Honeymoon, or perhaps second honeymoon? Whatever, just cobble together any old excuse to treat your most favourite person to a stay at Le Hameau. It is a sublime, impossibly romantic hotel. Some of the shutters on the converted farm buildings are carved with tiny hearts and you can even book a room called Le Nid d’Amour. Get the picture?
You find your accommodations by moseying down one of the little footpaths that criss-cross the garden; they are shaded by trellised arbours and bordered with a profusion of lime, jasmine, bougainvillea and honeysuckle. This charming, 16th century mas is owned by the very friendly Lisa Burlando and Carmine Cherchi. Each of their rooms is different (prices vary according to size and aspect) but all have modern bathrooms and are furnished with rustic, ‘hacienda’ chic.
There is no bar but the spacious lounge has a stone fireplace, games and books. An excellent breakfast is served in rooms or on a terrace with panoramic views down to the Med. Salads are available for summer lunches at the hotel but the obligatory ¼ mile stroll into St-Paul-de-Vence for dinner would benefit from a decent footpath.
Arty St-Paul gets very busy by day but quietens down rapidly in the evening so traffic on the road below the hotel should not disturb. In our view, no self-respecting guide to memorable French hotels should be without le Hameau.