Take a break at charming Hotel de Mougins

Posted on June 26, 2017

Over the weekend, I stayed at 4-star Hotel de Mougins in the South of France and more exactly in the beautiful region of Le Var.

First, I was so excited because I was going to try Basile Arnaud’s cuisine, the Chef of the hotel. A few weekends before, I stayed at Mas de Chastelas in Saint-Tropez and everything from A to Z was amazing, so my expectations were a little high! When I arrived at Hotel de Mougins, I discovered that it was located in a small but typically Mediterranean park which instantly offers the feeling of being plunged deep in the charming provencal atmosphere.

The hotel:

The hotel is about at only 10 minutes from the Cannes Croisette and 25 minutes from Nice airport and is very easy to find. Overall, the property is really nice. While keeping its Mediterranean style, it also has a modern touch, notably with some art pieces spread inside and outside the Bastide. With 50 rooms, the hotel is reasonably small, which I really like because you don’t feel like a tourist.

I spent most of my Sunday at the pool which was spacious, clean and warm enough to have me staying more than 5 minutes inside the water. There were a lot of sun beds but the pool was quite empty that day which was very pleasant because we could enjoy all of the hotel facilities with a true private feeling.

The rooms:

I stayed in one of the superior rooms which has a lot of space for two persons. It has a nice discrete balcony, a comfortable bath with a tube and a large bed. The TV was not working which was a great reason not to stay in the bedroom but with the nice South of France weather, why would have I anyway?

The cuisine:

For breakfast, it was a buffet so you have to serve yourself from coffee to salty and sweet treats.

For lunch, we enjoyed a nice salad at the pool bar.

The day before, for dinner, we had an authentic gastronomic experience at Restaurant “Le Jardin” by Chef Basile Arnaud. All summer long, dinners are taken on the terrace, in the shadow of the hundred-year-old ash tree. We chose to seat on the upper terrace to face the garden and some century old olive trees.

We started with a nice aperitif while tasting our first meal. As a foie gras lover, it was obvious that I would go for the Foie Gras finger from Puntoun Rhubarb jelly with seasoning served with bread chips. Usually I like it pure, thin and tasty. This one was tasty but quite thick and with other diverse savors around. My dining companion went for the Roumegous oysters served with slightly warm creamy basil, salmon eggs and lemon. As a main course, I went for the Halibut on kale seasoned with dukkha spices mashed sweet potatoes, salicornia, with asparagus and curry emulsion. I had never tasted fish with kale and I loved it. It was originally good. I have been told the duckling with gorilles pepper, turnips lightly coated with soja, ricotta cannelloni, pine nuts and mint was perfectly cooked and accompanied with sauce that added something great. At this point, we were already full but could not resist to the Cream puff and the Chocolate desserts. Both were delicious.

All dinner long, the service was perfect even though the restaurant was quite full, which is much appreciated.

If you want to try Basile Arnaud’s cuisine, you don’t have to stay at the hotel. You can always book your table and enjoy a great dining experience in the heart of Provence.