How many bed and breakfasts, or guesthouses for that matter, do you know that come with heated infinity pool or 11 acre grounds with a verdant garden? Not many we wager, but Le Pavillon de Galon is one such place.
Nestling at the foot of the Luberon Mountains, it really provides one of the most stylish settings for a memorable sojourn in Provence. And thanks must go to the charming owners who left their jobs in Paris as journalist and photographer respectively a while back to turn what started off life as an 18th century hunting pavilion (hence the name) into such an unforgettable place.
They have kept the basic construct of the Pavillon, of course, including the thick stone walls and shuttered windows whose main purpose in life, apart from looking great, is to keep away the summer sun - but the restoration has still been done with class and pizzazz.
All rooms have fantastic views onto the garden and what a garden it is. It is a profusion of colour olive trees, cherry trees and other sort of trees we’ve never even heard of. Then there’s the super decked shimmering pool – again, superb.
All in all, there aren’t many reasons to want to leave, except for the fact that beautiful countryside and villages abound in the vicinity, whichever direction you take. A few magical must see places include Gordes, Les Baux de Provence, Avignon, with its Nursery Rhyme Bridge and, last but not least Aix en Provence.
Le Pavillon de Galon makes for the starting point par excellence from which to explore this fascinating area of Provence.