Baumanière - Les Baux de Provence

We stayed at Baumaniere for three nights - 8th - 11th Sept 24. Baumaniere was one of five Relais and Chateaux properties that we stayed at on our two-week tour of Provence. It was the worst by some considerable margin. When you pay over €900 per night, you expect a certain quality, which, sadly, Baumaniere lacked. To be clear, there were no absolute disasters, although our evening meal at The Cabro d'Or was akin to visiting the Circus. I shall try to provide an overview of why we felt let down. The hotel is divided into two areas, 750 m apart and not connected in the way you might expect. Most resorts of this type are easily navigable, with signs and footpaths allowing easy access to the areas that you may want to wander to. The hotel does offer a shuttle that will take you from one area to the next, and whilst it was efficient, it was a pain to have to use when a stroll might have been preferable. I should say that our room was in the old/original building, the same building that houses the 3-star Michelin restaurant. There were other rooms in this building, too. We felt that little to no attention was paid to guests who stayed in this area. Indeed, I suspect that the hotel is fully focused on the Michelin Restaurant to the detriment of those staying in the building. Guests staying in this area of the hotel have no reception, no concierge, absolutely no one. If you want to see a staff member or have a face-to-face, you have to travel (via shuttle) to the reception 750 metres away. I am aware that villa resorts work in this way, but this is a hotel in the traditional sense of the word. We had to hop through puddles outside the front door daily. There must have been a leaking plant watering system, which nobody bothered to fix; it was just left...predominantly because nobody ever bothered to attend the area. The seating in our room was very uncomfortable and pretty scruffy. Other than a nice view, it had no redeeming qualities and was probably worth half of what we paid. When checking out, I always try to provide feedback (good or bad). I met the charming owner of this third-generation family-run business, who listened attentively to my concerns and made all the right noises. She also provided us with a bottle of Champagne as a "sorry," which was greatly appreciated. To be honest, we still felt a little short-changed after spending well over €3000 for three nights and one dinner. In summary, I can't help feeling that someone at this property is asleep at the wheel. It has lots of potential but failed to deliver. Caveat Emptor!

A beautiful hotel with friendly and competent staff. Food and wine simply delicious. Very conveniently located.