THE FACTS ABOUT LES BAUX

France

This idiosyncratic stone villa is built into a rocky hillside outside Les Baux-de-Provence, and has vista-views of vineyards and olive groves from the infinity swimming pool and terrace. Les Baux is furnished with a smart-contemporary edge, incorporating built-in banquettes and beds and the owner's South African art collection. An enormous painting of a breaking wave dominates the open-plan, ground-floor kitchen/dining/living room, which wraps around the rock face. All the exterior walls are made of stone and the floors have been finished with polished-stone tiles; hundreds of skinny candles line the stairs to the study. The master bedroom has a private terrace and Romanesque fantasy bathroom, featuring a daybed and an oversized bust of David. Grape-peeling slaves would not look out of place. The lower ground floor has a separate entrance, two bathrooms and two double bedrooms. A stuffed and mounted bull's head from Arles oversees proceedings on the terrace which is well-equipped, with stereo, fridge and built-in BBQ. There is an on-site caretaker. Les Baux-de-Provence is a major tourist attraction, thanks to the ruined 11th-century citadel set high above it. This is not somewhere to mingle with the locals and enquire about the price of cheese: the 400 hill-top villagers seem whole-heartedly devoted to servicing their many visitors' needs for keepsakes. However, it is surprisingly easy to escape the crowds and claim a quiet spot for yourself from which to enjoy the extraordinary views. The famous, two-Michelin-starred restaurant Oustau de Baumaničre, at the base of the ridge, attracts a decidedly more circumspect group of gourmets. SLEEPS Six adults comfortably. There is a nine-hole golf course nearby PRICE £2,450-£4,135 per week, including maid service CONTACT French Chapters by Abercrombie & Kent (0845 0700 618; www.villa-rentals.com) FLY Ryanair (0871 246 0000; www.ryanair.com) to Nīmes (60km away)