Luxury Hotels Atlas / Places / France / Aix-en-Provence / Le Pigonnet
Le Pigonnet
Aix-en-Provence, France · Independent · Core Luxury
An eighteenth-century Provençal bastide whose name comes from the round pigeon loft on the grounds. Cézanne is said to have set his easel in these gardens to paint Mont Sainte-Victoire. Blanche and Fernand Swellen of Lille opened it as a hotel in 1924; three generations ran it until 2014. Guests over the years included Serge Gainsbourg, Barbara, and Clint Eastwood. About 49 rooms across the bastide, a neighbouring building, and two villas. Relais and Chateaux.
- 49 rooms
- Opened 1924
- Neighborhood: Cuques
- Interiors: Jacques Garcia
About Le Pigonnet
- Painter Paul Cézanne is said to have set up his easel in the estate's gardens to paint Mont Sainte-Victoire before it was a hotel.
- Blanche and Fernand Swellen, a couple from Lille, took on debt to learn the hotel trade and opened the 18th-century bastide as a hotel in 1924.
- Run by three generations of the Swellen family until 2014, it welcomed guests including Serge Gainsbourg, Barbara, and Clint Eastwood.
History
Le Pigonnet began as an 18th-century Provençal bastide, a country 'folie' set among gardens on the edge of Aix-en-Provence, close enough to the old town for its owner to conduct business. Its name derives from the typically Provençal circular pigeon loft on the property. Long before it was a hotel, painter Paul Cézanne is said to have set up his easel in its gardens to paint Mont Sainte-Victoire.
The estate was acquired in 1924 by Blanche and Fernand Swellen, a couple from Lille who took on debt to learn the hotel business; the property opened as a hotel that year with just a handful of rooms. Run by three generations of the Swellen family until 2014, Le Pigonnet grew to around 45-55 rooms across the original bastide, a neighbouring building and two villas, and welcomed a who's-who of 20th-century artists, musicians and film stars, from Serge Gainsbourg and Barbara to Clint Eastwood. It is now part of the Esprit de France collection, with dining spaces redesigned by Jacques Garcia and gardens preserved much as they were a century ago.
The setting
5 km from Musée Granet.
Amenities
- Spa
- Pool
- Sauna
- Hammam
- Hot tub
- Fitness center
- Pet-friendly
Open Le Pigonnet in the atlas for live weekend rates, photos, and the full folio.
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