HOTEL

Hotel Notre Dame

COLLOBRIÈRES – NEAR LE LAVANDOU

15 Avenue de la Libération
86310 Collobrières
04 94 48 07 13
www.hotel-notre-dame.eu
PRICE RANGE – MODERATE

One of the nicest surprises of a recent Var discovery trip was how easy it is to flee the built-up coast and disappear into wild countryside. Around the village of Collobrières, for instance, up behind Le Lavandou, there are forests of cork oaks, chestnuts and wild boar, not to mention the impressive Hermann tortoise. Worth exploring… particularly if you arrange to spend a night or two in this attractive hotel perched above the river.

Over the past few years, Olivier and Nili Faivre have breathed new life into the old inn in the centre of the village. Exuberant Nili, an Iranian who worked as a fashion designer in Vienna for a time, has created ten pretty rooms, each with a different look and feel. Meanwhile Olivier, whose parents owned Château de Caraguilhes in Corbières, has ensured that the hotel’s restaurant also functions as a wine bar with a short but interesting list.

The rooms vary considerably in size. While the largest (including the Onyx suite in the picture) are undeniably more luxurious, the smallest seem to me to offer by far the best value.