Why Crillon le Brave is the Most Magical Hotel in Provence

There are hotels you visit and immediately start planning how to send clients. And then there are hotels you visit and immediately start planning how to go back yourself.

Crillon le Brave is both.

I visited as part of our South of France familiarisation trip earlier this month, three properties, three days, a lot of rosé and if I’m being completely honest, Crillon le Brave set a standard that made the rest of the trip feel like a catch up.

Here’s everything you need to know.

The Property

Crillon le Brave is not a hotel that happens to be in a village. It is the village. Nine 17th and 18th century stone buildings clustered around the church at the top of a Provence hilltop, with Mont Ventoux on one side and the Luberon valley stretching out on the other. It is one of the most beautiful places I have experienced.

The property was originally founded in 1989 by a Canadian couple who bought a village in Provence and turned it into a hotel. In 2018 it was acquired by the Pariente family, a French family who left fashion to fall deeply in love with hospitality and it’s been quietly getting better ever since. Patrick Pariente leaves the vision to daughters Kimberley and Leslie, who bring a considered, design-led approach to everything the property does.

Following a significant renovation that completed for the 2026 season, Crillon le Brave has unveiled nine stunning new rooms, a second swimming pool, a dedicated cook school space, a wellness retreat programme and a spa that is now twice its original size. It reopened in April and we were among the first to see it. It was worth the wait.

The Team — And Why They’re Everything

I want to talk about the staff. Because at Crillon le Brave, the staff are the story & the magic.

General Managers Guy and Dagmar Lombard run the property as a husband and wife team and the approach filters through every single person on the ground. This isn’t a team that feels trained. It’s a team that feels like they genuinely love where they work. There’s a warmth here that no brand can fake and no training programme can replicate. It comes from ownership, from people who care about this place the way the Pariente family do and it trickles down into every interaction you have from the moment you arrive.

You feel it before you’ve even unpacked, You arrive as a guest and leave feeling like a regular. And you spend most of the journey home wondering when you can come back.

The Room — And What’s Available

My Prestige Room was beautiful. Traditional in style, huge bathroom and a private terrace that overlooked the church. I sat out there every evening with a glass of rosé listening to the church bells and I could have stayed there forever. Peaceful, serene, completely magical.

During our walkround of the property we saw a full range of rooms and suites, and what struck our group is how well Crillon le Brave works for different types of travel. Couples wanting a romantic escape. Families who need space and flexibility. Multi-generational groups who want to be together but not on top of each other. The range of accommodation caters to all of it and with enough notice the property can even be taken over entirely as a buyout for weddings, private events or group retreats. As venues go, it is hard to imagine a more extraordinary one.

The Bedoin Market — A Mini Moke, the Head Chef and More Produce Than We Could Carry

This was the moment the trip became something else entirely.

The hotel has its own mini moke, a tiny, open-sided car that is as charming as it sounds and one morning we piled in with the head chef of the property and headed down the hill to the weekly market in Bedoin.

What followed was one of those travel experiences that is impossible to replicate anywhere else. The chef knows every producer. He knows who grows the best tomatoes, who makes the finest cheese, which stall has herbs you won’t find in any supermarket anywhere in the world. He steered us through the market with the confidence of someone who does this every week, because he does. We bought far more than we could pack into our suitcase, but we have zero regrets.

The Cook School — With Ricardo

We were the second group ever to experience Crillon le Brave’s brand new cook school and it is, without question, one of the highlights of the entire trip.

Ricardo, who leads the sessions, is the kind of teacher who makes you feel capable and inspired in equal measure. The space itself, newly built as part of the 2026 renovation. The produce comes from the market, from the garden, from the region. The whole experience is centred around a farm to table concept.

We cooked, we ate & we enjoyed the company and eperience.

This experience will be going on our recommended additions list for every booking from now on. If you’re staying at Crillon le Brave, book the cook school. We cannot recommend it highly enough.

The Spa

The spa has been transformed as part of the 2026 renovation, now twice its original size and featuring a hammam, sauna, jacuzzi and cold baths. We tested the massage facilities so you don’t have to (you’re welcome) and can confirm, it delivers entirely on the promise.

The treatment rooms are calm, considered and beautifully designed. The therapists are incredible. After a long day of travelling the spa was a welcome experience to unwind.

The Food & Drink

The food is rooted in the region. The produce is local, seasonal and often sourced directly from the producers we met at the Bedoin market. The wine list leans into Provence with the confidence of a property that knows it lives in one of the world’s great wine regions. Lunch on the terrace with the Luberon valley below and a glass of local rosé in hand is and we say this without any hesitation one of the greatst things we have done this year.

What Makes It Magical

Honestly? We’ve been trying to put Crillon le Brave into words since we left and we’re still not quite there.

Some places just have a feeling. And this is one of them.

It’s not on any map. It’s not overrun with tourists. And yet somehow everything you need is right there, extraordinary food, a world-class spa, exceptional activities, a team that makes you feel like the only guests in the building.

You need to see it for yourself. It’s just the truth.

The WeGalavant Perks

As preferred partners, every booking through WeGalavant at Crillon le Brave includes:

• Complimentary breakfast daily
• €80 property credit to spend however you like ,spa, dining, wine, anything.
• A welcome amenity on arrival
• Priority consideration for room upgrades, Early check-in and late checkout, subject to availability

And right now, Crillon le Brave is running a 15% discount on suites for stays in May, August, September and October, subject to availability.

👉 Enquire about Crillon le Brave here