Luxury Travel Advisor - September 2008 - (Page 12)

by the abundance and variety: artichokes, innumerable tomato varieties and zucchini blossoms ready to be plucked and stuffed. In total, there are more than 250 varieties of vegetables and fruit. In the evening, we dined on the terrace overlooking the cypress and olive trees bathed in the dusk glow. We sipped an apéritif of champagne infused with local liqueurs accompanied with charcuterie served on a perfect cutting board with knives engraved with the inn’s initials. The sommelier will recommend wines perfectly paired with your plates from two different wine menus: local bottles from one, and from the second, wines from the rest of France and the world. In our case, a simple dish of duck, served with tiny potatoes, onions and garlic, exploded with flavor. When we selected from the platter of aged cheeses, our server nimbly placed HOSTELLERIE DE L’ABBAYE DE LA CELLE (right) has played host to the morsels in a circle in the direction that we were to taste them. The perfect finish to the meal was a melon soup served with a scoop of homemade peach sorbet. Breakfast is just as divine, and as we discovered, a signature of all the maisons de Alain Ducasse. Beneath the chestnut tree, tables are set with earthenware jars of yogurt, pots of homemade jam, carafes of juice, baskets of hot brioche, croissants and thick slices of bread. Tip: Suggest a picnic at La Bastide de Moustiers or the other country inns. The kitchen will gladly pack up a basket with delicious items. One hour to the south across the rolling vineyards of the Coteaux Varois, the 10-room Hostellerie de l’Abbaye de la Celle (www.abbaye-celle.com) once hosted French royalty and General Charles de Gaulle; it is now an enchanting auberge. In partnership with the region’s Conseil General, Alain Ducasse and friend Clément Bruno revived the historic site in 1997 and opened its doors to guests. Adjacent to the 12th-century Benedictine Abbey, the Hostellerie de l’Abbaye de la Celle is French royalty. SALLE CAPITULLAIRE (below) is the perfect place for an intimate dining experience. Photos by Christian Larit housed in the old Prior’s residence. Your clients will have the sense of the medieval age in this estate surrounded by tall cypress trees, herb gardens and vineyards enclosed by tall stone walls. While La Bastide de Moustiers is known first and foremost as an inn, the Hostellerie first cemented its reputation as a place for serious cuisine. The inn is run by General Manager Pascal Budor (011-33-49-805-1414). To watch Benoît Witz in the Hostellerie’s kitchen is to watch a master at work. Warm and gregarious, Witz encourages guests to join him in his kitchen, a well-orchestrated symphony where all the stoves are lit, copper skillets are boiling with sauces and platters of freshcaught Mediterranean fish are prepared and seasoned. Note: A cooking class with this cookbook author is an absolute must. Your clients will appreciate his zest and passion for ingredients—olive oil, above all. Witz explained to Luxury Travel Advisor what we witnessed firsthand: Each restaurant in the Ducassse country inns demonstrates the Ducasse spirit, but each kitchen translates it into something individualized, creative and different. In the summer, your clients can dine on the terrace to the soft sound of cicadas and croaking frogs. In the cooler months, diners sit inside, in cozy, convivial rooms filled with colorful contemporary art. Tip: Suggest that your clients catch a classical music concert in the sacred setting of the Abbaye Royale. Another must is a wine tasting at the Maison de Couteaux right next door. The accommodation to book in this regal residence is the enormous Charles de Gaulle Suite, with large windows opening out onto the park from the second floor of the Hostellerie. Distin- 12 LUXURY TRAVEL ADVISOR | September 2008 http://www.abbaye-celle.com

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Luxury Travel Advisor - September 2008 Contents Publisher's Letter Editor's Letter Provence India Alvear Palace Hotel Oceana Santa Monica English Country Houses Chewton Glen Summer Lodge Chilston Park Hotel Trump International Hotel & Tower Chicago Park Hyatt Milan Intercontinental Montelucia Jackson Hole World Cruises French Riveria Spas Voluntourism Vacations Signature Travel Network The Pulse Profile Luxury Travel Expo Sightings Source List Leaders Speak

Luxury Travel Advisor - September 2008

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