Alain Ducasse is one of France’s most accomplished chefs, best known for his top-rated restaurant in Monte Carlo. Understandably, surrounded by all that Monaco glitz, he had a Marie-Antoinette moment a few years ago and yearned for an essentially rural hideaway high up amid the dramatic landscapes of the Alpes de Haute-Provence. The resulting Bastide de Moustiers has now become a template for other country hotels in the Ducasse empire.
Decor in this 17th century farmhouse has a certain purity which is also evident in the much-heralded potager. No ordinary kitchen garden this, divided as it is into six separate sections (aromatic, herb, salad, root, medicinal and wild). And no prizes, therefore, for surmising that the limited-choice cuisine relies heavily on home-grown produce and on the finest locally-sourced ingredients. Four separate dining areas – including a Lovers’ Nook - take up most of the ground floor but space is not a problem in fine weather when the restaurant decamps to the courtyard or wallows under the shade of a chestnut tree.
Country living contrived for city slickers? Perhaps, but Ducasse never set out to create a simple Ferme Auberge for yokels. Instead he delivers a degree of sophistication and (above all) exclusivity which most guests feel justify the ‘ouch’ prices. Overall standards are high and, up to now, his uncompromising Rustic Chic style does not feel too commercialised or imposed.