Hôtel et Spa du Castellet

Hôtel et Spa du Castellet

Breakfast on a private terrace here comes with a view through umbrella pines across the hills of the Var, with the legendary Paul Ricard circuit just below the hotel's 430-metre perch. Hôtel & Spa du Castellet is a Relais & Châteaux property built from ochre, Tuscan-influenced stone, set inside a 12-hectare park that every one of its 46 rooms and suites looks onto from its own terrace. What separates it from other countryside spa hotels in Provence is La Table du Castellet, awarded three Michelin stars in March 2024 under chef Fabien Ferré, a dining room that draws guests who would otherwise never think to book a hillside hotel above Le Castellet. Anyone happier without a tasting menu can eat instead at Bistrot San Felice, where open-fire grilling comes with the golf course and a strip of sea on the horizon. The 700-square-metre spa runs to hammam, sauna, salt cave and ice fountain, alongside an indoor pool open in every season and an outdoor pool for summer. A golf course, tennis court, bike rental and a children's playground with babysitting on request mean golfers and families are as accounted for as couples on a food pilgrimage. This is not a hotel for anyone wanting to step straight onto a beach or into a town centre; the nearest life is downhill, and the point of the place is the hillside itself. Staff speak several languages, including Turkish, and a shuttle plus valet parking take care of the practical end. For a meal worth building a trip around, and a room with its own quiet view of the park, this is the address. A hillside Relais & Châteaux hotel near the Paul Ricard circuit, built around a three-Michelin-star restaurant and a 700-square-metre spa. Good for a serious meal, a slow spa morning or a game of golf; less so if you want to walk out onto a beach or into town.