AIRELLES GORDES
LA BASTIDE
TRAVEL
Written by James V. Thomas
The patio of "La Table de la Bastide" restaurant in the hotel, by Chef Pierre Marty.
Certain places don’t try to win you over—they simply reveal themselves, and that’s enough. Provence is that kind of place for me, and Gordes may be its most vivid expression.
You don’t stumble upon Gordes—you rise to it. The village appears like a mirage on a hillside in the Luberon, carved from the very limestone it rests upon. Gordes—its name soft and round in the mouth like gourde—means “gourd” in French, but it also suggests something shaped to hold. And perhaps that’s what this place does best. It holds light. It holds time. It holds you.
From the Avignon TGV station, it’s not too far. But the change feels complete. Villages dot the route, each distinct yet connected by a palette of limestone, green shutters, olive trees, and the scent of fresh thyme in the air - and of course the incessant yet somehow deeply romantic chant of the cicada.
Airelles Gordes, La Bastide sits high above it all—an Airelles hotel that cascades down the cliffside like a small fortress. But to call it simply a hotel would be misleading. It feels lived in—elegant without pretense, refined without stiffness. The interiors are richly layered: antiques gathered from across France, walls draped in Pierre Frey fabrics, floors laid with local stone and deep red tomettes. The architecture honors the past, whilst modern comforts are seamlessly integrated—hidden away behind wooden beams or tucked beneath brass vents.
Nearly every object has a story. Most of the furniture and artwork are antiques, curated by the hotel’s interior designer from French dealers and auction houses. After asking, I learned he still visits often, selecting new pieces for specific rooms and spaces throughout the property.
We stayed for two nights—just long enough to slow down and slip into the rhythm of the place. The Airelles spa by Guerlain is built into the hillside, its pool and treatment rooms carved from stone. I had a marvelous massage and spent a quiet hour by the water. Dinners were fresh, regional, and healthy. And each evening, a small gift awaited in the room—a thoughtful gesture, standard in all Airelles houses, but never predictable.
On the first night, I was invited to visit one of their signature suites. It featured a partly open patio, shaded in stone, framed by lemon trees. It felt like a scene from a novel—sunlight, citrus, silence. A version of Provence we imagine but rarely encounter. We enjoyed champagne and light dining specially prepared and presented to us by the chef himself, Pierre Marty. After the aperitif, we continued on to the new restaurant, headed by Chef Pierre Marty, called La Table de la Bastide. We decided to get the tasting menu and were treated to fresh grilled fish, cooked with rosemary and sage — Provencial cuisine using fine olive oils and local ingredients, all set around a candlelit table with that gorgeous sunset view.
Floating in the sky at the Bastide.
Breakfast the next morning was generous and refined. Homemade French pastries, fruits, silver cutlery, and delicate porcelain with tiny blue blossoms. And always, that extraordinary panorama—a valley unrolling before you, soft and endless, visible from nearly every room in the hotel.
The next day, Airelles arranged a vintage Volkswagen van—perfectly restored—for a visit to Château d’Estoublon, another jewel in their collection, about an hour away. Château d’Estoublon was acquired and revitalized in 2020 by entrepreneur Stéphane Courbit, with support from the Prats family and the Wertheimer family (owners of Chanel). Renowned for its wonderfully fresh olive oils, thanks to its on-site mills, and its Alpilles wines, the estate blends agricultural tradition with refined luxury. Carla Bruni, co-owner of the Chateau d'Estoublon, adds a touch of glamour to the château’s aura—her influence even inspiring the names of some of its wines, which reflect her poetic, elegant spirit.
There, pale pink roses trail along the stairways, fountains spill gently over moss-covered stone, and olive trees stretch across immaculately kept gardens. The place feels like a dream of Provence made tangible.
We lingered on the restaurant’s terrace, beneath the shade of old trees, beside a fountain of clear water faintly tinted by limestone. Bathed in the bright stillness of early afternoon and surrounded by the sounds of Provence, the moment settled deep into memory.
Fields of lavender and poppies surround the estate, set against white stone cliffs and distant peaks. It’s the kind of beauty that feels impossible to overstate—and impossible to forget - A reminder of how exceptional yet gentle the surrounding nature is.
Airelles has a way of making places feel not just visited, but inhabited—memories layered into each room and garden. Even if you come only for lunch, or for an afternoon at the spa, La Bastide de Gordes offers something rare: the feeling of having been somewhere whole. Somewhere true.
View on one of the delicately appointed signature suites in Airelles Gordes, La Bastide.
INFORMATION
Sky Blue
Est. 2019