La Cadière d’Azur

The village of La Cadière d’Azur was our last stop before we had to head back to California. Nestled in the hills just a few kilometers from the Mediterranean, it glowed like a precious gem.

It is so rare to find a village that hasn’t been influenced or changed by tourism, and feels like a true ‘village Provencal’. La Cadière d’Azur does.

Wander down the narrow alleyways and up some stone steps and discover the 16^th century Church of Saint André. Its bell, the oldest in the Var region, tolls the hours and dates from 1458.

There is only one hotel in the village, L’Hostellerie Bérard & Spa, a family-run enterprise. The parents started it 40 years ago and now the son, like his father, has become a chef. Their daughter also came back to work with her parents, so you are being welcomed ‘en famille’—to a real French family, and that is how it feels.

After you enter the cozy reception area, you can wander into the bar and restaurant, with an expansive view of the vineyards and farms in the valley below.The 37 rooms of the hotel are tucked into four historic buildings next door– they are just part of the village.

The father, renowned chef René Bérard earned one Michelin star for the restaurant and his son, Jean-Francois is following in his footsteps.The family offers classes in cooking, wine, painting and there are opportunities for bicycling, hiking and other outdoor sports in the area.

Their Aroma Spa, combines aromatherapy with hydrotherapy treatments, also incorporating music and color into the programs. All of the herbs and oils used in the treatments come from their nearby organic farm—even the rose petals that decorate the mirrored surfaces are grown by the family. They offer a full menu of massages, body wraps and scrubs, facials—so many choices.

We enjoyed a sumptuous lunch, then a massage and a relaxed sojourn in the spa’s hammam, sauna and Jacuzzi soaking tubs . The hotel was booked, so we could only go for the day, but I look forward to going back to stay—for as long as possible.

I already want to return and explore this region of Provence again. It would be fun to plan a trip around wine tasting or ‘ degustation’ and really take the time to discover the wines of the Var region. Leisurely days of wine tasting, spa treatments and wonderful food, not to mention classes at the Hostellerie, well, if this isn’t ‘l’art de vivre’ that the French are so famous for, what is?

Some great websites that can help you to plan ahead and make sure that the Hostellerie is not booked up, are: Tourismevar.com (in French) and Var-Prestige.com (in French and English).

For more information, you can contact me at my website: DianeCovington.com.

Till next time, au revoir and happy traveling!

Part 6 in the series, Backroads of Provenece
By Diane Covington

From Marseille, it is just a short drive up the coast to Bandol, back in the Var region of Provence. This lovely seaside village could be called the ‘undiscovered St. Tropez’ because of the huge yachts in the harbor.   But unlike St. Tropez, we might have been the only Americans there, which can be a treat.

Though Bandol itself has a lot to offer in beaches and resorts, we were going on an adventure across the harbor to a tiny island, L’île de Bendor.

Just seven minutes by ferry across the harbor, the island is called the ‘place where time has stopped’.  Such a tranquil place to stop and catch a breath, unwind and enjoy the sun sparkling off the Mediterranean.

The brochure for this island says:  “La belle a toujours une âme” – the beautiful always has a soul.  It feels like this tiny island does have a soul, and a lovely one.

The ivy-covered Hotel Delos welcomed us and the view from our balcony looked back toward Bandol and out to sea. We loved the feeling of space, being on an island surrounded by vibrant blue waves.  We sipped some excellent Côtes de Provence chilled rosé wine and watched the sailboats drift by.

For dinner, we just ambled downstairs one floor to the hotel’s excellent restaurant. The chef is renowned in France, which says a lot.  Our dinner was a succulent piece of beef with mushrooms and truffles.  (Pièce de boeuf et sa tartine de pain à la moêlle et truffes.)  So delicious, especially when paired with a hearty red wine from the Pibarnon winery, of the Bandol region.

Dessert was a Tart Citron or lemon tart. a perfect ending to this memorable meal.

After dinner, we drifted off to sleep with the sound of the sea lapping on the rocks below our balcony.  The next day, after a leisurely morning that included a brisk dip in the Mediterranean, it was time to head back across the harbor to our next stop, a tiny village just up the road, through the vineyards of the Bandol region, to another hotel with another renowned chef and a one star Michelin restaurant.

So stay tuned.  More adventures just around the bend.

Though the bustling city of Marseille is not on a ‘back road’ of Provence, it is definitely worth a visit.  Just a short drive (or train or bus ride) from Aix, Marseille is the oldest city in France, founded by the Greeks in the 6^th century BC.

There are stunning views of the Mediterranean from many parts of the city.  But the most dazzling view is from the basilica Notre Dame de la Garde, a neo-Byzantine style cathedral, 154 meters high, with a gilded statue of Mary on top.  The interior of the cathedral has been restored and the frescoes are breathtaking.

The corniche, or coastal road, winds out of the city to the Calanques, cliffs that jut into the sea–popular for diving, hiking or swimming in the summer.  We stopped in the little village of Goudes for lunch at La Marine des Goudes.

Then a leisurely drive back up the corniche to settle into our Hotel Beauvau Vieux Port, right on the harbor, before the adventure of tasting an authentic bouillabaisse later that evening.

We took in the Vincent Van Gogh/Monticelli exhibition at the Centre de la Vieille Charite museum.  The work of  Monticelli, a native of Marseille and a master of the Provencal school, had a significant influence on Van Gogh.  The exhibit had 20 paintings by Van Gogh and 60 by Monticelli.  I found it very moving to stand in front of a Van Gogh, the paint swirled thick and showing his fast strokes, and see his name scratched in the left top corner, simply ‘Vincent’.

