DOMAINE DE LA BAUME, PROVENCE, TO LAUNCH FOR ITS FIRST FULL SEASON - APRIL 2014

Domaine de la Baume, one of the most picturesque ‘homes’ in the South of France will open for its first full season as a boutique hotel on 18th April 2014.  Following a soft launch in 2013, seven additional rooms will open and a Spa Pure Altitude – the exclusive spa brand of Maison & Hotel Sibuet - located in the tree tops. 

The 99 acre Domaine de la Baume has a fascinating history.  As the former home of the famed Expressionist artist Burnard Buffet, it became a hub for some of the greatest fashion designers, artists and socialites of the 20th Century.  A contemporary of both Yves Saint Laurent and Jackie Onassis, Buffet lived at the Domaine de la Baume for the last 20 years of his life until his death 15 years ago in 1999.  

For 2014, seven new, intricately designed rooms, including one suite, have been created on the property bringing the total room count up to 15. Each room has been designed by owner Jocelyne Sibuet with the orginal eighteenth century style of the house remaining prevalent throughout. The style is light, colourful and spacious and each room is named after one of Burnard Buffet’s famous artworks.  

Maisons and Hotels Sibuet’s exclusive spa brand, Spa Pure Altitude, will also launch a new spa at Domaine de la Baume to coincide with the opening of the summer season. There will be two treatment rooms in the hotel’s former tennis house and two positioned in wood cabins up in the trees on the property. Using the natural purity of mountain plants, Pure Altitude offers a product range with rare active ingredients that have anti-oxidising and remineralising properties. Alongside classic treatments such as facials and massages, the spa offers restorative treatments using bitter orange, and relaxing rituals using salt, pine and lavender. Sporting facilities include a tennis court, large outdoor swimming pool, pétanque strip and equestrian farm. 

2014 will also see the introduction of Domaine de la Baume’s very own extra virgin olive oil. Harvested throughout 2013, the olive oil will be used for all the hotels culinary dishes.  The oil is cold pressed at the village mill, near Tourtour and will be available to buy from the hotel boutique. 

The beautiful French grounds surrounding the property include picturesque rivers and waterfalls, an orangery, vegetable garden with beehives, and an olive grove where Provencal-infused house oil is produced. The terrace restaurant and bar serve the finest seasonal French cuisine; and the vaulted wine cellar stocks a wide variety of French wines, including those from Sibuet’s own vineyard, Domaine de Marie in nearby Menerbes. A private chapel is also available for exclusive weddings, and a heliport is located within the grounds.