Le Candille (Hôtel le Mas Candille)  

This Relais & Chateau is a tranquil and luxurious bastide, with its cypress and olive trees, and an exceptional view over the hills of Provence. Its British owner has also added the Hôtel des Muscadins, in the village, to the development of the site. Serge Gouloumès is a builder; he is here at the stoves - and in the situation he wished for. Emotions can be lost sometimes in this highly constructed cuisine, but not the prominence of the products and the interplay of flavors, which play between the Mediterranean and the Southwest. Crayfish cake in ratatouille flavored with thyme flowers; saint-pierre in stew, vegetable and chervil cappuccino; lamb nuggets in crust of parsley, and celery marmalade with creamed morilles; fine desserts.... Remarkable composition, an occasional exotic touch - zucchini flower and sesame curry with a red tuna - the precision and the research of a top-of-the-line table. The large wine cellar includes Provence and foreign crus. The terrace in summer adds the view and a welcome space to the dining room.