Domaine de Fontenille

A boutique hotel option in the Luberon, Domaine de Fontenille is a design lover's dream.

• The Michelin-starred restaurant Le Champ des Lunes and more casual La Cuisine d’Amélie
• The personalized touches from the owners, who designed the entire property themselves
• The in-house contemporary art gallery, which features modern photographers

Frédéric Biousse, a successful businessman in the fashion realm, and his partner, Guillaume Foucher, a highly respected art dealer, set their sights on buying and restoring a Provençal domaine and found it in the 18th-century Domaine de Fontenille. “It was time to put the intensity of our Parisian lives to one side and to switch over to a different pace, where time passes slowly, with the seasons,” they say about the decision to open a hotel in Provence. The pale-yellow house with robin’s egg–blue shutters sits on the side of a hill that extends down to an expansive garden bordered by plane trees and centered around an oversized fountain. (The natural springs are what gave Domaine de Fontenille its name.)

Located just outside the charming Renaissance-era village of Lourmarin, the property, which opened in late 2015, sits in an enviable location in the Luberon, 30 minutes by car from Aix-en-Provence, 40 minutes from Avignon and one hour from the Marseille airport and high-speed train terminal.

The 18 rooms range in size but all are located in the main building and boast beautiful décor that marries traditional Provencal styles with contemporary panache. There is also one apartment that sits in a separate building on the courtyard.

While the property wouldn’t classify as a resort, there is a lovely outdoor pool with plenty of seating plus a gym with a hammam. The culinary offerings are world-class, including the more formal Le Champ des Lunes and La Cuisine d’Amélie, located on the graveled courtyard in front of the house’s grand façade. Here, diners order by “tastes” rather than dishes, and a table of four might end up with 20 different plates with such treats as octopus salad with passionfruit and radish and croque-monsieur with chèvre and truffle. The restaurants proudly serve their vineyard’s excellent wine and encourage guests to take a tour of the winery, cellar and tasting rooms.

Another unexpected treat at the property is the art gallery space, which puts on seasonal shows by photographers. Many guest and public rooms in the hotel boast original works of art by important artists as well.

The beautiful Domaine de Fontenille is a great option in Provençal design and boutique hotel lovers. Those who prefer a resort property with multiple amenities might be happier elsewhere.