Daily Pampering: Fall cooking vacation in Provence

If you’ve ever wondered why French women don’t get fat, this trip is for you.

The Hotel Crillon le Brave in Provence is hosting all-inclusive package of a five-day (six-night) cooking program this October, meant to give even the most discerning palates a mouth-watering vacation.

Spend a week in the French countryside at a hotel lead by head chef Philippe Monti. You’ll learn to cook authentic Provençal fare during daily classes, enjoy excursions through the local area, and dine at the hotel’s restaurant on chef Monti’s own savory regional dishes, such as filet de rougets (fresh wild sea bass) and confit de canard (duck). If you want to remove your chef’s hat for the day, you can enjoy a treatment at the hotel’s open-air spa, tour the historic village on complimentary bikes or play on the nearby tennis and boules courts.

Where: Hotel Crillon le Brave, Provence, France

When: October 10 – 16 | October 17 – 23

What:

  • Six nights of accommodation
  • All meals included, as well as wine and cocktails upon arrival
  • Five intensive half-day cooking classes, with recipes for five complete menus to take home
  • Afternoon excursions to meet with local purveyors, including truffle hunters, winemakers, cheese makers, bakers and more
  • Tour of Carpentras Market, which has been in existence since 1155. Situated at the foothills of Mount Ventoux, this weekly market is known as being one of the best in France
  • Fine wine tastings
  • Transportation and entry fees for all excursions included

Price: €2900 per person (roughly US$632 per person per night) based on double occupancy; €400 single supplement fee. For “non-cooking” companion, the cost is €1400 if sharing a room with a “cooker”. “Non-cookers” may participate in all events and meals outside of the cooking classes.

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