Les Baux de Provence

Locals Patrick and Edith Saut spent the better part of a decade transforming this 250-acre working farm into an idyllic country retreat they could call home, smack-dab in the middle of wine and olive-oil country. Just an hour from St. Remy, Avignon, and Arles, Domaine de Manville has 30 guestrooms, a swimming pool, spa, and an 18-hole golf course surrounded by olive groves. Meals can be taken on the terrace at the more relaxed Bistro, or at the more formal, La Table, where chef Matthieu Dupuis-Bauma serves up seasonal dishes like stuffed sole, artichokes a la barigoule, slowly roasted tomatoes, and apricots paired with rosemary honey harvested on site. During the week, guests who want to get a flavor for local life can accompany the chef to the local markets in town and return to the kitchen for a hands-on cooking class. In the fall, there are winery tours by bike at the area’s nine surrounding vineyards.