La Grande Bastide

The ancient fortified town, St-Paul-de-Vence, as seen from La Grande Bastide.



The hotel has, a possibly unintentional, boutique style and is wonderfully casual. The rooms open to the outside and have simple terracotta floors, cool, bright and fresh. The salon and terrace by the pool are a focal point often underused by visitors staying only one night. I seldom stay less than a few days or two on my travels to give time to relax, explore and have fun!

Sometimes, in the middle of a hot summer night, it is possible to quietly leave the room, unseen, moving like a pale nocturnal shadow, and slip into the pool. The clear water has been warmed by the sun all day and you can swim in perfect silence with only the iridescent dragonflies for company. The myriad stars brilliantly light the sky above and their reflection shimmers in the in the water all around you. It is timeless, hedonistic and I think would have been like this in Roman times.