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In Desperation:Provence & Riviera Itinerary

In Desperation:Provence & Riviera Itinerary

Old Apr 15th, 2007, 01:05 PM
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jazzy1
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In Desperation:Provence & Riviera Itinerary

In Desperationrovence and Riviera Itinerary Help

Hi everyone, I had posted earlier but have been gone due to a family emergency. I'm in a bit of a panick. We are celebrating our 30th anniversary and are planning to go to Provence and the Rivieria for 2 wks in September. I'm overwhelmed with choices and haven't booked a thing!!! I have Stu's trip report and have done some research but....I'm so confused. I would love to get your thoughts on the following.

We are thinking of flying into Paris and spending a few days there (we've been years ago). Taking the train to ???somewhere in Provence. Renting a car and staying in one or two central areas in Provence for 5-6 days? Drop car off and take the train to the Rivieria for 4-5 days. Fly out of Nice or ?? back to Northern California.

We are interested in taking in the local sights and hanging out. Great food, shopping, general sightseeing. We aren't big hikers or history buffs but want to enjoy the landscape, people, food, wine, art. We are going to splurge a bit since it's our anniversary (max would be $350 U.S. per night).

In Provence, these are the towns we are thinking of visiting (Aix, Avignon, Arles, St. Remy, Gordes, Loumarin?. Any suggestions or recommendations of other towns, etc. Should we stay in one place or two? If we stay in St. Remy and another town will it be noisey. We would prefer to be in town but maybe staying just outside town would be nice as well. Any recommendations on where to stay and an itinerary for each day (towns to visit). We are wide open right now. I'm worried about advance planning though

In the Rivieria, we were thinking of staying in Antibes, St. Jean cap Ferrat, Villefranche Sur Mer?? Haven't done much reseach. Any pros or cons of these areas. Will we need a car in the Riviera? If you 4-5 days there, how would you spend it and where?

I'm a fan of this site and hope to return from our trip to post our experiences. I would be very grateful for any advice.

Thanks in advance!
 
Old Apr 15th, 2007, 02:11 PM
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First: the trip is 5 months away. You are NOT late in making your plans. My average for bookings (for our twice-yearly trips eg March 2007, October, 2006) is 2-3 weeks ahead.

September is not low season but it is not rush hour either. Yuo will have NO problem getting accommodation that suits you.

If you are taking the train from Paris, presumably that means TGV. Look at the TGV stops then look for easy drives from that station: Valence (I love the Drome Provencale) or Avignon are good bets.

Unless drop-off charges are prohibitive, you might plan to keep the car until you get to the Cote d'Azur...

If it works for your schedule, you might think of renting a cottage or apartment in Provence for 7 nights. Even if you did not use the cottage on the last night, you would be WELL inside your proposed budget.

Here is one I was looking at yesterday:

www.cottagesfaverot.com (easily accessible using TGV to Avignon)

.....and here is a 2003 slowtrav review:

This lovely property is located in the Provencal country near Maubec, a small village in the Vaucluse area of Provence at the foothills of the Luberon. The surrounding vineyard is beautiful and very quiet, peaceful, and relaxing.

Nearby Amenities
You could walk to nearby Maubec that has a small grocery and restaurant; however, we always drove. Other beautiful villages are very close to drive to including Menerbes, Gordes, Rousillon, Robion, Coustellet, Cavaillon, Isle sur la Sorgue.

The House/Apartment
The building is a wonderful French stone farmhouse. I'm not sure of its age. It is in excellent shape and has been beautifully restored. There are four two-story (by U.S. standards) apartments in the building. We never heard our neighbors, probably due to the thick stone walls. The front door and all windows have big wood shutters that you can close (or not) giving it the look and feel of a cozy, romantic, country cottage. I'm sure they are needed when the Mistral blows through. There is also a fireplace; however, it didn't get quite cold enough for us to use it.

Garden
Each cottage has its own large terrace on the first floor with table, chairs and shade umbrella. I'm sure it's delightful in summer for meals, but in October we didn't get to use it.

There is a fantastic swimming pool with lots of space to lounge. Although the weather was pleasant during our stay it wasn't warm enough for a swim.