The exhibition shows the painters’ work side by side, allowing visitors to compare their respective styles.   It continues until January 11^th, 2009.

Back at our hotel, we could watch the comings and goings of the ships in the harbor. I love to watch the fishing boats come back in the morning, just like they’ve been doing for centuries.  They set up a table and unpack their haul of the day and then sell it right there.  Talk about fresh fish!

It was just a short walk to Le Miramar, renowned for its bouillabaisse.

If you’re planning on trying bouillabaisse, a few tips.  Don’t eat any bread and go lightly on the courses that come before.  It is a lot of fish!  We had six different types of fish in ours, and I could have easily split a portion, though I don’t know if that is allowed.  (And asking for a ‘doggie bag’ is definitely a ‘faux paux’.)

Somehow there was room for the apple tart at the end, a delectable light tart with thin pastry and lots of caramelized apples.

We decided to continue our adventure by going back to the back roads.  So stay tuned.  More fun to come.

Well, I said our next adventure was ‘just around the bend’ in Provence and that certainly turned out to be true. After leaving the Hotel Beauvallon in Sainte Maxime, we drove to the AGS Formula 1 racetrack to have a ‘once-in-a-lifetime experience’ of riding in a real race car.

There’s an option to spend the morning getting trained and then drive the racecar that afternoon or just get into a 2-seater behind a trained driver and go. We took that option. I must admit I was nervous, but how thrilling to go 120-150 mph in a racecar, whizzing around a track.

They’re friendly and very professional and it feels safe—as safe as it can feel at that speed! They outfit you with jumpsuits, helmets, shoes, gloves and earplugs (which were needed). Not to be missed for those with that urge for speed!

Then on to Aix-en-Provence, my favorite city in Provence. I’m prejudiced because I lived in Aix in 2000 for almost a year. But Aix is a city that can be rediscovered, no matter how many times you visit it. Everywhere you go, you hear the soft sound of water splashing in fountains—there are over 50 of them.

The Romans founded Aix over 2,000 years ago because of the abundance of springs and the healing properties of the water. Today, the Spa Thermes Sextius is built on the site of the original Roman baths. You can see the crumbling walls of the ancient buildings and the spring, which comes up from a depth of 80 meters at a temperature of 97 degrees, through a glass floor in the entry.

After we settled into our hotel, the Hôtel La Bastide du Cours, right on the Cours Mirabeau or main street, we headed to the spa. The French really know about spas. The water, full of minerals such as calcium, magnesium, and lithium, is said to relieve stress, fatigue and even cellulite. I’ve found the treatments to be really helpful in getting over jet lag.

After three ‘soins’, or treatments, a salt scrub, a mud wrap and a massage with essential oils under ‘affusion’ or warm showers, we were ready for a night of enjoying Aix. (For the spa, make reservations ahead. It is so popular with the locals, they get booked up.) Aix has over 160 manor houses dating from the 17th and 18th centuries, designed by architects from Italy, Paris and Flanders. Cobblestone streets wind into the central square where the Hotel de Ville, or Mayor’s office, is next to a 12th century clock tower. Take your pick of restaurants—there are so many good ones. We ate at Antoine Coté Cours, 19 Cours Mirabeau, which was filled with locals, always a good sign. Stay tuned for our next stop, the port of Marseille.

`Å bientôt—see you soon!

After our refreshing stay at Chateau de Berne, we followed the winding road down toward the coast, past vineyards and pine trees, with dramatic views around every bend.

We stopped at Thoronet Abbey a well-preserved 11th century abbey set in a pine forest. The acoustics in the chapel are said to be the second best in the world and our guide sang some sweet notes for us to experience the music echoing off the high walls.

Then on to Saint Tropez, and a stop at the renowned Chateau de la Messardière Hotel for lunch.  As we sipped local chilled rose wine with our sumptuous courses, we admired the view of the Bay of Saint Tropez sparkling through the pines and gardens of their extensive grounds (http://messardiere.com).

Though Saint Tropez is now famous for all the celebrities who frequent it, many with giant yachts, it is still a quaint fishing village at heart.  After lunch, we wandered along the colorful alleyways, appreciating the peace of ‘off season’ September, yet basking in the warm sun reminiscent of summer.

The distance from Saint Tropez to Sainte Maxime, on the other side of the bay, is short, but in summer can take an hour or more.  In September, luckily, it was shorter than that, but when we spotted our hotel, Le Beauvallon, sitting atop a knoll with a wide lawn sloping down to the sea, we were excited to call it our next home.

This ‘Belle Époque’ Hotel, built in 1914, has the elegance and grace of those earlier days, contrasted with a glamorous up-to-date décor.  Over 15 acres of landscaped gardens create a sense of space and tranquility.

From the balcony of our luxurious room, we breathed in the fresh sea air and watched sailboats gliding by, as the sky turned pink behind the clouds with the setting sun.  Later, the lights of Saint Tropez looked like jewels in a treasure chest across the bay.

The romantic dining room, with damask linens and candlelight complemented the Mediterranean/International menu and fine local wines.

Breakfast on the terrace the next morning, a swim in the pool and a stroll along the sand at the beach club, followed by some relaxation under an umbrella on a chaise lounge-this is the life!  And in the late September, the sea is still warm enough for a refreshing plunge.

This is the kind of hotel where you want to settle in and stay for weeks.  But even our short stay refreshed mind, body and spirit, making us ready for the next adventure just around the bend in Provence.

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For more information about this area of ‘Undiscovered Provence’, check out these websites:
www.tourismevar.com
www.var-prestige.com