What a trip… Just got back from a dreamy long weekend at Terre Blanche, a wonderful resort/destination nestled between Provence and Cote D’azur. I landed in Nice airport on a Thursday afternoon and the Terre Blanche Mercedes class S was waiting for me and in less than 40 minutes I crossed the gated walls of the property, 1 ½ the size of Montecarlo. The grounds are so beautiful and lush, in fact, you are in the middle of a beautiful Provencal forest and the only views of human civilization are the quaint and charming towns of Fayence, Callian and Tourrettes perched in the nearby hills. The reception area is spread with the owner’s art collection and even it is spacious and airy, feels warm, in touch with the nature and the colours of the whole village/resort match with the earthy feeling of the area. I was escorted to Villa Provence, a two bedroom villa with a stunning terrace and plunge pool that also acts as an immense whirlpool (I counted and you can invite up to 16 friends inside!); super spacious double sink bathrooms with bathtub and walking shower, a great kitchen room with a wine refrigerator stock with the best whites, roses and champagne, a full stocked bar…all this makes Villa Provence the perfect accommodation for a large family (sleep up to 6) or two couples.
On Friday morning I played at Le Riou, one of the two Championship golf courses, and I loved it! The golf facilities are world class and any golfer of any level will feel absolutely impress with them, from the Swing analysis, to the driving range and Le Riou & Le Chateau; the 19th hole was a fun lunch at Le Caroubiers, the amazing grill at the Club House. After a fantastic massage at the award-winning spa, we rode 4×4 buggies through beautiful trails and we arrived in a tiny local winery where the owner ‘forced” us to taste some fantastic whites and roses. To end the amazing day, we have dinner at Faventia, the one Michelin star at the property…that was a 4 hours dinner including the kitchen tour and the long debates and fun conversations with the more than charming team at the restaurant.
Saturday was the perfect day to explore the area in a vintage Citroen 2CV so we went to the farmers market in Fayence where I found beautiful hancrafted wool ‘echarpes’ and multiple non-touristy stands. From there we went to visit Chateau d’Esclans, home of the famous Whispering Angel (a.k.a Hampton’s water) and we enjoyed a visit followed by wine tasting, including the most expensive rose in the world, Garrus. After this fun morning, we stopped for lunch at world famous Chez Bruno, where all the dishes are truffle based, not just flavoured but totally full of shaved truffle and even a full 60g truffle in one of the dishes…also white truffle from Alba in a simple pasta dish, really spectacular and a must when in the area. A leisure afternoon was needed after the 10 dishes truffle lunch and what a better place that our wonderful plunge pool at Villa Provence…then get dressed to party in Cannes, such a fun town and only 35 minutes from the property.
Sunday was also spectacular, we took a private boat from Cannes to Ile Sainte Marguerite and spent the day at La Guerite, the unofficial beach club of Terre Blanche…picture the perfect Sunday, by the water, with friends and good looking people all around (favorite Beach Club of Beyonce). Sadly, everything great comes to an end too, and early Monday, I left the property direction Nice airport (40 minutes’ drive) but with a huge smile on my face, because I discovered an extraordinary and cool destination all around the property. Huge shout-out to Rachel David, Candice Berger, Gilles Fouilleroux and the amazing team behind them at Terre Blanche for creating such an amazing experience and make me fall in love once more with Terre Blanche.
For more information contact one of our Luxury Travel Advisors at Paul Klein Travel.
