La Coquillade: Luxury in the Luberon

La Coquillade

The Luberon — a beautiful region of vineyards and lavender fields that begins just east of Avignon and rolls on to the foothills near Apt — is one of my favorite areas of France because it concentrates all there is to love about Provence. Having known it well for years, I also have great respect for the tenacity with which its inhabitants fend off threats to its charm and authenticity, most recently the real estate boom that followed the opening of the TGV line from Lyon to Marseille, new tracks that made it more accessible to weekending Parisians. My affection notwithstanding, I’ve often wondered why the Luberon lacked a really great hotel. To be sure, it has some very nice bed-and-breakfasts, but it has long needed a true luxury establishment with real Provençal style and hospitality. And that was just what I hoped to find at the new 28-room La Coquillade in Gargas, five miles east of delightful Roussillon. Crowning a hillside planted with vineyards, this 70-acre property comprises six renovated farmhouses and outlying buildings (the most ancient of which date to the 11th century), all with terra cotta-tiled roofs, gray wooden shutters and pale ochre stucco walls with stone-trimmed windows.