Château d'Arpaillargues ★★★★

Van Gogh, Cézanne, Monet, Matisse – just some of the artists who found themselves inspired by the unique beauty of this part of Provence. It is easy to see why when you stroll through silent vineyards and around fields of sunflowers all lined up and facing the sun like brightly coloured toy soldiers, when you gaze up at the unimaginable scale of the Pont du Gard aqueduct, or feel thousands of years of history floating around you in the ancient Roman towns nearby. It is enough to make you feel like you are wandering through a painting, and it certainly gets the creative juices flowing.

The Château d’Arpaillargues is famous for other fine arts, however. Firstly, its literary heritage is fascinating, having inspired many great authors over the years; the immoral Marquise de Merteuil, the fiendish lead character of ‘Dangerous Liaisons’, is said to have been based on a previous owner of the château, after original author Pierre Choderlos de Laclos visited way back in the 18th century. Relaxation is even turned into a fine art here, with lazy afternoons to be spent by the idyllic pool, and so many quiet corners hidden away in luxuriant gardens and secret courtyards. Most of all though, you will be struck by that legendary art de vivre, executed so exquisitely that you might never want to leave.

It is easy to picture the château which inspired writers as far back as the 18th century, because in short, little has changed. The golden limestone walls are as they were, with the added intrigue of having resisted the wear and tear of almost 300 years of history, and ivy creeping around the windows adds to that clichéd ‘rustic charm’. Bedrooms – with antique furnishings and some traditional mosaic tiling in the bathrooms – display few traces of 21st century living, apart from the occasional glimpses of modern luxury, such as bespoke toiletries, flat screen TVs and air conditioning. Meanwhile the whole setting maintains a timeless character, with the château and secluded gardens set in the sleepy village of Arpaillargues, where the odd Citroen or moped trundling by do little to dispel the atmosphere of traditional village life.

There is, however, one thing that will make the Château d’Arpaillargues stick in your memory more than any of this – the superb on site restaurant. One of the finest establishments around for refined regional cuisine, the artistically presented cooking here is a treat for the taste buds, a perfect harmony of all the flavours of Provence. More than merely outstanding cooking, every meal here is also a real experience, enjoyed in the atmospherically rustic dining room or on the magical terrace. There are few things more blissful than sitting in one of the hidden corners of the sprawling ancient courtyard, taking your time to savour each work of art concocted by the chef, and sipping the delectable local wines until the starry sky begins to swirl around like a Van Gogh painting. Best of all, with your VeryChic half-board offer, you can do this time and time again!