It’s been dubbed the most exciting cultural space in France, high praise if not unsurprising from the boy from West Belfast who turned the Jervis Centre from a hospital to a shopping centre.
Paddy McKillen’s Chateau La Coste wine hotel and vineyard experience is a sip above the rest in an already competitive space and is racking up rave reviews and high-profile accolades.
The latter includes being one of the only hotels in France to be awarded Three Key Michelin status, and it’s easy to see why.
Babylonstoren. Pic: Facebook
Attention to detail takes centre stage at Chateau La Coste, which is nestled between Aix-en-Provence and the Luberon Regional Natural Park.
Paddy snapped up the rambling two-hundred-year-old estate in 2002 and has spent the past couple of decades putting his stamp on it, and it shows.
Villa La Coste. Pic: Supplied
The estate branches into several distinct entities, each with an allure of its own. There’s the winery, the restaurants, the hotel, a planned wine school, and then there’s the artwork.
It’s the art on show that boggles the mind, with a list that includes a temporary Damien Hirst exhibit, sculptures by Frank Gehry and Tadao Ando, who is also designing the wine school.
Other offerings include installations by Bob Dylan and R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe, and the concentration of artwork on site rivals that of some museums.
On the wine front, Chateau La Coste produces a selection of organic reds, whites, rosés and a non-alcoholic option called Nooh that are housed in cellars created by one of France’s best-known architects, Jean Nouvel.
Pic: villalacosta.com
Since 2017, visitors can stay at the Villa La Coste, a collection of 28 suites and villas, which Paddy was intrinsically involved in designing and helping to choose the artwork. His own collection features heavily in the lobby.
The rooms overlook the vineyards naturally enough, and each comes with its own private courtyards, while some of the larger suites come with their own pools and dining areas.
Pic: villalacosta.com
The interior of the hotel follows a largely minimalist aesthetic with specially created pieces by the Vietnamese company District Eight.
Crisp, white furniture, right down to the sheer bed hangings, makes up the majority of the elegant suites that a flooded with light from the glass wall.
Other enticements include indulging in a long soak in the marble bathroom. The suites also come with a walk-in wardrobe, a smart TV and a Japanese toilet.
Pic: villalacosta.com
On the foodie front, topping the bill is the hotel’s fine dining restaurant. The Héléne Darroze at Villa La Coste, which is named for the chef and has a focus on fruits and vegetables.
There’s also an Argentine restaurant by Francis Mallman as well as a café/restaurant, another Tadao Ando creation in the Art Centre.
The spa is open seven days a week and features Hammams, floating beds and rain showers among its many amenities. See more at Villalacoste.com