From Avignon, we drove east into Provence’s Luberon region to La Bastide de Marie, an 18th century farmhouse nestled amongst vineyards on the outskirts of the painfully adorable town of Ménerbes. The Luberon region of Provence is unexpectedly rugged yet beautiful. Many of the quaint old towns that cling to the hilltops date back to the Roman era, but today are full of lovely cafes and pastel window shutters. A big part of the fun is pulling off the road to explore each one along your route. During our week in Provence, we didn’t find another town that we liked better than Ménerbes, and we thought it was a perfect mix to spend half our time relaxing in the French countryside at La Bastide and half walking through the beautiful town.
We arrived at La Bastide in the late afternoon. The low sun cast rays over the property’s living room, decorated with beautiful antique furniture and a large, inviting fireplace. We settled in to enjoy a glass of rosé in the living room while staff prepared the evening fire. I’ve mentioned before on Instagram that every corner of this property is Pinterest perfection and it couldn’t be more true. La Bastide has one of the most inspiring interiors I’ve encountered on our trip (alongside La Mirande), and I’ve already saved so many images to my Interiors Pinterest board here to reference when designing either our future home or clients’ spaces.
As the sun continued to set, we returned to our room to prepare for dinner. At La Bastide it’s a tradition to gather with other guests in the living room for hors d’oeuvres and an aperitif around the fire before going in to dine in the restaurant. I loved the progressive dinner approach! The dining room was gorgeous, and reminded me of Ralph’s in Paris, and became even cozier when filled with the happy hum of guest’s conversations. A short menu of 4 courses paired beautifully with La Bastide’s own collection of wines.
The next morning, we had a slow start over a leisurely breakfast and unexpectedly we had the best bacon that we’ve ever eaten, thick and salty. David and I still dream about that bacon! In the afternoon, we took a long drive through the countryside, to admire the surrounding towns of Lacoste, Bonnieux and Ménerbes. As I said before, Ménerbes was our favorite, and the views from the top were expansive. Here, we first encountered the famous “Mistral” winds of Provence; it was hilarious trying to tame my hair for a picture! In the evening, back at the hotel, we wandered across the property for a wine tasting at Domaine de Marie, and ended the night relaxing by the fire while playing a game of chess on our newly found vintage malachite and marble set.
Ménerbes was a thoroughly relaxing and special stop on our trip. I can’t wait to return again the next time we’re in Provence!
PROVENCE PACKING LIST:
All photos by David and Stacie Flinner for stacieflinner.com.
