Need to know
Rooms
Seven suites spread across three villa-style units.
Check–Out
10am, but flexible, subject to availability. Earliest check-in, 4pm.
More details
Rates include an authentic Provençal breakfast spread of local pastries, jams, honey, cheeses, seasonal fruit, and freshly-baked bread. A three-night minimum stay is required when booking Tour and Île.
Also
There are several ground-floor bedroom options available, but the various terraces might be difficult for wheelchair-users to navigate.
At the hotel
Pétanque court, bikes to hire, Mediterranean gardens, vineyards, indoor and outdoor projectors (with a film-streaming system), stone-bake pizza oven, self-service laundry, and free WiFi. In rooms: Loxone speakers, air-conditioning, pool towels, linen kaftans, tea-making kit, and LA Bruket bath products.
Our favourite rooms
This is a virtually impossible decision when every space is so serenely styled. For a touch more privacy, Île is set slightly apart from the other two guesthouses – like a floating terracotta-tinged island. With floor-to-ceiling windows on almost all sides, the light-flooded living room and kitchen arguably come with some of the best views on the whole property, bringing the bottle-green vines and dramatic outline of Mont Ventoux right to the fore. Couples seeking an amorous abode can tuck themselves away in Tour, a tower-like villa gifted as an artist’s atelier from her lover (the property’s original owners) – what could be more romantic?
Poolside
The heady scent of Provençal herbs and lavender lures guests (breezing about in luxe linen cover-ups) to the outdoor saltwater infinity pool, which has an olive-grove-dotted outlook towards vineyard-encircled Mont Ventoux. Recline on russet-coloured loungers as you slowly sip rosé piscine (the Brigitte Bardot-approved method of drinking bucket-sized glasses over ice) on the sun-baked terrace. When the light starts to fade, (and the temperature ever-so-slightly drops), retreat to the pool house to dry off by the crackling fire.
Spa
A cocooning, creamy space of whitewashed concrete, marble, and wood, the wellness area looks more like an interior-design studio than a fitness space. The Nohrd equipment is so beautifully crafted it could almost be mistaken for bespoke furniture, and the same goes for the aesthetically-pleasing work-out accessories (fabulous floor-mats, jump-ropes, and resistance bands). Sweat out last night’s rosé in the infrared sauna with hot-stone seating, or start the day with a virtual yoga session (sun salutations are best enjoyed alfresco, anywhere the WiFi holds). Massages are also available on request when booked at least 24 hours in advance.
Packing tips
Bea Mombaers, the Belgian stylist (and all-round minimalist muse) behind the homestay’s interiors, has designed some suitably bohemian resort-wear exclusively for Câlin’s guests – so you’ll have lots of linen options to lounge around in.
Also
Meals in Provence are a leisurely affair, and the swoon-worthy selection of ceramic dinnerware will make you linger at the table a little longer. Every one-off piece is handcrafted by the owners’ daughter, in an earthy aesthetic with a rustic finish.
Children
There’s plenty of space for families to spread out across the three interconnecting guesthouses, but overall the atmosphere feels more adult here.
Sustainability efforts
In keeping with its verdant Vaucluse setting, solar-powered Câlin plants trees around its grounds, nurtures Mediterranean gardens, and encourages guests to pick their own greens from the on-site vegetable and herb allotments. Ingredients which can’t be homegrown are sourced from Provençal producers (keeping food miles to a minimum, while making the most of the region’s rich flavours), such as local cheeses, charcuterie, and pastries. The owners are also working with a local soap-maker to stock the bathrooms with traditional savon de Marseille.