If the discovery of Saint-Émilion could be condensed into the experience of a single hotel, that hotel would be the Hotel de Pavie. Floating above the village yet with one foot in the vines, this five-star Relais & Châteaux property is a perfect reflection of its land, which UNESCO has classified as a World Heritage site.
A vineyard view: bar and terrace
The Perse family wanted to enhance the hotel's terrace. After the Second World War until the 1960s the terrace used to be a guinguette - an open air dance hall. The people of Saint-Emilion used to get together to dance and chat. Here, a guest can feel right in the center of the village, yet at the same time wonderfully cocooned. This is the best place to enjoy breakfast on a sunny morning; on summer evenings, it is the ideal location for an aperitif or a concert. You can smell the exceptional atmosphere at the foot of the bell tower, the nerve center of the village. Eyes riveted on the roofs and vineyards in the distance, you enjoy a magical moment.
The newly renovated Maison des Suites
Hotel de Pavie is constructed around the principal building: La Maison du Clocher, or Belltower House, which lives up to its name. At the foot of the belltower, the Maison welcomes guests via the new glass extension. With the bar to the left and the restaurant to the right of the reception, La Maison du Clocher is the nerve centre of the hotel. Below, the La Maison du Village is linked via two terraced gardens and an elevator sculpted out of the rock. Here, guests are simultaneously in the very heart of the village and snug in the garden.
A third building was added in 2022, featuring five new suites created by Jean-Philippe Nuel that take the immersive experience in the Saint-Emilion terroir to the next level. In an 18th-century former trading house, next door to the hotel in the heart of the village, the suites are ideally situated for exploring the village or the surrounding chateaux and make an enticing starting-point for a stroll through the ever-present vines. The renovation project gave prominence to the pale stone so characteristic of the region and other traditional simple materials such as whitewash and wood.
In these spacious suites measuring between 80 and 130 sq m, every element has its place in just the way that every word used by a writer is carefully chosen to convey meaning and emotion. The entire décor has been taken to another level by furnishings that are resolutely contemporary – all chosen by the Perse family, who have been closely involved. There are armchairs and bench seats made by Jean-Philippe Hurel and ceiling lights designed by JMW Studio. These suites also offer a magnificent view over the Saint-Emilion vineyards, harmonizing perfectly with the landscape.
Yannick Alléno’s la Table de Pavie
La Table de Pavie was born in September 2020, when the Perse family changed the name of the restaurant formerly known as La Table de Plaisance and invited in Yannick Alléno. Yannick Alléno took up the gauntlet thrown down by his friend Gérard Perse, an “extraordinary visionary”: to give Saint-Emilion the opportunity to shine in the world of gastronomy.
From the vine to the plate, it is a cuisine at the service of wine, strongly anchored in its terroir that we discover. An inventory of more than 50 local producers honors the resources of the Gironde, Dordogne, Lot-et-Garonne, but also the Atlantic and Pyrenees.
Yannick Alléno revisits the local gastronomic culture, and appropriates it to better surprise. The dishes, highlighted by these great sauces, emphasize the nobility of the products. The vine is everywhere: the foie gras is made with verjuice (extracted from green grapes picked before maturity during thinning), the Koji Zoto is cooked with Graves wine and the Sabayon is made with Cognac... A real tribute to the winegrowers!
4 reasons to discover Saint-Emilion
The largest monolithic church in Europe
The monolithic church is an underground religious building dug at the beginning of the 12th century in impressive proportions. If it reveals itself to the visitor by the position of a 68-metre high bell tower, it then hides behind the elegance of three large "windows" in the façade and a Gothic portal that is often closed (because it is only on a guided tour that you can enter this underground church for an unforgettable experience). 38 m in lenght and 12 m high: the monolithic church - that is to say, built out of a single block of stone - is definitely worth a visit. Stories and legends intermingle in this incredible monument: you'll have to see it to believe it!
The first vineyard listed by Unesco as a World Heritage Site
Since December 1999, the Jurisdiction of Saint-Emilion has been listed as a "cultural landscape" on the World Heritage List. Resulting from a real human adventure and a race against time, the recognition of our territory by UNESCO is a world first for a vineyard!
World famous wines
It was the Romans who, as early as the 2nd century, took over the local terroir and planted the first vines. There is no doubt that wine already occupied an important place in Gallo-Roman times, although the Jurisdiction of Saint-Emilion did not speak of monoculture until the 19th century.The exceptional side of the Saint-Emilion vineyard is explained by its "terroir".
A gourmet destination
When the name Saint-Émilion comes to mind, some will think of wine, but others will think of delicacies and traditional recipes! Here is an overview of our unmissable local specialities : the famous macaroon, the strange Lamprey (nicknamed Vampire of the Seas) and the Crémant de Bordeaux (sparkling white or rosé wine) are only some of the local delicacies. Saint-Emilion's gastronomy is inspired by our local heritage and terroir. Wine plays an important role in this cuisine. It is not surprising that great chefs, such as Philippe Etchebest, have worked here.
