Hotel Sainte Victoire Vauvenargues

Fine art enthusiasts may be familiar with Mont Sainte-Victoire, a series of oil paintings by Post-Impressionist master Paul Cézanne. The series depicts one of the most iconic mountain ranges in southern France, and while the paintings are obviously breathtakingly beautiful, it’s a whole other story seeing the mountains in person — which brings us to Hotel Saint-Victoire and its front-row views.

The luxury hotel in Vauvenargues, a short drive from Aix-en-Provence, offers 15 spacious suites with stunning views of Montagne Sainte-Victoire, some even offering private terraces or balconies for an even closer look. The suites are elegant in a classically Provençal way — luxurious jewel-toned furniture provides pops of rich color against a sohpististiated backdrop of blonde hardwood floors and built-in cabinets, clean white walls, and contemporary light fixtures. The mise-en-scène is all enhanced by large windows, and in some cases floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors that allow for plenty of natural light.

Don’t miss the south-facing pool, which offers the perfect place to wind down after a long day exploring the countryside and even more views of the sprawling terrain. The hotel’s restaurant, headed by Mateus Marangoni, is also a treat, and features both indoor and outdoor seating. Marangoni’s menu showcases traditional French dishes with creative twists inspired by the cuisines of countries as distant as Brazil, Japan and Thailand — distilled each day into four unique starters, eight main courses, and four desserts.