V is for the Villa of 2002

As you're sitting on the Tube reading this, permit yourself a chance to dream.

Imagine owning a large, elegant house - perhaps in Provence, near St R?my, say - with its own pool, beautifully decorated bedrooms, claw-footed baths and more mod cons than you can shake a remote control at. Throw in maid service, a masseur and a cook on call, wine, more wine and a handful of friends. And, yes, you've got a perfect holiday.

Bambou, a privately (and English) owned 19th-century villa close to the rugged Alpilles in Provence, opened late last summer, brilliantly servicing the new needs of London vacationers. What we tend to want in this post-traumatic era is comfort without fuss - and not more than a few hours from home.

At Bambou, memories of the old French villa experience - creaky beds, musty cupboards, belligerent water systems - tend to fade fast. We arrived during one of the coldest snaps the South of France had ever known, with snow thick on the ground at Marseilles airport. An hour's drive away, Bambou was warm and welcoming, with the aroma of cinnamon in the air, a fridge full of local cheese, and individually decorated rooms (courtesy of famed French interior designers Gerard and Cleo Faivre) to investigate.

Though there is masses to do in the surrounding countryside - bike trips into the hills, sightseeing at the nearby Roman ruins of Glanum and the Pont du Gard aqueduct, schmoozing around the chic shops of St R?my, horse-riding in the Camargue - this is the kind of villa you won't want to leave. In a week, we left the premises only three or four times, generally to forage for food. The house is just too enticing. Original features, such as floor tiling and flagstones, have been preserved throughout, paint colours have been chosen for period authenticity, and every item in the place, from the traditional French boutis bedspreads to the cream crockery, has been hand-picked to make it feel like home - OK, a very sumptuous home. A dream home. But stay here long enough and you could convince yourself that it is all yours.

V is also for Versace hotel

A-Z travel guide for 2002