Step Inside Provence’s Enchanting Les Bains Gardians
Find heritage and hedonism in southern France’s river delta at the new Les Bains Gardians.
Drive west along France’s shimmering southern coastline, through flower-filled towns and villages, and you’ll arrive at Provence’s westernmost tip, the Camargue region, a UNESCO biosphere reserve. This nature park is where the Rhône River splits into dozens of lagoons fringed with meadows of sea lavender and salicornia before reaching the Mediterranean. Horses run wild and spindly legged flamingos scoop up their dinner in the salty marsh shallows.
It’s here that hotelier Jean-Pierre Marois, having revamped his father’s iconic Les Bains Paris nightclub in 2015, snapped up an old auberge (inn) crying out for a face lift. Now drawing the A-list and arty crowds, Les Bains Gardians is laid out on four hectares surrounded by lakes, its grassy peninsulas scattered with distinctive thatched-roof huts that were once boltholes for the keepers of bulls and horses that roamed here as far back as the 18th century. The 48 whitewashed cottages have been given a rustic farmhouse aesthetic with white linens and vintage furniture. Alongside sit 19 contemporary guestrooms, each with a private terrace from which to watch the sunlight give way to silver stars.
Despite its at-one-with-nature allure (last year, Hermès chose this wild setting to host a fashion show), the property comes with all the frills, including two pools, plus a spa that’s being expanded and is set to open fully by the northern summer of 2025. The relaxed restaurant plates up Provençal classics, including sea bream ceviche, seafood linguine and hearty bull ribs. And when you’re ready to explore, stables house 25 horses for riding around wetlands teeming with birdlife or along golden beaches just over two kilometres away.
