Le Clair de la Plume

Grignan is a lovely village with stone houses and a maze of twisting, cobbled streets leading up the hill to the immense, Renaissance-style Château de Grignan. At the lower edge of town, facing a stone-pillared rotunda, is this lovely hotel with great charm. Beyond the green iron gate is a delightful enclosed courtyard where the fragrance of roses and lavender fills the air and several nooks with trellises draped with greenery shade intimate eating areas. Facing this idyllic scene is a storybook-pretty house painted a pastel pink and accented by pastel-blue shutters. The oldest part of the building is the romantic kitchen, which dates back to the time when monks lived here. Breakfast is served in this cozy room with arched ceilings, tiled floor, and an immense open fireplace. From May to September enjoy the hotel's Organic Garden Restaurant. Afternoons, tea is offered, featuring pastry and lavender-honey ice cream. Ten individually decorated, attractive bedrooms are located upstairs in the main house and for those wanting a little more privacy, there are three gorgeous suites and two rooms in a renovated 18th-century house, the Grand Faubourg. There is also the charming, Lover's House, a bungalow nestled in its own corner garden. An attentive team under the direction of your charming host, Jean-Luc Valadeau, run this intimate hotel with great skill and care.