USP A jaw-droppingly grand spa in the heart of the lavender-scented Provencal countryside, a 45-minute drive from Nice airport. It’s the new addition to the all-suite resort with its two championship golf courses and stunning infinity pool with views of medieval hilltop towns. Expect the characteristic Four Seasons double whammy of superb service and top of the range kit, presented in such a friendly, unsnooty way that even spa virgins wouldn’t feel intimidated. But what it also delivers are those very modern luxuries – space and calm.

AMBIENCE The 3000 sq metre spa is housed in a two-storey ochre villa and its temple-like lobby is dominated by the view through to the 24-metre black granite pool which stretches out between white columns to the garden and outdoor hydrotherapy pool beyond with its jets and bubbles. It’s all very gorgeous and the attention to detail as fine as you’d expect, from the super soft cotton and towelling robes to the relaxation room with its eight day beds which can be raised at the touch of a button and the trays of dried fruit in case hunger strikes.

Apart from 14 treatment rooms, including two for couples with outdoor terraces and cabanas, there’s a manicure and pedicure studio, gym, hair salon and studio for yoga and pilates classes, as well as saunas, steam rooms, laconiums and “experience” showers with tropical rain and arctic mist.

The spa also offers the ultimate in fitness and wellbeing assessments, using the fabulously high-tech Huber, a machine developed for athletes by a professor of biomechanics at Aix en Provence University which assesses posture, mobility and balance so that coaches can custom build a fitness programme. I’m tempted to return for this, and for a few sessions on the LPG Cellu 6 machine, which looks as if it has been borrowed from the set of Doctor Who but uses a “connective tissue simulation technique” to deal with pesky cellulite.

EXPERIENCE I had two treatments and a pedicure and the French therapists were uniformly excellent – the sort who inspire total confidence as soon as they touch you. Their English was good and they explained the treatments thoroughly. My 110-minute Espa Provencal Escape started with a tingling body scrub using Camargue coarse salt, olive oil and lavender buds which I showered off before being cocooned in a white heather honey, aloe vera and red clay concoction and then wrapped up snugly to relax while my hands were massaged. After another shower came a massage using olive oil infused with lavender and rosemary which was hard enough to feel that it was making an impact but still enabled me to drift off. It was an ideal way to prepare my parched winter skin for summer, as was my “Pure Light” facial using products by French brand Terraké. This was the ultimate in pampering facials – no extractions, just cleansing and massage ending with warm “snowflakes” being sprinkled on my face, followed by a cold gel to detox the skin. The best part for me was when therapist Mildred pulled a warm flannel across my skin so gently that it felt like a small wave breaking across my skin. Bliss.

FOOD The four set menus at Infusions, the spa café were designed by the hotel’s Michelin-starred chef Philippe Jourdin using local produce. I loved the chicken steamed with tarragon and asparagus and the fromage blanc with blueberry purée and cystallised violet, washed down with a chilled infusion of lemon thyme. But most spa-goers hotfoot it back to the hotel for lunch on the terrace. Don’t miss the puddings – the macaroons are better than Ladurée and the pastry chef is a genius.

IN-CROWD Mainly smart Brits and Americans who will pack this place year-round now that the spa is open. They bring their children too – Four Seasons is famously good at looking after kids who have their own club and playground.

WALLET WATCH The Spa Discovery Package starts from euros 695 (£473) per night b&b in a suite, plus a 55 minute treatment per day, based on two sharing. Spa day packages start at euros 295 (£201) including 165 minutes of treatments.

NEED TO KNOW Four Seasons Resort Provence at Terre Blanche, France (00800 6488 6488, www.fourseasons.com/provence). British Airways flies to Nice from £68 return (0870 850 9850, www.ba.com).

For more than 200 reviews of spas worldwide visit Times Online's Good Spa Guide

Times recommends

• Checking into ‘Europe’s dirtiest hotel’
• The best out of season European breaks
• Smugshots special: wintersports