If St. Paul de Vence Hôtel Le Hameau had a Euro for every time I squealed “this hotel is so cute!” the owners could plan their retirement. After driving the winding roads toward St. Paul de Vence, we parked our car in the parking lot below the hotel, walked under grapevines and past lime trees to check in at reception.
Pushing little carts provided to bring our things to our room, we walked past the pétanque court and a cute gift shop, full of Provencal goodies. Hotel Le Hameau is about as charming as a hotel can be, with all white buildings adorned with green shutters decorated with cutout hearts. And, oh the fresh flowers! They are everywhere!
The lovely girl at the front desk took us through to our room and didn’t even laugh while my mom and I freaked out over the fact that there are two bedrooms and two chandeliers. She did, however, ask if we knew what we booked. When we looked at the reservation, it did in fact say we had booked a two-room suite!
This room is no ordinary hotel room. Off the main hallway (yep, another hallway!) is a room with a toilet and another with a double sink and shower. The products are Fragonard’s Fleur d’Oranger scent, a perfect representation of this region. And I appreciated the great water pressure… hair like this isn’t easy with a wimpy stream coming out of a showerhead.
In the main bedroom, a king-sized bed with a colorful quilt added a fun vibe to the room. A sitting area, large wooden armoire, and large wooden ceiling beams balanced the bright quilt.
For the love of all things good in this world, duck as you enter the second bedroom. Experience is the best teacher and I’m obviously a terrible student. I hit my head three times entering and exiting my bedroom within 15 minutes of arrival. The pain goes away with a glass or two of wine… but I digress. The queen-sized bed was comfy, as evidenced by the 12 hours I slept. (Sorry about that early start we had planned, Mom!)
The pièce de résistance, though, was the terrace. Off of the main bedroom is a door to a private terrace, just for us! The blue and yellow tiled table overlooking the hotel’s infinity pool, foosball and ping pong tables and the surrounding mountains is a great place to enjoy a coffee. The trees and flowers in the terrace are exactly what I’d have at my house, if I was able to keep a plant alive for more than three days.
Hotel Le Hameau is built on multiple levels, and each level’s view is a little different. Be sure to go up to the top level for a panoramic view of Saint Paul de Vence and the surrounding area. Bring a book and sit in the sun or under the giant canopy and feel yourself unwind.
Once you’ve had enough of the view (is that even a thing!?) come back down and put on your swimsuit. A few moments in the water will leave you wishing for infinitely more moments like this.
A Cause for Sweet Dreams
Parking and taxis are expensive in St. Paul de Vence, so I’d definitely recommend walking to town. From the hotel, St. Paul de Vence is an easy 10-15 minute walk for dinner and daytime exploring.
My mom and I loved walking the cobblestone streets, ducking into art galleries, sweet shops, and meeting local artisans. We had the most gorgeous lunch of escargot with crusty french bread (or as they call it in France, bread) on the most impressive balcony in St. Paul de Vence, La Sierra.
One sweet shop worth exploring is Steve Ghirardo’s macaron shop. I’ve eaten hundreds of macarons in my life, but his are some of the most creative I’ve ever tried! Don’t miss the Surprise flavor, and be sure to try the savory flavors like Foie Gras and Goat Cheese with Hazelnuts.