Capelongue

The standout at this hotel is the staff, incredibly friendly and accommodating. The amenities are fabulous. I had an amazing massage at the spa. Can’t wait to come back.

We recently stayed at Capelongue over the Easter weekend and, while the property itself is beautiful, the experience was defined by repeated service failures and a complete lack of management oversight. From the first night, the stay got off to an unacceptable start: at around 2:00am, a piece of wood fell from the ceiling in our room, waking us abruptly. This was reported early the next morning, yet by mid-afternoon nothing had been addressed, the debris remained on the floor and the room had not been serviced. It took multiple follow-ups, both in person and via WhatsApp, to get any response, and even then, housekeeping never showed up that day. Unfortunately, this was not an isolated issue but part of a consistent pattern throughout the stay. Housekeeping alone was a recurring problem: on 2 out of the 4 days, no housekeeping service was provided at all, despite requests, and when it did take place, it was completed to a very poor standard (poorly made beds and towels left on the windowsill in the shower). Additional issues included: • Incorrect food order at dinner, followed by the server insisting we were wrong rather than acknowledging the mistake • Extremely slow and inattentive pool service (20–30 minutes waiting just to receive a menu, with no follow-up) • A bowl of strawberries served visibly dirty and unwashed, including a snail, something that should never happen at any standard of hotel, let alone a 5-star property More concerning than the individual issues was the complete absence of ownership or service recovery. Problems were repeatedly raised, yet no one took responsibility, no proactive action was taken, and there was no meaningful attempt to rectify the situation at any point during the stay. At check-out, the response was dismissive: “I’m sorry that our services weren’t up to your standards,” with no further acknowledgment. We were also not provided with a detailed invoice, something that should be standard practice, printed and ready in an envelope at departure in any well-run hotel. Instead, we had to request it multiple times both at check-out and via WhatsApp, and ultimately chase again after our stay to receive it. The post-stay response was equally underwhelming: a generic apology and the invoice, with no gesture or recognition of the impact of the experience. Having since reviewed other guest feedback, it is clear that this is not a one-off experience but reflects a broader and ongoing issue. The pattern of similar complaints strongly suggests a management problem rather than isolated service lapses. While the setting is stunning, service is what defines a luxury hotel, and this is where Capelongue falls significantly short. Until there is clear improvement in management, training, and accountability, I would not recommend staying here.

I think the ownership at the hotel must have changed within the past year because I’ve always heard good things about Capelongue but have experienced really poor service during our brief 2-day stay here. We booked the Luberon Suite for approximately 3500 EUR a night. As a comparison, we’d stayed at Coquillade Provence and the Chateau St Martin which were brilliant in terms of service standards. There were some really basic things lacking (nevermind the little touches here and there that make a hotel a 5 star hotel). - Upon check in, no reconfirmation of itinerary (we booked a car ride into L’isle sur La Sorgue the next day + reservation at a restaurant + car ride into Marseilles airport the next morning early morning). Had to text them while we were out to find out where we were going for lunch. - While we were out on the second day for literally more than half the day (9am-3pm), we came back to a still-dirty room. We had to call for room service and were told that they have till 4pm to clean the rooms (but my argument was that as a 5 star hotel, they should have known our itinerary and cleaned the suite while we were out!) - I ordered a chocolate cake for the kids to be in the room upon arrival. It wasn’t there and was told much later in the day (upon my inquiring) that it had been too last minute for them to prepare the cake - Dinner at La Bergerie took ages to come! Also requests were ignored (eg no ham in the girls pasta, and dressing on the side of my Caesar Salad) - Turndown service in the evening was minimal. They literally shut the curtains and turned on the mood lighting. No trash was emptied, dirty cups/glasses/cutlery were left dirty, water jug left empty, the one blackout curtain in our bedroom clearly didn’t close properly because one of the hooks had come undone (so my husband had to hoist up one of our girls on to his shoulders to put it back!). One of the towels on the floor was picked up and not replaced. - Tried the gym out which was very basically appointed and tiny (there were four of us in there at one point which was pushing it a little) Other than that, clearly a beautiful setting. Grounds aren’t as expansive and beautiful as Coquillade and St Martin but a good view of the town of Bonnieux.

Capelongue is a beautifully landscaped hotel in a fantastic location a 15-minute walk outside Bonnieux, a less touristy town in Provence. Perfect. But...it falls down mightily in the price/service ratio. And this is because management appears to use Capelongue as a training ground for a large number of young, experienced employees. It is not the employees' fault. They are also unfortunately overworked in some respects. The pools: during our stay we experienced two incidents exemplifying this approach. One: at the heated pool one late afternoon, only one young man was assigned to provide/clear towels to around 40 chaise longues, man the water/ice cream cart, bring food/beverage to and from the nearby restaurant, and address any other guest requests. Because of this, my husband and I went to get our own towels, and I went down to the restaurant to get a glass for water (as all the glasses were gone). My quest for a water glass went like this: I asked a waiter setting tables for the restaurant dinner service for a glass. He pointed me toward the pool guy, who was busy carrying food out to the pool. I asked another fellow inside the restaurant for a glass. He said he would look for me, and then proceeded to walk in the opposite direction of where I could clearly see some spare glasses. When I protested, I finally got a glass. BTW, the couple on chaises next to us waited ten minutes for just towels. The other incident: poo in the unheated pool. I saw icky brown stuff on the floor of the kiddy pool. I found a wet, dirty browned diaper in a bin near the toilet. I went to the reception and reported said poo. People had been swimming in the pool before I discovered the poo. For the next two hours the only thing that happned was that a young fellow came to the area and emptied the bin of the dirty, soggy diaper. I pointed the pool poo out to him, and he nodded his head and walked away. I also reported the pool during the second hour I was at the pool, noting that someone could become very sick from e. coli. I finally left the pool. Not sure if the issue was ever addressed. But I did manage to steer a young couple from the pool who came down to it during the second hour I was there. It's a shame, because the casual restaurant is good, and the young staff are working very hard. The staff are clearly told to say in their lane and only do what they are directed to do. In a hotel with these prices, staff should be trained to be responsive to the immediate situation. The room was lovely, and had great storage space. The views are spectacular, and the donkey visit from an equine therapy program is a delight. I wish I could say I would return, but the comparison with a similarly priced property we stayed in was not in Capelongue's favor.

While beautiful, this hotel feels like a sparse summer camp. The rooms do not match the price paid and the hotel does not feel luxury. The bar is unattended and empty. The service at the nicer restaurant was good but some of the clientele were drunk and loud, ruining the tasting menu experience. Good location. Would not stay here again.