Hotel Review: Crillon Le Brave, Provence

I can't take my eyes off the view from the terrace at Hotel Crillon le Brave, a chic country retreat set on a Provence hilltop. From my eyrie, I can study life in miniature on the vine-covered valley floor below, in the brooding presence of Mont Ventoux.

The view on the terrace isn't half-bad either. A delicious buffet of hams and cheeses, salads and breads has been laid out on a table crowned by an ice bucket jammed with bottles of delicate rose wine. Now, this is how to spend a sunny afternoon.

But then Hotel Crillon le Brave is all about sybaritic pursuits. This five-star refuge, a member of Relais & Château, is dedicated to relaxation achieved through the enjoyment of the finer things in life. The agenda for a holiday here is gourmet food, good wine and lounging around the outdoor pool, interrupted only by a massage in the Cowshed mini-spa, a cycle ride or a game of boules or tennis.

Thirty rooms and suites (there's a two-bedroom house, too) are spread across a cluster of seven of the hilltop hamlet's honey-stone properties, accessed via bridges, hidden courtyards and cobbled alleys. The project was started in 1989 by Peter Chittick and Craig Miller. They were joined in 2006 by Robin Hutson, the founder of Hotel du Vin, and Patrick Gaillard, now in charge of running the hotel.

Hutson and Gaillard's influence can be seen in the smart yet rustic styling of the interiors. They literally knocked the hotel into shape for the 21st century by remodelling rooms: carpets were ripped out and replaced with cool stone floors; luxury bathrooms were added; rooms were dressed with antique-style furnishings; and Vi-Spring beds, Bose Wave systems with iPod docks, flat-screen satellite TV (on request), Frette robes and L'Occitane toiletries gave the luxurious finishing touch.

Yet the hotel's greatest asset remains its setting (which can now be enjoyed from a new bar on the terrace). And they make the most of it, not least in the restaurant, where new head chef Laurent Wellecam comes from a well-know brasserie in St Remy in Provence, creates regional recipes from local ingredients. I try the signature dish, Provencal gigot d'agneau, which is slow-cooked in the dining room's fireplace, and enjoy a glass of Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

I am invited to find out more about local wine down in the valley at Château Pesquie, where I could join in the vendanges, the wine harvest, if I return in September.

I could go truffle hunting and visit the antiques market at L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, too. But I'm finding it hard to tear myself away from this terrace and those wonderful views.

Hotel Crillon le Brave has doubles from 240 room only. www.crillonlebrave.com British Airways has a four-day fly-drive from Gatwick to Marseille from £189pp. www.ba.com
P&O Ferries has return Dover-Calais crossings from £30 per car one way. www.po-ferries-uk.co.uk