Furnishings/Cleanliness/Living Areas
The furniture is in excellent condition and comfortable. The cottage is perfect for two people and there is plenty of seating, including a comfortable loveseat. There is also satellite TV with access to many French channels.

Bedrooms/Bathrooms
The bed was very comfortable and covered with beautiful French linens. There is also a large dresser and closet. The window looks out on the beautiful vineyard and is covered with romantic, gauzy, flowing curtains.

The bathroom has been restored to perfection. There is a large soaking tub with one of those flexible water faucets as well as a pretty good sized tiled shower. The sink sits above the counter giving the bathroom a very luxurious look. The lighting is nice and bright and the towels large and soft. It was also nice and convenient to have a little powder room downstairs.

Kitchen
The kitchen was fully equipped and very usable. There were more than enough dishes, sliverware, and serving utensils of excellent quality. Although you could easily cook a full meal, I never did - it was vacation! The kitchen also has a microwave, toaster, and electric teapot. The fridge came with butter, jam and honey for your morning baquette.

Problems or Bonuses
The best surprise was having beautiful fruit, bread and Domaine Faverot wine waiting for us when we arrived. We were tired from our long trip and that was just perfect for our dinner. It was also a treat having our own, private wine tasting with Francois Faverot who generously answered all our questions about wine making, the vineyard, its restoration and how he got into the wine business. We were also thrilled that both Francois and Sally spoke English. They are both from London, although Francois is half French.

Agency and Representatives (and price)
The owners, Sally and Francois Faverot are wonderful people and available to help you with anything. Sally answered my numerous emails before we arrived and Francois generously provided us with packing material for wine we had accumulated along the way.

Although I think the website is well done and one of the reasons I chose this property, Domaine Faverot is much more wonderful than the pictures on the website.

Do you recommend this vacation rental to others?
We would most definitely stay here again and would easily recommend it to anyone staying in the area. We found October a perfect time to be there - great weather and not a lot of tourists. I hear that Spring is lovely too.

Things to do in this area
There is so much to do here. As I mentioned above many of the perche villages are just minutes away. Coustellet is a wonderful small village with a beautiful Sunday market and cute shops and only 5-10 minutes away. Afterwards, its a short drive to Isle sur la Sorgue for that HUGE market. Cavaillon is also very close (maybe 15 minutes) and is a large town with lots of restaurants, cafes, shops, and groceries.

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Old Apr 15th, 2007, 04:18 PM
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The last few years we have spent time on the Riviera and in Provence. We flew into Nice and picked up a car one year. Spent a few days in Mougins and then drove to St Remy for a few days. We returned the car to Nice. The following year we flew into Marseille, rented a car, drove to Rocquebrune-Cap Martin where we spent two nights, drove up through the Gorge du Verdon, spent a night in Moustiers, drove to St Remy spent a few nights and returned the car to Marseille. Finally this year we got smart. We flew into Nice, picked up the car, spent four nights in Villefranche-sur-Mer, drove to St Remy, spent four nights and returned the car to Marseille.
Hotels on the Riviera I can recommend are in Mougins the Hotel Les Muscadins, Les Deux Freres in Rocqubrune-Cap-Martin (get the Bride's Room for a fabulous view down the coast to Monaco and beyond) and Hotel Welcome in Villefranche-sur-Mer where we had room 42 which had two balconies. In St Remy we have stayed at the Mas des Carassins for the last few years and love it.
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Old Apr 15th, 2007, 04:19 PM
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Hello Ted:

Thank you so much for the response. The property looks lovely. I will do a bit more research on it. This is our first time to Provence. Would you recommend staying there for 3 days and then moving closer to say St. Remy? We are interested in seeing St. Remy, Aix and Arles as well. I think you may have mentioned a week stay minimum so it may be one or the other. You will have to let me know what else you uncover. I'm just beginning so I hopefully, this post will stay alive.

Merci, au revoir!
 
Old Apr 15th, 2007, 04:25 PM
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Find a StuDudley link.

He is the master of this area, and has a 26 page briefing on the area.

