Fields of gold in Provence

This is how autumn is supposed to look, I thought, as we swooshed through Cézanne-yellow fields on the train to Les Arcs Draguignan. A taxi took us deeper into Provence, between the Verdon Gorge and the French Riviera where, in late September, cypress trees had turned a darker green, the sky a softer cerulean and chestnut leaves scattered the winding roads to Domaine de la Baume.

Within five minutes of arriving at this recently restored 18th-century guesthouse, which is high in the hills near Tourtour, I had a chilled glass of rosé in my hand and was watching wild boar tear through the olive groves beneath us. There is no fancy ‘list’ here: all the wine is produced on de la Baume’s sister property Domaine de Marie, in Ménerbes, and you get what you’re given from the 2012 vintage — but who’s complaining when glasses are poured so readily. There were just six rooms open during our stay (15 will be complete by next summer) and as all 12 guests were residing ‘half-board’, we ate, drank and lounged as if at the home of a generous mutual friend.

Our suite was a rococo cacophony of antiques, chandeliers and floral fabric walls. But from the outside the house is like a post-Impressionist painting — ochre with pale blue shutters. It’s surrounded by nearly 100 acres of land; there’s a chapel where you’ll be able to get married from next year, plus horses that experienced riders can saddle up at will, freshwater ponds, and a beautiful formal garden.

But most impressive is the secret waterfall, which we discovered on a walk through fairy-tale dark woods and across a rickety footbridge. Hardier folk than us might have liked to jump into the freezing pool beneath, but my girlfriend Jen and I noticed a gazebo near the top of the fall and clambered up to investigate. It was a makeshift spa room, and after further enquiries we found ourselves back there for a massage, with the natural soundtrack of cascading water and chattering cicadas. Bliss.

Jen and I were the youngest couple staying at Domaine de la Baume by about 30 years, but I got the feeling that the other guests, mainly retired Britons and Americans, were delighted to have a bit of youth and diversity in their midst — it certainly gave the husbands someone new to impress with their apparently boundless knowledge of the local flora and fauna. One night, after a dinner of braised beef cheek and a salad of fleshy tomatoes, we got everyone playing a raucous UNO tournament in the games room, fuelled by the contents of the honesty bar’s top shelf.

We drew out the last of September’s hot days swimming in the large heated pool, playing tennis and Scrabble, and drinking white wine with lunch and rosé all afternoon. But for the stir-crazy there are some great day trips: at Les Arcs sur Argens, a 40-minute drive away, is a chapel with a wonderful mosaic by Marc Chagall; Thoronet Abbey, also under an hour’s drive away, is a masterpiece of Romanesque architecture; and don’t miss the Verdon Gorge, where limestone rocks hollowed by the river have formed a huge canyon — unique in Europe — with incredible views.

As lovely as our fellow guests were, it was good to take a breather. We went once to the nearby village of Tourtour where we drank pastis, a liquorice-tasting local spirit, in ‘le poob’ on the main square, while old men in Breton tops clinked boules and the sun set behind the mountains. We dined at a quaint little restaurant called La Table. When my parents named me Lotte I can only assume they didn’t know it meant monkfish in French (this, of course, caused much amusement during a Year 11 French exchange). But I digress: the ‘lotte’ at La Table was excellent.

This time next year Domaine will have more rooms, a fitness centre and indoor spa, but that laissez-faire vibe will no doubt remain. Go in summer to make the most of the wild swimming and candlelit terrace at night. But for me, Provence will always be at its richest when the season turns.

CHECK IN

Domaine de la Baume is currently open from June to November. Rates start from €440 (£370) for a Classic Room on a half-board basis, which includes breakfast, afternoon apéritif and dinner, with wines from Sibuet’s Domaine de Marie vineyard in Ménerbes (domaine-delabaume.com).

Rail fares from London to Les Arcs Draguignan via Paris and Marseille start at £107.50 per person and are subject to availability.

Rail Europe Travel Centre, 193 Piccadilly, W1

(0844 848 4078; raileurope.co.uk)