Breathe deeply, let your mind and body relax, and picture for a moment a Provençal landscape of lavender fields and olive groves, pine trees and vineyards. Imagine listening to bird song and the chirruping of cicadas, inhaling the scent of lavender and aromatic plants, and just soaking up the surroundings of a protected natural environment and a unique heritage village. Then imagine taking a holiday there.
Located in the heart of the Alpilles Regional Nature Park, Benvengudo is a second-generation family-run hotel and restaurant set in a 4-hectare park at Les Baux-de-Provence. Expect authentic Provençal atmosphere in the stone buildings and traditional furniture, but with bright modern décor seamlessly blending old and new. It really is the best hotel in Les Baux for an authentic, welcoming and delicious break.
Family-run luxury hotel and restaurant in the scented hills of Provence
With 19 rooms, 6 suites, two small cottages and a large cottage, this enchanting 4* hotel meets the needs of everyone from couples to families. And with a swimming pool, tennis court, and gastronomic restaurant, Benvengudo is the perfect place to come home to after a day exploring an area that offers one sensory treat after another.
Perched on a rocky plateau, Les Baux – from the Provençal word for ‘rock’ – has been inhabited since Neolithic times, but this extraordinary site rose to prominence during the Middle Ages under a family claiming to be descended from King Balthazar who allegedly arrived here after visiting the infant Jesus.
By the 13th century, the population stood at 3000 and there was further expansion during the Renaissance with the building of many grand houses, but in
1632, Les Baux was besieged by the soldiers of Louis XIII and when the town fell to the king, the ramparts were destroyed. The castle gradually fell into ruin, and residents began moving down from the high ground to the plain.
At the end of the 19th century, Les-Baux-de-Provence numbered barely 400 residents, and many buildings were dismantled, the stone reused in new urban communities. But after World War 2, the village began to attract artists, artisans and gourmets, and gradually its fame spread. Today Les Baux is a member of the prestigious Plus Beaux Villages de France, officially the prettiest villages in France, and is home to 500 permanent residents.
Beneath the pedestrianised streets of the hilltop community, beside the road to Arles, Benvengudo is a home-from-home for visitors from all over the world. The story began in 1967 when Maryse and Daniel Beaupied launched one of the first hotels in the village. Daniel worked as a Michelin-starred chef whilst Maryse set about furnishing their 5-bedroom property with a mix of family furniture and locally-sourced antiques.
More rooms were added in the 1970s plus an outdoor swimming pool. The couple opened a restaurant and built a second accommodation building, all the while enhancing their reputation for luxurious rooms, warm welcome, and gourmet food. Today it is their daughter Carole and her husband Viktor who are carrying on the family hospitality tradition.
Bienvenue to Benvengudo
‘I grew up here and have so many happy childhood memories,’ says Carole, an international lawyer who has always been passionate about the family business. ‘My brother who worked alongside my parents sadly died in an accident and I couldn’t bear to see them separated from a hotel that meant so much to all of us. So in 2007, my husband and I took over the running of the business so my parents could retire.
‘Over the years, Benvengudo has become a place of cultural exchange with visitors from all over the world. They have given us all so much and in return, my aim is to give them a real experience of the Provençal lifestyle, starting with a personal welcome to show that this is still very much a family home. Our dishes are always created from quality local produce from the Alpilles, just as my Michelin-starred father always did, and the calm, elegant interior recalls my mother’s passion for antiques.’
But whilst family and tradition are very much at the heart of Benvengudo, Carole has made sure that the hotel has moved with the times, completely renovating the interior whilst keeping those irreplaceable Provençal antiques. Expect soft furnishings in calming shades of stone with splashes of colour provided by specially commissioned artwork. Carole also redesigned the gardens to give guests more options for walking and admiring the natural environment of the hotel’s own olive grove, the rocky landscape, and the traditional garrigue vegetation with its aromatic plants.
The restaurant too is flooded with natural light, bringing the outside in, whatever the season, and the breakfast bar is irresistible (above). Whilst the décor is once again in those signature neutral shades, the colours of Provence explode on the plates, each dish on the short menu bursting with southern flavour and accompanied by wines from neighbouring vineyards. And the food mile count is even lower with herbs grown in the hotel’s own kitchen garden and olive oil produced from their own olives by the Moulin Castelas less than 5 km away. Visitors who stay in early November can even take part in the olive harvest.
What to see in Les Baux de Provence and nearby
Easy though it would be just to relax and soak up the sun in the hotel grounds, there are several must-do days out within an easy drive of Benvengudo. Historic Arles on the banks of the Rhône is only 15 km away; visit the Roman arena and theatre, and walk in the footsteps of Vincent Van Gogh who created some of his best-known paintings here. You are also just 25 km from Avignon, with its famous half-bridge and the immense red brick Palace of the Popes.
Something a bit more local? There are all kinds of tempting trails to explore around Les Baux on foot, bike or horseback. Or maybe play 18-holes at the Domaine de Manville, a challenging course classified with an Ecocert label and that blends into the geology and farmland of the local countryside. And the famous Carrières des Lumières at the foot of the village is an unmissable site, a digital, immersive art venue in a former stone quarry once mined by the Romans.
Then come back to your home-from-home to sit with an apéro by the pool, heated in spring and autumn, or maybe play a leisurely game of pétanque whilst you wait for dinner. This is Provence Benvengudo-style. Just relax and enjoy!
Find out more and book your stay: benvengudo.com/en
