3 Best places to stay in Arles

Arles’s most luxurious boutique hotel occupies an elegant, central townhouse dating back to 1824.

The rooms are pure romance, with incredible attention to detail – each one feels like a work of art – and the hotel’s walled garden and serene lap pool are irresistible on a hot summer’s day.

The walled, gated garden with its hundred-year-old trees is a delicious oasis, blocking out the labyrinthine and slightly shabby side streets of old Arles – an idyllic retreat to return to after a day out.

Breakfast here (for an extra fee) is a lovely way to start the day: fresh baked brioche and breads, served on antique silver, eaten while listening to the birds.

There’s a spa and great room service menu, making it the perfect address for romantics and lovers of refinement, but also for first-time visitors.

It’s close to the sights, too: the Espace Van Gogh is three streets away, housed in the Mediatheque (the former hospital, with its beautiful garden), and it’s a few more minutes to Rue de la Republique, Saint-Trophime Cathedral and other main attractions.

Surrounded by some of Provence’s most beautiful gardens, under the otherworldly crags of the Alpilles, this exquisite Relais & Chateaux hotel and restaurant in a former farmhouse helped put Provence on the map for discerning travellers, immediately after WWII.

It still casts a spell, no matter how often you’ve been.

An easy walk from the village of Les Baux, the 54 rooms and suites are spread out among several buildings. There are three gorgeous pools in the gardens and a luxury spa.

Then there’s heavenly food at the 3 Michelin-starred Oustau de Baumaniere and the more informal Cabro d’Oro restaurants, plus one of France’s most prestigious wine cellars with over 50,000 bottles (cooking and wine tastings and classes are offered).

Filled with a pervasive sense of calm and happiness, it’s an unbeatable base for visiting Provence – if you can bear to leave.

Located in the heart of Arles, the Nord Pinus is part of the city’s history; it even has columns from a Roman temple embedded in its facade.

The favourite of visiting bullfighters, its clients in the 1950s included Picasso, Cocteau, Hemingway and John Houston. Its public areas and rooms, furnished with antiques, are steeped with history and charm.

If there are no toreros (bullfighters) in town, ask for room No 10, the enormous bullfighter’s room, with its sublimely over-the-top mirror, chandelier, private balcony and antique bathroom.

Throw in helpful, switched-on staff, and you have a delightful choice for a luxurious, central stay.