Contributor/ Christina Miller
Best Known For
Golf. Terre Blanche boasts two stunning 18-hole championship golf courses, a driving range and a golf training centre (headed up by Jean-Jacques Rivet) as well as a simulation suite for perfecting your golfing technique. A European Tour Destination, the courses at Terre Blanche are often used to for professional training ahead of international golfing competitions such as The Ryder Cup.
The Good Stuff
Lazing around poolside is definitely a highlight. The infinity pool looks out over the Provence landscape, which means that taking a dip at Terre Blanche is pretty special, for the view alone. As soon as you select a lounger, a pool attendant appears with a fluffy white towel and a bottle of water. The cabanas are the ultimate in shady chic, while the poolside restaurant, The Tousco, delivers mouth wateringly good light bites, either under cover or outside by the pool. You’ll also find it easy to spend hours in the spa (a huge building housing a fabulous pool), with its beauty salons, treatment rooms, fitness centre and pools. Hollywood actress Rosario Dawson enjoyed the spa at Terre Blanche during the Cannes Film Festival.
The Vibe
Provence is generally a fairly relaxed, rustic region, and you certainly feel chilled out while staying at Terre Blanche. However, at Terre Blanche, there’s a distinct sense of luxury without being ostentatious. It simply feels really, really nice. The excellent customer service (the concierge don’t hesitate to shuttle you around the resort in golf buggies) and attention to detail are so spot-on that you know instantly you’re in a five star resort.
Inside the hotel – 7/10
Terre Blanche has 115 suites and villas, all of which are housed in individual bungalows across the resort, which has been designed to mirror the villages in Provence. Each suite contains a living area with sofa bed, a bedroom, walk though closet and double bathroom with power shower and bath. The living area and bedroom open out on to a good size terrace, which contains a cute table and chair set and two sun loungers – and that’s just the basic suite. There are also villas and prestigious villas, perfect for sharing with friends or family. The main building contains a spacious reception and foyer, various meeting rooms (one of which is enormous and opens onto a terrace), as well as two out of the four restaurants at Terre Blanche (all of which are run by two-star Michelin chef, Yannick Franques).
Outside the hotel – 9/10
The South of France scores highly without even trying. Terre Blanche is located just 30 minutes from Cannes, 80 minutes from St Tropez and 45 minutes from Nice, while local villages Fayence and Tourettes are just a ten minute drive away (the hotel can organise this for you). Fayence is particularly pretty with its historic cobbled streets and open-air market (you have to try the nougat), while Grasse, the region of the perfume factory (there are over 40 and some produce fragrances for brands such as Chanel and Dior) is well worth a visit – book a tour and perfume making class at the Fragonard factory to create your very own fragrance. Surely, the most chic of souvenirs.
terre-blanche.com/terre-blanche
Image courtesy of Terre Blanche
