LE PRIEURÉ BAUMANIÈRE - HÔTEL RESTAURANT

As we board the train, I am already missing Le Pierre Baumanière. We had the most amazing stay in room 26 in this hotel. The service is exceptional and the grounds make you feel as if time has stopped completely. It is so peaceful without the need of music as the whispers of cicadas serve as a constant rhythm for this special place. ||The town of Villeneuve-lès-Avignon where the hotel is located is very lovely and while only 10 minutes by bus to the city of Avignon we found ourselves opting to stay in the town for most of our time. We also are very glad we selected this hotel versus the other two 5 star located in city center of Avignon (Hotel La Mirande and Hotel d’Europe) because this felt more like a Michelin-starred sponsored retreat versus any other traditional 5 star located in a city. If you are toying between the three hotels, choose this one. ||The pool is massive and so refreshing and was one of the highlights. The gardens (there is a small but noticeable patch of beautiful lavender) were also magnificent and each evening the staff picks food from the garden for the tasting menu for that evening. The esteemed chef’s energy permeates through the property with the entire stay evoking feelings of a dream. ||Although we didn’t attend, the famous vineyard, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, is located only 30 minutes away by car. ||We also used the trails for running in the morning, which are located at the foot of the town. On the trails, you will walk by horses, locals, and sunflower fields. ||We were able to rely on public transportation the full week since we didn’t have a car, and the bus system was pretty easy to understand from the train station to town to the city of Avignon. Uber is also readily available in the region , which is a plus should you require it. ||The last time we stayed in Provence, we stayed at Crillon Le Brave, owned by the same hotel group that owns the famous Hotel De Crillon in Paris. This was also a great stay, but we preferred le pierre baumanière. The hotel is not only more ideally situated near Avignon, but also had a less pretentious feel with matched levels of sophistication at less of a cost. 10/10.

As we board the train, I am already missing Le Pierre Baumanière. We had the most amazing stay in room 26 in this hotel. The service is exceptional and the grounds make you feel as if time has stopped completely accompanied by a rich history. It is so peaceful without the need of music as the whispers of cicadas serve as a constant rhythm for this special place.

The town of Villeneuve-lès-Avignon where the hotel is located is very lovely and while only 10 minutes by bus to the city of Avignon we found ourselves opting to stay in the town for most of our time. We also are very glad we selected this hotel versus the other two 5 star located in city center of Avignon (Hotel La Mirande and Hotel d’Europe) because this felt more like a Michelin-starred sponsored retreat versus any other traditional 5 star located in a city. If you are toying between the three hotels, choose this one.

The pool is massive and so refreshing and was one of the highlights. The gardens (there is a small but noticeable patch of beautiful lavender) were also magnificent and each evening the staff picks food from the garden for the tasting menu for that evening. The esteemed chef’s energy permeates through the property with the entire stay evoking feelings of a dream.

Although we didn’t attend, the famous vineyard, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, is located only 30 minutes away by car.

We also used the trails for running in the morning, which are located at the foot of the town. On the trails, you will walk by horses, locals, and sunflower fields.

We were able to rely on public transportation the full week since we didn’t have a car, and the bus system was pretty easy to understand from the train station to town to the city of Avignon. Uber is also readily available in the region , which is a plus should you require it.

The last time we stayed in Provence, we stayed at Crillon Le Brave, owned by the same hotel group that owns the famous Hotel De Crillon in Paris. This was also a great stay, but we preferred le pierre baumanière. The hotel is not only more ideally situated near Avignon, but also had a less pretentious feel with matched levels of sophistication at less of a cost. 10/10.

My wife and I loved this place. Charming, beautiful grounds. Warm, friendly service. We loved hanging out on the hotel grounds. Staff helped us carry bags every step of the way. Convenient parking. If I could offer the hotel one bit of of advice it would be to make the showers / tubs have a barrier (wall or curtain) so water doesn’t get all over the floor — which it can all too easily, even if you’re careful. Besides that — only good things to say. We wish we’d booked another night or 2 (we stayed 3).

Beautiful historic building with a garden in a cute old village near Avignon… but we were a little disappointed. ||1) From parking to the hotel is mostly gravels, and you must drag (or lift and carry) your suitcases on your own. They place something on gravels for the service staff’s trolleys – I wish they do that for the arriving/departing guests as well. 2) Reception was not at all friendly and communicated the bare minimum. When we asked him to call a restaurant and make a reservation, he called, but all he said was “not picking up.” Concierge/reception at a nice small hotel will usually offer to call again or suggest other restaurants. 3) Room was cute, but a bedside lamp was broken, and the view from the window was a tree with a dirty plastic bag tangled. Shower was the biggest problem – it’s small and the glass wall/door have gaps – water will be everywhere on the bathroom floor no matter how careful you shower. Large puddle after every shower, and we had to use a towel as barricade to stop the water from flowing outside the bathroom. 4) I loved the breakfast, and dinner at Le Prieure was very good, however, we’ve had much better experience at other one-star restaurants (or any other restaurants). An hors d’oeuvres described as “vegetables” provided to my vegetarian partner definitely had anchovy or some sort of fish on top… I know it’s difficult to accommodate vegetarian requests in France, but we expected a little more from a one-star restaurant. Not much explanations of the dishes (to be fair, we don’t speak French and servers had difficulty communicating in English), we were charged for something we didn’t order (they took it off the bill later), and bug bites all over me… at the end of the meal, we just thought “why did we decide to spend $400 for a dinner here??”||Most of these things are minor, but considering that this is a hotel with one Michelin Key and a restaurant with one Michelin Star, we expected better. We were in France for a total of 12 days and stayed at 6 hotels ranging from Best Western and Citizen M to 5-star hotels in Cote d’Azur and Paris… and Le Prieure was our least favorite in terms of room and overall hospitality.

Rien à redire : tout est parfait comme dans la majorité des Relais et Châteaux. La suite qui nous a accueilli est très bien pour une personne à mobilité réduite car sans escalier pour y accèder par l'extérieur. Le petit jardin, sa table extérieure et ses fauteuils sont uu vrai plus.