Hostellerie de l'Abbaye de la Celle
Intimate country-house luxury with Provençal authenticity. Antique walnut furniture, silk curtains, Salernes earthenware bathrooms, and rooms named after the nuns who lived here before the French Revolution. Formal enough for the Ducasse name, relaxed enough that families feel at ease.
Request Lucrèce de Barras if you want the suite with the most history — 48m², nearly 4-metre ceilings, and De Gaulle's ghost in the dressing room
Why It Matters
Owned and run by Alain Ducasse's hospitality group since 1999. The gastronomic restaurant holds a Michelin star (awarded 2006) and three Gault & Millau toques. Chef Nicolas Pierantoni grew up in the village of La Celle itself — as locally rooted as it gets. General de Gaulle stayed in the Lucrèce de Barras suite three times and reportedly wrote part of his memoirs there.
Alain Ducasse bought this 18th-century Provençal priory in 1999 and turned it into a ten-room inn with a Michelin-starred restaurant. It sits on 2 hectares of grounds surrounded by Coteaux Varois vineyards, right next to a 12th-century Benedictine abbey. Small, quiet, and serious about food — it's the kind of place where you eat extraordinarily well and then do very little else.
Where You'll Stay
9 room types available
Angélique de Champigny
A superior room in the Béguinage with a private garden. Notably houses the handsome handmade bed (wooden cherubs and flowers) originally made for General de Gaulle — De Gaulle slept in the bed but in the Lucrèce de Barras suite. Individually decorated in Provençal style with flatscreen TV, minibar, and custom bath products.
Appoline Waguelone
Superior room in the Béguinage with private garden. Individually decorated in Provençal style with double bed, bathtub, flatscreen TV, minibar, and bergamot bath products.
Béatrice de Villeneuve
A second-floor Priory room with views of the tree-lined terrace, decorated in cream and almond green. The ensuite bathroom has a combined shower and bath tub. Can accommodate a baby's cot on request.
Cécile d'Evenos
Set under the mansard roof of the Priory's second floor, this bright room has a fresh colour scheme, abstract artwork on the walls, and an ensuite bathroom with a bathtub and twin sinks. All standard rooms include flatscreen TV, minibar, and bergamot-scented bath products made exclusively for the hotel.
Eliette Bourasu
Located in the Béguinage (convent) building with a private garden. Each superior room is individually decorated in elegant Provençal style. Features a double bed, bathtub, flatscreen TV, minibar, and bergamot-scented bath products made for the hotel by The Different Company. Two superior rooms are split-level.
Garcende de Sabran
A junior suite in the Béguinage with a semi-private garden overlooking the vines, vegetable garden, and Candelon Mountain. Decorated in calming neutral tones with wooden furniture and garnet fabrics. The bedroom has a four-poster queen-size bed; the airy bathroom has both a tub and shower. Suitable for guests with limited mobility. Also noted for the charming set of old-fashioned wooden scales among the room's decorative objects.
Lucrèce de Barras
The hotel's most storied room. A first-floor suite in the Priory where General de Gaulle stayed three times and reportedly wrote part of his memoirs. Nearly 4-metre ceilings, a king-size bed with a gold-leaf canopy and cream curtains, beamed ceilings, an antique Dutch desk, and Yves Nioret paintings on the walls. Large windows look over the garden, terrace, and chestnut trees. The large dressing room and separate toilet add real comfort. Ensuite bathroom with tub. Can connect with the adjacent suite for families.
48 sqmPerpétue de la Celle
A spacious garden suite in the Béguinage with a private garden shaded by wisteria and a covered winter garden. Split across two levels: the ground floor has an Asia-inspired living room with dark wood screens and shades of green, while upstairs the bedroom features a Moroccan-style headboard. The bathroom has olive-green tiles. Generous enough to sleep two children in the downstairs living area — popular with families.
Sancie de Signes
A mansard room on the second floor of the Priory offering a view over the village square and its plane trees. Decorated with an oak-panel headboard, antique furniture, and soft bruise-toned fabrics. The ensuite bathroom has a charming retro freestanding tub with red and yellow earthenware tiles. Reached by stairs — no lift access.
The Property
Eat & Drink
1 venue on property
Restaurant
Spa & Wellness
Treatment Menu
On Property
How you'll actually spend your days.
The adjacent 12th-century La Celle Abbey is a listed historic monument and fine example of Romanesque architecture. Tours can be arranged, and it's the setting for the annual La Celle Abbey Musical Evenings (32nd edition celebrated recently).
Barbaroux Golf Course is approximately 15 km from the hotel. The hotel can arrange visits and lessons.
Complimentary electric bikes and regular bicycles available for guests to explore the surrounding countryside and Coteaux Varois wine region.
The hotel is close to Sainte-Baume Regional Nature Park with signposted hiking trails. Staff can advise on routes.
Guests can spend time in the professional kitchen helping Chef Nicolas Pierantoni prepare lunch, beginning with a trip to the hotel's vegetable and herb garden to pick ingredients. Ducasse also sends trainee chefs on placement here, so you may find yourself working alongside tomorrow's talent. Also offered as a group/team activity.
Guests can visit the hotel's kitchen garden, maintained with natural fertilisers, which supplies the restaurant with fresh produce. Can be combined with the cooking class.
A seasonal outdoor heated pool built on Roman ruins, overlooking the 12th-century abbey and its bell tower. Elegant wooden loungers with ruby-red covers, thick white towels, parasols, and free cabanas. A service cabin has toilets, changing rooms, an honesty bar, and a phone to call the kitchen for a drink or snack. Unsupervised — parents should watch children. Open seasonally.
The Maison des Vins des Coteaux Varois en Provence is immediately adjacent to the hotel, set in the heart of the abbey's vineyards where 88 different grape varieties are conserved. Guests can visit and taste wines from local estates.
Amenities & Practical Info
The details that matter for planning.
The Garcende de Sabran Junior Suite is specifically adapted for guests with mobility issues.
Available at approximately €25/hour, minimum 3 hours, requires at least one hour's notice.
Terrace under chestnut, linden and cherry trees. Used for outdoor dining and events.
Grounds surrounded by Coteaux Varois vineyards. Includes rose garden, lavender, kitchen garden, orchard, and chestnut trees.
Pets welcome with a supplement of approximately €40–45 per night. Not permitted in the restaurant.
Built on Roman ruins, overlooking the abbey bell tower. Includes free cabanas, sun loungers, pool umbrellas, an honesty bar, and changing facilities.
Available during limited hours.
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