Le Mas de Pierre

"Oh, the Riviera, which sows such dreamy expectations and then too often rewards them with traffic jams and crowds. But wait. Just when you were ready to write off this Gallic paradise on the Med, in reality one of the most densely urbanized places in the whole world, someone opens a charming little hotel like Le Mas de Pierre, just outside of terrifyingly popular St-Paul-de-Vence. Sitting by the pool at this intimate, low-key place where 48 rooms are divided between seven different mas, or stone buildings designed to look like traditional Provençale farmhouses, it’s still possible—amazingly enough--to enjoy a distant horizon of unbuilt countryside. Though they’re several swell-known hotels in St-Paul-de-Vence itself, the town is so fraught that it’s much better idea to pitch tent at Le Mas and day-trip in the region. Rooms are attractively done in white limed traditional Provençale furniture, pretty chintzes and southern French color schemes of melon, yellow, and lavender with waxed parquet floors and over-sized plasma televisions hidden away in armoires. Baths are marble faced, well-lit and come with piles of fluffy towels, good lighting and Etro toiletries. A well-equipped fitness area includes a sauna, hamman and spa-treatment rooms. The real luxury here, however, is the peace and quiet—the only noise you hear on a summer night are crickets—and the fact that every room has a terrace or balcony. The only missed beat is a pricey restaurant with fancy food, when what you really want in this setting are great salads, grills, pasta and Provençale classics."