He knows what he's talking about and has sent out, according to him, over 3,000 copies of his thoughts about this area.
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Old Apr 15th, 2007, 04:31 PM
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For a few of my Anniversaries, my gift was for a night or two at the Colombe D'Or in St Paul-de-Vence. Great location and a FABULOUS ART MUSEUM THE MAEGHT fOUNDATION. I wish I could afford a week there,
www.la-colombe-dor.com

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Old Apr 15th, 2007, 06:35 PM
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Hi AGM & Cigalechante:

The Colombe D'Or looks wonderful. I will have to research St. Paul-de-Vence now!

Also, I have read some positive and negative comments about St. Remy, i.e., touristy, not much of a town square, tacky or junky. Were these just negative people? What has your experience been in St. Remy. I've been reading about Gordes and the Luberon Valley. It's hard to know where to go/stay to get a good mix of things to do (some action going on) but also a sense of tranquility. Do you have any feelings about Avignon? Is it too much of a big city or would it be a good central place to stay?

Hotel Welcome here we come, it looks beautiful. I'm going to try and map out an itinerary over the next few days so I can get some feedback.

Merci Merci!!
 
Old Apr 16th, 2007, 07:14 AM
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I'm fond of St Remy, it's not small like St Paul-it's a good base to see Arles, Pont-de-Gard and the Camargue, Les Baux, Gordes,Lourmarin and move on near Aix to visit the other places and Cote D'Azur. No matter what I say, you'll find your own favorites, read up on the places you think you'll like and make this trip your own.

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Old Apr 16th, 2007, 07:53 AM
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I would suggest taking the TGV to Avignon and picking up your car there. I would also recommend simply driving to the Côte d'Azur - it's faster than the train and an easy drive at that time of year.

I'd suggest starting your trip in the area around Avignon (St. Rémy, Arles, the villages of the Lubéron like Roussillon, etc.), then on to Aix and from there to the Côte.

Here's a sample of some day trips if you're based in St. Rémy. BTW, I live ten minutes from St. Rémy and don't find it 'tacky'... anything in this area is going to have some 'touristy' quality to it since the area has become some popular with tourists !

Day One:
Drive to the Pont du Gard in the morning. This is about a 45 minute drive from St Rémy. Afterwards, drive another 15 minutes to Uzès. This is a charming town with a wonderful pedestrian center and many interesting shops, especially for pottery.
There is also a beautiful medieval garden which is open for visits.
Market day is Saturday - all day.
Restaurant recommendation for lunch:

Les Fontaines
Charming small restaurant in the center of town. Tiny indoor patio area among the ruined walls. Good eclectic mix of food... sometimes a Moroccan tahjine, sometimes provençal.
6, rue Entre les Tours Tel: 04 66 22 41 20

After lunch return to St Rémy via Tarascon - you might wish to visit the castle on the Rhône.
If you haven't dallied too long, the end of the day is the perfect time to visit Les Baux, just on the south side of the Alpilles from St.Rémy. The tour buses have left and it's a delightful time to wander the coblestone streets and visit.

Day Two:

Make a circuit of the Lubéron villages. From St. Rémy drive to Gordes (about 45 minutes), and then visit the Abbaye de Senanque. If you're planning to be here the end of June or July, the Abbaye will be surrounded by blooming lavender fields.
I don't really recommend spending long in Gordes - for one you have to pay to park and the village is much more spectacular viewed from afar.

From Gordes or l'Abbaye, drive to Roussillon (about 20 minutes). Roussillon is built on red and yellow ochre cliffs and is home to many artists and galleries. It's a beautiful small village and the climb to the top is very interesting. There's a great pottery shop at the top that also sells packaged ochres, if you are an artist or have the urge to begin painting.

Near the clock tower there's a charming small outdoor restaurant called La Treille, which has good food at a reasonable price.

From Roussillon drive to Bonnieux through the vineyards. This is another perched village and the climb to the top is steep. If you've had enough climbing, I suggest going on Lacoste, home of the Marquis de Sade's château. It was purchased a couple of years ago by Pierre Cardin, but I think parts of it are still open to the public.

From Lacoste you can drive to Menerbes (you can park at the top of the village) where there are some charming shops and views. Or you can continue along to Oppede le Vieux, one of my favorites Not completely "redone" it's a small village with a ruined church and château (now closed) that is charming.

This is a full day.



