Airelles Gordes, La Bastide

Gordes is the Luberon's most photographed village, a cascade of dry-stone houses down a rocky spur, and La Bastide occupies the best of it: a Renaissance-era residence built into the village walls, its terraces stepping down the cliff face with the valley spread below. Under Airelles' stewardship the interiors have been layered with antiques, toile and waxed terracotta, an evocation of aristocratic Provençal life that stops just short of pastiche.

Rooms range from snug village-facing doubles to suites whose windows frame the plain towards the Alpilles; the terraced gardens hide pools, clipped hedges and quiet corners at every level. In summer the property runs with the full Airelles playbook of lavish breakfasts, poolside service and outings into the lavender country and hilltop markets nearby.

Dining moves between a grand gastronomic table shaped by Pierre Gagnaire's counsel, a Provençal terrace for lunches of grilled fish and rosé, and an atmospheric cellar. A Sisley spa carved into the vaulted lower levels adds genuine substance. It is theatrical, unashamedly so, but the view alone justifies the production.