Mr & Mrs Smith

Unless you’re staying for a while you won’t want to eat anywhere else. However, if the day’s adventures should lure you away, we recommend La Treille Muscate on Moustiers-Sainte-Marie’s Place de l’Eglise (+33 (0)4 92 74 64 31), where the emphasis is on fresh, seasonal ingredients and regional cuisine: beef with artichokes, turnips, chorizo and red wine sauce is a hearty example. There’s also Ducasse’s second country inn, Hostellerie de l’Abbaye de la Celle, an hour and 15 minutes’ drive from the hotel, at 10 place du Général de Gaulle in La Celle (+33 (0)4 98 05 14 14). The restaurant showcases Provençal produce in dishes such as courgette flower with crispy bacon, and fruity puds with local cherries.

Discover the Gorges du Verdon canyons with a guided climb or hike and go windsurfing or canoeing on turquoise waters of the Lake Saint Croix (www.moustiers.fr). Wander among the lavender fields in the Verdon National Park – ask the hotel to pack you a picnic before you set off. La Bastide de Moustiers can arrange a hot-air balloon ride with a professional pilot, who can also instruct you in paragliding and hang-gliding. Moustiers-Sainte-Marie is famous for its handcrafted pottery, so hunt out some new plates and salad bowls. In the 11th century, pilgrims used to journey to Moustiers’ monastery – follow in their footsteps and look out for the ex-veto, a chain with a golden star suspended high across the valley, left by a knight who returned safely from the crusades. Rise early one morning and set off on a drive around the narrow, winding hill roads – preferably in a convertible, with the roof down, and the wind in your hair.