France

L’Alechou | Tourtour, France

This charming little restaurant is located in a must visit little village in the Provence, Tourtour. A beautiful drive up the mountain with spectacular views once on the top. Apparantly Tourtour is called ‘the village in the sky’ because it overlooks a large part of the Provence…
This little restaurant is not on the main square but hidden in a small romantic alley with again breathtaking views. They serve simple French food and crepes. I had a good salad with goat cheese and an even better tasting Rose (see the attached photograph for the wine). You should not go here if you are looking for haute cuisine but it is for sure the most romantic little bistro in the village with the best view! Route d’Aups, 83690 Tourtour, France | +33 4 94 70 54 76 | €€ | Map

 

Chez Julien – Paris



Exactly what we were looking for during a weekend in Paris: a charming, stylish, classic and authentic restaurant, serving all the right typical French food, no tourist trap. Apparently this place has been renovated by the Costes family, from the Hotel Costes, which explains the stylish interior (and crowd). The location is great too. Chez Julien is situated right on an idyllic corner ‘overlooking’ the Seine, close to the Le Marais area. Very romantic. 1 Rue du Pont-Louis-Philippe, Paris | +33 0142 783164 | €€€

Hotel L’amour – Paris

 

My boyfriend took me to Paris to celebrate our 5 years together last year. This romantic boutique hotel made the celebration even better. The hotel is owned by a graffiti artist and nightclub entrepreneur and was originally a brothel…No TV’s or telephone’s in the rooms because this distracts from love-making.
The hotel is located in a super nice area in Paris (Montmartre) Anyway, the hotel is Parisian perfect. All 20 rooms have their own character / design. It has a buzzing cozy restaurant where you can have breakfast, lunch and dinner and a fabulous garden in the back. What else can you ask for in Paris? (ps: please don’t tell EVERYone…)
8 rue Navarin, 75009 Paris | +33148783180 | €€ | Metro; between Pigalle and Saint-Georges |Website

 

Hotel Chèvre d’or | Eze Village, France

Should you wish to suprise your loved one and stay in a super romantic hotel you should really consider going here for a few nights. Hotel Chèvre d’or is located in one of the most charming villages of the Cote d’Azur in France.  To start with, Eze is an absolutely gorgeous medieval village shining on a rock overlooking the Mediterranean sea… Walking through its streets you feel like going centuries back in time. The hotel is build in the same style as the village. There are several terraces, gardens and restaurants overlooking the sea and I spent several hours on the lounge beds with cushions right on the rocks towards the sea.  You can have dinner in one of their 4 restaurants overlooking the sea or stroll around the village to have some dinner there. Both are super romantic options! The charming rooms are dotted around the castle-like place and are all different. Also, it is very near Nice airport so easy to get to. 6 Rue du Barri, Eze Village, France | +33 4 92 10 66 66 | €€€€ (prices from €300,-) | Website

 

Chez Loli | Cotignac, France

This is one of my all time favourite restaurants and used to be called La Table de la Fontaine… The food is so divine that my boyfriend and I are planning our lunches here months in advance. The restaurant is located in a little charming village in the Provence called Cotignac. Cotignac is an unspoilt mediaeval town with lots of beautiful sights to see and a very nice market on Tuesdays. The restaurant is located on a square in the centre of town and their food is INSANELY good. You have to order the Escargots… OH MY! I am sure I will never ever find a place again that prepares escargots more delicious then here.
I am now 3 years later adding to this post that for a while now the restaurant has a new owner and THANK HEAVENS kept the same cook (and the escargots!!). Unfortunately, the look of the place has lost its flair. They decided on a new design… a big shame. The wooden tables and bistro cozy look made room for plastic tables and ugly details… The place lost its Provence Perfect Atmosphere but we still go here. We are now secretly looking for that perfect little spot near Cotignac that has charm and perfect escargots… 😉 27 cours Gambetta, Cotignac |€€€ | +33494047913 | Website

 

Le Rêve d’Isabelle | Lorgues, France

Weirdly enough I have been going to Lorgues for the past 7 years (my parents have a house there) and never visited this little Salon de Thé tucked away in a little courtyard before… Obviously, because I never realised it was there and not because I did not want to. I am immediately a big fan! The place is exactly what you are looking for when in the provence; small, romantic, pots and plants and other cute curiosities on a little courtyard with about 6 tables. The food is perfect. You have to try the “Assiette Gourmand” which will be a plate with 14 small dishes. There is also a little shop attached to the place where you can find really nice home decor stuff. The restaurant is opposite the church near the big parking lot and the street is parallel to the main street in Lorgues where there is a nice market on Tuesdays. If you not go on Tuesdays, Lorgues is also worth a visit; it is a beautiful provencal town with ancient narrow streets, beautiful old buildings and plenty of terraces where you can enjoy a drink while you do some people watching. 1 Place de l’Église, Lorgues | +324 94 73 96 28 (closed on Wednesday and Sunday) and open from 10.30am to 6pm | €€

Relais de St. Denis | Tourtour, France

While spending some months in the provence I payed various visits to one of my favourite little towns in this part of France; Tourtour. This restaurant is located on the main square in the village and in my opinion the restaurant there that looks the best. Not sure if it IS the best but they at least tried to make it look the best 🙂. Being on holiday in the provence makes everything taste a little better then if you would be at home and I very much liked the lunch I had here.. The garlicky escargots and mixed platter of varied provence foods made me happy.. In almost all restaurants in Tourtour they serve the wine of Thuerry and I would highly recommend having this wine… It is utterly delicious (especially the Rose L’exception which you can also buy within a 20 minute drive of Tourtour… YOU WON’T REGRET!) Place des Ormeaux, Tourtour, France | +33494705406 | €€€ | Map