel through the gardens, taking his own painterly snapshots of the old chestnut trees and the views of Sainte-Victoire mountain in the distance.

Even if you don’t have an artistic bone in your body, you might feel tempted to pick up a paintbrush yourself — or at least get creative with your iPhone camera — after setting foot on the grounds of this lovely 18th-century villa. Le Pigonnet is a place that’s benefited greatly from years of careful maintenance, and the hotel’s owners have wisely left the grounds alone: these four gorgeously landscaped acres, a green wonderland of mature trees, ivy-bedecked trellises, and stone fountains is much as it was a century ago. What’s there to improve upon, anyway? If it’s good enough for one of the greatest painters in modern art history, it’s good enough for us.

Inside the Hotel Le Pigonnet, it’s another story. The Provençal facade of the main building is the same, but inside, the design is contemporary. Standard guest rooms have a slightly more traditional look — note the heavy drapery — but suites have metallic wallpaper that wasn’t yet invented in Cézanne’s day. In-room features vary: some rooms have walk-in showers, others have soaking tubs, but all come with amenities like Nespresso machines, fast wi-fi, and minibars stocked with locally produced snacks and drinks.

Book ahead for a table at La Table du Pigonnet, the well-respected onsite restaurant with both indoor and outdoor seating. Go for a dip in the outdoor pool, or channel gentler days gone by at the pétanque pitch — the lawn game is the Provençal version of bocce. Apertifs await at the lovely outdoor Bar Côté Jardin, or, when you’d rather be inside, at Bar 1924. It’s tempting to stay put, but you’ll want to venture into town, too: for the full Aix-en-Provence experience, ask the staff to point you toward Les Deux Garcons, a brasserie long favored by painters and writers alike.