Le Mas Candille on the French Riviera offers a five star experience with ultra-relaxing massages and refreshing pilates.

Perched on a site overlooking the Côte D’Azur, Le Mas Candille stretches across 10 glorious acres in the South of France.

Originally an 18th century farmhouse it has been redeveloped into a very pretty five-star hotel with the accent on wellbeing and gastronomy.

Like me, you can indulge in the delights of Le Mas’ Michelin star restaurant, with matching wines for every course, then (hopefully) burn it all off in the outdoor gym and three swimming pools.

With many of the 38 bedrooms and seven suites boasting their own balconies and terraces, there’s plenty of time for contemplating views of the Provençal coastline.

The fruits of the Mediterranean were evident in a delicious seafood lunch, perfectly matched with a local rose - a great start to my stay.

It’s not hard to see how they gained their prestigious accreditation. Later at supper the plates were so elegantly presented it felt like a work of one of the artists who famously flocked to this part of the French Riviera.

So I was delighted when I was offered a cookery class with one of the chefs, Arthur Menahem, and after watching his painstaking meticulous way of preparing food, it brought it home how and why the Michelin inspector gave them the thumbs up.

Le Mas Candille makes its desserts in-house so it was a treat to be showed how to do my pear and cream pudding by pastry chef Oliver Roth.

It’s clear only the freshest and finest ingredients are used in their dishes.

I was also here to try out the hotel’s spa, the first in Europe by Shiseido, one of the world’s oldest cosmetic companies.

I opted for an all over “de-stressing” massage, followed by an exfoliation and wrap, both fabulous and a great way to make sure I was ultra-relaxed during my stay.

The treatment’s aims to restore equilibrium, peace of mind and bring deep relaxation to the body and spirit were certainly met.

It’s quite easy to get carried away and spend a whole day being pampered but I took up the option of using a personal training coach to put me through my paces.

I tried out an hour of stretching and pilates with Nathalie. She was gentle and encouraging and to be honest I felt refreshed after 60 minutes without feeling worn out as I do when I go for a run back in London.

The next morning my body ‘knew’ something great had happened the day before. I would highly recommend her skills.

Le Mas is a short walk from the local Provençal village Mougins which is steeped in history and features winding narrow streets filled with small shops selling antiques, sculptures, paintings, jewellery, in fact most things.

Throughout the hotel are a series of striking sculptures that I admired, so I was delighted to find out that they were made by a local artist called Marion Burkle who has a studio in Mougins.

One of the must visit places is the breathtaking Musee d’Art Classique in the village.

Four floors filled with ancient, neo-classical, modern and contemporary artefacts and artwork all belonging to English businessman Christian Levett; one of the largest private collections in the world and thoroughly fascinating.

The hotel is also a short drive from Cannes, famed for its glamorous and influential film festival every May.

Here they have a wonderful street market selling second hand goods including Chanel handbags and beautiful vintage jewellery or if you prefer to buy new the shops give Bond Street a run for their money with high end designer brands.

We rounded off our day trip with a boat ride to St Honorat Island just off Cannes. It’s a beautiful and secluded enclave inhabited solely by monks who make their own delicious wine.

After a tour of the island and vineyards, a glass of the merlot-based wine was amazing, even if it isn’t cheap. Once you have seen the hard work, by hand, that goes into each bottle, it’s worth every Euro.

A short drive away is Grasse, famous for its perfumeries, especially Fragonard where I had a tour explaining the full process of making a scent and participated in a delightful workshop where I made my own perfume featuring citrus fruits and verbena.

Las Mas Candille is around a 45 minute drive from Nice Airport. A short journey to enjoy a luxurious Gallic experience.