Villa Gallici Hôtel & Spa
A round, set-flush hot tub on a private balcony at a 9.4-rated Provençal villa in Aix-en-Provence.
You slip into the water as the Provençal evening cools, the hot tub set flush into pale mosaic tiles, a candle burning against the old stone wall behind you. There's nowhere you need to be. That's the whole point.
Villa Gallici is a proper hotel with a private hot tub in Aix-en-Provence, and the rooms that have one, the Villa Cézanne and the Suite with Hot Tub among them, keep it outside on a private balcony or terrace, framed by clipped hedges and the hotel's garden. The photos show a round tub, set low into the surround, with a steel handrail and fresh roses left at the edge. It's intimate rather than showy, which suits the place.
One honest note: the hot tub sits outdoors, so an early spring or late autumn stay will depend on your tolerance for cool air. In summer, with the cypresses tall around you and a rosé on the table, it's exactly right.