Close your eyes as your car turns onto the narrow road leading to Mirbeau Inn & Spa (assuming you’re not driving, of course) and open them just as you feel the crunch of gravel under your tires as your car pulls into the cobbled driveway. You’re minutes from the highway in Plymouth, Mass., but you’ll swear you’ve just arrived at a French country estate.

And that’s exactly where you are — give or take a few thousand miles.

Designed by Arrowstreet, a Cambridge, Mass., architectural firm, Mirbeau Inn & Spa is the second property to open under the Mirbeau banner. Like the first, located in Skaneateles, N.Y., a scenic village in New York’s Finger Lakes region, the inn boasts a distinctly French ambience, with a main house and a guest wing centered on a Monet-inspired pond and gardens.

I had been anticipating the opening of the new Mirbeau Inn & Spa since I first learned the brand would be expanding into Massachusetts. Built from the ground up in Pinehills, a planned community about 40 miles south of Boston, Mirbeau welcomed its first guests in June 2014.

My sister, Nancy, and I checked in for an overnight in late August. A bellman, still a bit new on the job, came out to greet us and insisted on carrying our light overnight bags to the front desk. It was a welcome touch that immediately set the tone for our 24-hour stay: Relax and let go.

With spa treatments on the calendar the following morning, we set out to explore the property. Our first-floor room opened onto a patio with an expansive view of the pond and gardens. It will likely take a year or two before the landscaping, shrubberies and perennials around guestroom patios fill in — hopefully, just enough to offer privacy without blocking the garden view.

Aqua Terrace © Dan Rapoza

A peek into the spa, located on the lower level of the main building, revealed Aqua Terrace, an enclosed open-air patio with a small bar serving beverages and light bites, lounge chair seating for about a dozen guests and an outdoor hot plunge whirlpool spa with individual massage jets — the only pool on the property — accessible via the spa locker rooms but open to all Mirbeau guests. Good news: By the time snow flies in southern New England, a heating system will be in place so the whirlpool and patio can remain open year-round.

After a quick soak in the whirlpool, Nancy headed for a barre class in the adjacent fitness center. Also located on the lower level of the main building, the fitness center boasts an array of equipment — cardio, weight training, TRX and Pilates — in addition to several smaller classrooms. I joined Nancy for a spinning class after barre, and we both popped in for an early-morning yoga class the following day before our spa treatments.

At 14,000 square feet, Spa Mirbeau is a destination unto itself. The locker rooms are stocked with every amenity imaginable, and the eucalyptus-infused steam rooms are perfect for relaxing pre- or post-treatment. The co-ed lounge is hushed and tranquil, with chaise longues circling a heated foot massage bath. Each of the 14 treatment rooms features its own fireplace.

I opted for the 50-minute Monet’s Favorite Fragrance massage, a balancing aromatherapy treatment featuring a choice of 12 essential oils and a Swedish massage. Nancy selected the Mirbeau Signature treatment, a 50-minute Swedish massage. Other options include Just the Essentials, a 50-minute massage focused on the scalp, hands and feet; and Nature’s Healer, a Swedish-style stone massage.

For even more indulgence, the Mirbeau Ritual Body Treatment begins with exfoliation using an all-natural sugar scrub followed by a full-body massage. Wraps, which can be combined with a massage, include options designed to detoxify, hydrate or firm the body.

Relaxing side by side in the lounge following our treatments, it was clear we had found Nirvana — and a touch of the French countryside — at Mirbeau Inn & Spa. Sadly, it was time to leave, but I’ll be back. I’ve already booked another getaway to Mirbeau, this time with husband, for mid-winter when we can soak alfresco while sipping a cool beverage in the warm whirlpool at Aqua Terrace.

Mirbeau Inn & Spa

35 Landmark Drive
Plymouth, MA 02360
tel 508 209 2626
mirbeau.com/pinehills