Nestled in the hills of Provence lies the dreamy and floral paradise of Le Mas De Pierre, a gorgeous Relais & Chateaux property, set in the historically elegant medieval village of St Paul De Vence. Having been there almost a dozen times in the last couple years, it is safe to say it is was one of my favorite hotel spots in the south of France. This time around, Gregory and I chose to stay here for one very good reason: to keep away from the madness of the Cannes Film Festival. Jam packed, sunny days filled with schmoozing gets draining so there was no better way to decompress than to come back to a total Provence sanctuary.
Though St Paul De Vence is essentially a 45 minute commute to Cannes, it’s worth hopping on the toll road with the top down, basking in the French Riviera sun, wind blowing through your hair. Plus it’s a mere 15 minutes away from Nice Cote D’Azur airport.
The Room
Le Mas De Pierre has recently gone under room renovation. As part of a promotional sale, we were fortunate enough to nab a rate of 220 EUR; normally the rooms go for well over 400 EUR/night.
The room was supplied with Fragonard beauty and bath products so off the bat, I was a happy camper. I love Fragonard; it's my favorite perfumery. After all, Grasse is the perfume capital of the world - have you been?
The bed is ultra comfy, crisp and clean. A dream to plunk down on after an exhausting day of walking up and down the croisette with the sun beating down on our faces.
There was ample closet space and a huge safe. By the way, does anyone ever use the hotel safe? I frankly don’t because the ONE I time did in Los Angeles, I forgot and left my passport!!! Luckily the hotel was all over it and overnighted it to me because I needed it the next day to travel abroad. I definitely learned my lesson. Also, is a safe every really SAFE especially since any hotel staff member can crank it open? But I digress...
The bathroom is crisply modern but a little too modern for my taste. When I visited in October 2015, I was in a suite with a gorgeous French charm of a freestanding bathtub placed beautifully in the center of the bathroom, like it was a centerpiece. Observe below.
Now it's been renovated to this...
Do you see what I mean? Hey, at least there were soft bath robes to luxuriate in. Definitely a huge plus.
But would you look at that view?! Picture perfect. A symphony of the most angelic bird chirps surrounded me every minute, every hour of the day. Heaven on earth is the South of France, indeed. Natural light flooded the room perfectly throughout the day.
The Hotel Restaurant
The food is outstanding. It takes your tastebuds on a Mediterranean ride with dreamy Mediterranean cuisine. Inspirational chef Emmanuel Lehrer is responsible for this.
Since I was craving meat that night, I opted for the Le Boeuf Black Angus- Roasted chuck flap steak, small peas, carrots, girolle mushrooms & mashed potato.
& Gregory ordered La Canette De Chalans - French duckling with mild pepper, ginger flavored sweet potato puree & glazed vegetables in an anchovy based sauce.
Light on the stomach but RICH in flavor... just the way we like it. A gastronomic feast sums it up.
Part of the reason why we stay in St Paul De Vence is because we adore the iconic restaurant/hotel La Colombe D’Or just 5 minutes up the road from our hotel. If you want a real taste of historical elegance while dining on the finest food in France, you’ve hit the jackpot here. It’s where Picasso famously signed his restaurant bills on the tablecloth. It's also where Orson Welles enjoyed many fabulous, gluttonous meals. This place is drenched in history and truly feels like Old Hollywood, the spirit of my husband's work and movement. THAT is the Hollywood I miss and love. Not the gratuitous violence and trivial BS we see on screen today. Don't get me started on my soap box! ;)
Amenities
Room service was dainty and tasty. I’m a huge fan of room service though usually opt out if there are exorbitant taxes added on - I definitely read the small print. For example, I'm not going to add a tip on top of the 18% you already tacked onto my bill, thank you very much. Fortunately it's not that bad in France but so prevalent in America. Gregory enjoyed a Tuna Nicoise salad and I munched on a Sicilian pizza. Both were fresh and beautiful quality provencal food, as per usual.
Staff was excellent and attentive to my every need. Huge thanks to Saskia Bourniquel, the incomparable Marketing manager, for giving me a grand tour of the property. I especially enjoyed discovering the fragrance garden, the vegetable garden and greenhouse. The spa was like it’s own little world and I especially loved that all paying guests had access to it. No resort fee :)
Can you believe I didn't have time to even take a dip in the pool?! All work and no play makes Cherie a dull girl. JUST KIDDING. :)
I did not spend much time in the elegantly designed piano bar as the French Riviera sun was so inviting, who would want to stay inside? During the Fall, I usually cozy up near the library fireplace and enjoy hot chocolate or a house cocktail.
For those who follow me on Instagram (if not, do! I am most active there) I did a live tour of Le Mas De Pierre on my Instagram stories. It was just marvelous and still didn't capture the magic of the property!
Other amenities include:
Free wifi throughout the property (unfortunately a tad slow)
Concierge
24/7 Room service
Night Watchman
Continental Breakfast
La Table De Pierre Restaurant
Pool Bar (open during the summer)
The Princess Bar (Piano Bar)
Outdoor Heated Musical Pool
Jacuzzi and Sauna services (Payot beauty products)
Business Center
Courtesy Shuttle To Go To The Village
Underground Garage
Luggage Service
Pillow Menu
Should I Stay Or Should I Go?
Unfortunately, I probably won’t stay here again because I much prefer to stay down in Cannes. It got to be a drag commuting back and forth for the film festival but no harm done. I am grateful for all the memories I created in this hotel in the past couple of years. However, I 100% urge families and couples to stay at Le Mas De Pierre if they want to experience the slower pace of life the vivacious French Riviera has to offer :)
You'll be treated like royalty here and don't worry if you don't speak French! The will speak to you in English (or 5 other languages, might I add!) and respectfully too. I can't stand the awful stereotype of the French being rude. Nothing could be further from the truth.
I hope you check into Le Mas De Pierre on your next visit to the South of France. It's a truly unrivaled, magical part of the world.
Love,
Cherie
PS - some fun photos below on our Cannes Film Festival/French Riviera adventure!
Le Mas De Pierre
2320 Route des Serres
06570 Saint-Paul-de-Vence, France
+33 4 93 59 00 10​
