Tag Archives: Hôtel Crillon-le-Brave

Spa des Écuries at Hôtel Crillon le Brave

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In keeping with our yearly tradition and being a supportive wife while my  husband does the challenging climb up Mont Ventoux, I needed to find a place to pass the time. Thus the Spa des Écuries was my “sacrifice” for a few hours. Well, what choice did I have?

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This 18th-century former stables has been converted into three unique treatment rooms with honey-colored stone walls and archways and bouquets of lavender. After a treatment, it’s nice to venture to the upper terrace of the hotel, find a comfortable sofa, order a glass of wine—which comes with a generous serving of nuts and olives—and just soak in the view.

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But I can’t sit still for long because it’s also fun to wander all the little stone walkways of the hotel and hike way down below the village to enjoy a steep hike back up in order to work off all those croissants and such. Ah! Waiting is such drudgery!

Until we escape again. À bientôt!

An Enchanting Evening at Hôtel Crillon le Brave

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Tucked away in a small hilltop village overlooking a landscape of vineyards and olive groves, lying in the shadow of Mont Ventoux, and practically bordering the villages of the Côtes du Rhône appellation is an intimate gem of a resort intertwined in the streets of the village. Hôtel Crillon le Brave consists of just 36 rooms tucked away in 8 old village houses connected by secret alleyways and hidden courtyards, along with two beautiful restaurants, terrace lounges, and a small yet gorgeous spa.

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While not staying there ourselves, we sure don’t mind stopping in for a glass of wine, a cup of tea, a massage, or a special meal under the Provençal sky. Bistrot 40K hit the spot! Our evening unfolded as with an artist’s stroke the color of the sky changed moment by moment over the valley.

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Bistrot 40K and its gourmet neighbor, Restaurant Jérôme Blanchet, are passionate about using local, seasonal produce. From the fresh baked bread to the tapenade to the amuse-bouche to an amazing bottle of local Ventoux wine, we were off to a good start.

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From there, we enjoyed appetizers and a delicious le côte de cochon du Ventoux rôtie along with gratin d’aubergine and a cherry tart for dessert.

For an enchanting evening under an intoxicating Provençal sky, we recommend a meal at Crillon le Brave. Other options for extreme ambience are la Bergerie in Maubec and le Petit Café  in Oppède-le-Vieux.

À bientôt!

Will Ventoux Wine Become Côtes du Rhône?

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The smooth, bold red wines that fall under the Ventoux AOC, formerly known as Côtes du Ventoux, are distinct from the neighboring Côtes du Rhône wines. I actually prefer them, but again I am no expert on wine or anything for that matter. All I know is that I like the wines of Provence, especially those known as Ventoux.

Lying on the western slopes of the iconic Mont Ventoux at the southeastern end of the Rhône Valley are the vineyards of the Ventoux appellation. Recently, the subject of Ventoux wine came up while we were enjoying a bottle at Bistrot 40K at Hôtel Crillon-le-Brave. Each year, we like to award a wine as the “wine of the trip.” And this time the award goes to Domaine de Fondrèche.

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Our server gave us quite an interesting history on Ventoux wine. In fact, he mentioned that within the next 10 years, the Ventoux wines may come under the Côtes du Rhône AOC classification and no longer be distinguished as Ventoux AOC. The result will be that the Ventoux wines will become more expensive since they will be called Côtes du Rhône. More expensive like Châteauneuf-du-Pape for example. In fact, the winemaker of our newly awarded wine of the trip use to work as a Châteauneuf-du-Pape winemaker.

We savor these Ventoux wines while in Provence because very little would ever get exported to the United States. In fact, even Crillon-le-Brave has trouble getting the specific Ventoux wine we ordered, and they are neighbors. If they can’t get it, how could we? So we enjoy it while there, and then it’s back to our black Lab table wine from Portugal when we get home.

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À bientôt!