La Bastide Saint Antoine

Not what is expected and disappointing. Hotel is living in the 80s and is overpriced. You drive in and feel like you are at a countryside stay, which feels great. Then you see the 5 star rating on the door as well as Michelin guide 2021, but it’s all just a facade. The hotel is outdated, the staff aren’t helpful, the restaurant is overpriced and rooms underwhelming. Our room was so chaotic, 5 chairs. Tiny. And AC was awful for summer heat. Bed was weird with 2 twins pushed together and overall we were not impressed or happy with our stay. At $410 a night it’s at best a $250 a night hotel. Pool was not nice, used towels lying around chairs, filled with chlorine and endless mosquitos. Left under whelmed, annoyed, ripped off, and covered in mosquito bites. Pass on it.

We ate there to celebrate my wife’s 40th birthday. We had a great time, the food was awesome, the service was great! Highly recommended!

Stayed at the hotel and had dinner at the restaurant. Not befitting a Relais & Chateau status. The building was charming from the outside as most are in the region/area, the inside is outdated. The views/outdoors are worth mentioning but then again the views in the whole south of France are to die for and can be experienced anywhere. Overall, both the stay and the food were overpriced and underwhelming. For the high price per night one would expect more as I have experienced at other similarly priced and rated establishments where for the same price the stay was luxurious, memorable and worth every penny and more. I echo another comment from a previous guest, I would have happily paid EUR 250/300 for the stay per night and that would have matched my experience and left a pleasant taste. In fact, I’ve had a better stay at a B&B run by just a couple in a neighbouring village with neither the prestige nor the reputation that The Bastide possesses. A special mention to M. Fabien who was lovely, attentive and dedicated to his craft. He went above and beyond each morning. The best part of the stay was the breakfast. Stay: The staff were dry and the welcome was somewhat stale by the ladies at the front desk. Such a country house/boutique hotel can be found anywhere, nothing special nor memorable. Rooms were clean. Restaurant: Staff were well trained and as one would expect from French fine dining, food was served in unison and with flair. The food we had served courtesy of the chef was far better than the meal we paid for. We paid for a four course menu and were served amuses bouches twice from the chef (a soup and canapés) which were good. 8.5/10. Noteworthy olive oil 10/10 which they serve and sell. Starters were good, a solid 8/10. For mains, the piece of fish we had was minuscule and the accompaniments were virtually inedible although the fish was well cooked and seasoned. 5/10 Cheeses were good as one would expect in France but were served on their own without so much as a cracker or olive or fresh fruit/preserve. Dessert was underwhelming and overly sweet. In the land of French pastry chefs renowned for their desserts worldwide, what a let down. I would have had a better mœulleux au chocolat (chocolate fondant cake) at a super market. The undissolved sugar crystals were not only still visible around the outer fondant but were obviously still crunchy as if eating sugar straight out of a spoon. 1/10 (generous rating). Disappointing meal. Tiny portions. Left hungry. I believe it was €96 pp. To conclude, not worth it. I made the mistake of ignoring previous similar comments and was silly to have thought I would have a different experience. It’s not a bad place but definitely seems like it’s a relic of the past having outlived its glory years. A bit of love, attention and renovations are needed.

Having lost its Michelin star, Bastide Saint Antoine is a tired shadow of its former incarnation. Welcome treats were pedestrian, plain focaccia square and parmesan crisp worthy of a local pizzeria. Bread service was equally unremarkable, no better than your supermarket bakery. Asked for butter three times before receiving one hard plain slab, again supermarket quality. The amuse bouche carrot soup was refreshing but boring. The rest of the meal was good but not great. The Maitre’d’s service presentation was perfunctory and dismissive. The glory days are gone.

In a nutshell, this establishment lives off its past fame and reputation, but cries out loud for some serious improvements. Don’t get me wrong, the location, the domain and the views are all quite charming and deserve full marks. The staff was largely very welcoming and friendly, which was much appreciated. The bedroom I stayed in was decent, with a lovely view over the riviera far in the distance, though relatively outdated, but then again benevolent minded guests such as myself, on a short business stay, could put that on account of Provençal quaintness! Yet less amenable critical reviews could not be faulted for asserting that quaintness alone falls short of the very expectations raised by the Relais and Chateau stamp of approval gracing this establishment. Reading some of the reviews posted by other guests, well after having checked myself out, it dawns on me that I didn’t see an air con system (I didn’t need it given the mild climate at this time of the year). Another less important yet symptomatic detail is that the safe is operated with a key… perhaps is it time to make a small investment and upgrade the safe with a combination lock instead, so one doesn’t have to carry (and perhaps lose) that key. None of that would really matter, in the end, had it not been for the big let down that was awaiting at the restaurant. Perhaps did I come with too high expectations? Perhaps should have I read some of the reviews posted here beforehand? After all, the prospect of having dinner here, on my own, was the main reason for booking a room in the first place. I was in fact still under the mistaken impression that the restaurant had somehow retained one Michelin star. I was soon to discover, in no uncertain way, that it had not. The starter, rice with shrimp and lobster, one of the chef’s signature dishes I was told, was salty beyond reason. The main course featured a filet of John Dory that was so appallingly small and revoltingly chewy that it was almost laughable. The wine list. I was looking forward to delve into a comprehensive livre de cave, including great vintages, a wide array of classic labels and also the more confidential gems that an establishment of this caliber should accustom its guests with… instead, I was presented with a wine list so thin, disorganised, erratic and senseless, that it prompted me to politely ask the waiter why it contained such a limited and bizarre selection. I was told, clumsily and secretively, that it was the result of some issues whose detail couldn’t be made public information, but that it would eventually improve in a near future… Tu sum up, a huge disappointment. The only remnant of the Michelin stars of yesteryears this restaurant once boasted, perhaps, lies with the service team, who was lovely, and the price it charges, which wasn’t. Alas the kitchen needs a complete overhaul and fast if this place wants a shot at regaining the place it once occupied in the local hospitality landscape. Good luck!