first saw the tumbledown Provencal farmhouse near the Abbey of Saint-Hilaire more than 20 years ago, she decided then and there to buy it.
That style, which Jocelyne sums up as “casual, cosy, charming but not too sophisticated”, runs through the whole Maisons et Hotels Sibuet portfolio. It includes a trio of alpine-chic hotels in Megeve, the 14-room La Bastide de Marie and vineyard in Provence’s Menerbes, a St Tropez bolthole plus a laid-back Caribbean hotel and beach club in St Barts.
The six rooms are all special, some overlooking the medieval abbey. The one Nicolas designed for himself has a bath in the bedroom. Marie’s, in rose and terracotta, has a private terrace and a boudoir just big enough to hold an antique dressing table. The hamlet grew over time, adding a 10th chalet this season to its 70 rooms, restaurants, kids’ club and ski shop. It is also home to a sleek spa with Japanese baths, two pools, and blissful therapies using the Pure Altitude product range developed by the talented Jocelyne. The range incorporates the rejuvenating qualities of the mountain flower edelweiss.