Day Three:
If you're interested in the Camargue (the natural wildlife preserve - famous for the wild Camarguais horses, bulls and rice fields) I highly suggest a visit to Aigues Mortes.
South of Arles, it's a little over an hour's drive from St Remy.

A walled city, departure point for the crusades, it's one of my favorite places in the area. It hasn't really caught on with foreign tourists yet, although do I see more and more every year.

Famous for salt, you can see the mountains of it from the ramparts.

Returning from Aigues Mortes, you might want to visit Arles. The Roman coliseum and theater in town are well preserved and used today. There is also a Roman necropolis just on the edge of town and within walking distance from the center.
It's also a place that Van Gogh painted extensively, and the Tourist Office has a booklet (in English ) that gives various walking tours that are very interesting.

It's about a 30 minute drive back to St Rémy from Arles.

Day Four: If it's a Sunday, driving to l'Isle sur la Sorgue which has a fabulous market and antiques market that day. The village is spread out along the banks of the Sorgue river and there are big water wheels dotted along the town. Little shops and winding streets make it a more relaxing day.

And, of course, visit St. Rémy, home of Nostradamus. The St Paul de Mausole just outside of town, is the institution where Van Gogh spent time and painted a lot. There is a walk that has panels showing the paintings he did while there - and some of the views are basically unchanged today. Just next door is Glanum - the ruins of a Roman town built on the ruins of a Phoenician village. It's quite fascinating to visit.
Market day in St Rémy is Wednesday and the town is very busy that day.

Day Five:

If you're interested in seeing some of the coast, I highly recommend a drive of about an hour and half to Cassis. You could actually do this after visiting Aix on your way to the Côte d'Azur. A small fishing village right on the Med, it's got a great beach and you can take a boat ride to visit the "calanques"... inlets with small beaches at the foot of the cliffs not accessible by car.

Recommendation for lunch - overlooking the water:

Le Grand Large

Just off the port, with a large terrace overlooking the beach and the sea. Excellent seafood during the season. In summer bouillabaisse is often on the menu (without having to request it in advance) Off season, call the evening before if you would like this specialty. The fried calamari is excellent, as is the fresh fish.
Tel: 04 42 01 81 00

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Old Apr 16th, 2007, 08:51 AM
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Hi jazzy1,

Another hotel to consider along the Riviera is the Royal Riviera in St. Jean Cap Ferrat. It is between Villefranche and Beaulieu. It is a beautiful hotel, wonderful service, fabulous location. You can easily walk to all three towns. Hotel Welome in Villefranche is right at the harbour and while the location is great in Villefranche, for the price, the Royal Riviera is much, much better. Take a look at their web site, if you choose. I believe it is Royal-Riviera.com. Good luck and enjoy!
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Old Apr 16th, 2007, 08:56 AM
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Hi Jazzy1. Sounds like you're headed for beautiful destinations regardless of which specific towns you settle on. We stayed right outside the terribly charming St. Paul de Vence, mentioned by Cigalechanta, 3 years ago at Le Hamaeux (sp?), which was lovely! We did not stay at Colombe d'Or, but had lunch on the terrace there, which was a great experience (made reservations a month in advance.) We also stayed in Cassis on the water toward Marseilles and enjoyed that as well...that is a much busier port village though, stunning setting. Good luck!
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Old Apr 16th, 2007, 05:20 PM
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I hesitate to post a contrary opinion about St Remy... but I just do NOT see the appeal of that town.

All around it are interesting sites, including Glanum/ Les Antiques; the Alpilles; Eygalieres; etc., etc.

The approach fom the east, despite heavy, HEAVY truck traffic, is still charming.

But the place is nothing special, IMO. I have tried to love it, because others said I should. But it is noisy, oppressed by traffic and certainly no more special than 100 nearby towns.

Anyway, if the poster is looking for a central base from which one can travel around to the 4 points of the compass without ever getting bored, the Malbec/ Coustellet location is it.
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Old Apr 16th, 2007, 06:07 PM
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You guys are fabulous! What a great community. I appreciate everyone's input and experiences. You've opened my eyes to some places I hadn't thought of and enlightened me about some I had. I've got some homework to do now so I may disappear for a few days but I will be baaacckkkk!!

My sincere appreciation to each of you. I'm looking forward to talking with you more. I'm very excited.

Merci
 
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