Au Jardin des Saveurs

Au Jardin des Saveurs occupies a large stone-and-pink-brick house set in a one-hectare park planted with century-old cedars, at the foot of Cordes-sur-Ciel. You are in the valley — the bastide is silhouetted above the trees, and you reach it in ten minutes by road or footpath. The contrast between the hilltop village and the stillness of the park below is precisely what makes the address.

Five rooms, each decorated with a taste for second-hand furniture: a carved white bed here, a standing mirror there, Persian rugs throughout. The effect is generous without being stifling. Two cottages round out the offering for those who prefer to cook — equipped kitchen, an open-plan space onto the bedroom, wrought iron and textured plaster.

The restaurant is run by Joffrey, who offers a creative menu built from local ingredients, renewed every month. In summer, you eat under the park’s trees; in winter, by the monumental fireplace in the dining room. The pool, tucked inside a bamboo enclosure with teak loungers and a shade cabin, is the other draw of the summer months.