Villa Saint-Ange

Like many of the best hotels in Aix-en-Provence, Villa Saint-Ange is modest in size — but that might be the only modest thing about it. This 18th-century villa is a splendid piece of architecture, and while it’s surrounded by the city’s townhouses, the estate itself is spacious enough to provide a taste of country living.

The interior style is true to the era of the villa’s foundation, though heightened by influences from the Far East and the attentions of a contemporary decorator’s eye. Even the humblest Classic room is an opulent affair, complete with parquet floors, elegant silks, and monogrammed robes, and by the time you’re in a Prestige room or a junior suite you’re in truly lavish territory.

Common spaces include an impressive outdoor pool, a pocket-sized spa, and a pair of salons, one for freeform lounging and the other for private dinners and events. There’s also a terrace, as well as an expansive garden — and inside the conservatory, under a scalloped Second Empire–style roof, is the hotel’s restaurant, an upscale Mediterranean affair with an extensive collection of French wines and a proper zinc-topped bar.