zaksgrandma

We would like to stay in one place for 6 nights and tour the surrounding Provencal cities as day trips. We have found affordable and available hotels in Les Baux (Le Mas d'Aigret) and St. Remy (Le Castelet des Alpilles -- not the Chateau Alpilles). Any feedback which will help us decide between these two towns would be appreciated. We will have a rental car. I think St. Remy is bigger, but is it very big?

What do the veterans out there think of my one place/day trip plan?
THanks

PalenQ

St-Remy is bigger and that is a plus to me as there ain't much at all in Les Baux - the modern Les Baux whilst St-Remy is a lovely regional town - not huge but not tiny.

Van Gogh liked it I guess.

tomboy

To me, Les Baux seemed stark and barren. Lots of white/yellow adobe walls, precious little vegetation. St. Remy seems maybe 4X as big (if I had to guess, maybe 6,000 people), more trees, fewer tourist shops, more interesting shops (perfume store, faeance store, etc).

adrienne

Definitely St-Remy for all the reasons stated above. Les Baux is good for a couple of hours and the landscape is bleak. You will be much happier in St-Remy.

StCirq

Definitely St-Rémy.Les Baux is a very small, very interesting attraction, but it's not a town. The only shops are for tourists - nothing practical like groceries.

zaksgrandma

DOes anyone know the hotel I mentioned in St Remy: Le Castelet des Alpilles?

Livinright

Hi,

I have actually stayed in both St-Remy and Les Baux. We stayed a few nights in each town. I enjoyed both.

I believe I actually stayed at Le Mas d'Aigret and enjoyed it very much. Yes, The landscape of Les Baux is stark, but it has its own beauty and is not dissimilar from the surrounding area. I loved it and loved feeling a part of it.The hotel itself is very pleasant and comfortable and the family that runs it makes you feel right at home.I too had a car and used Les Baux as a starting point for the many day trips I wanted to take in the area. Worked out nicely for us.

St-Remy was wonderful. I stayed at a hotel that was part of the "ring", which was strongly recommended when I was planning my trip. Sadly, I do not remember the hotel name. During our stay in St-Remy we did a lot of wandering of the windy streets, enjoyed the market (on Wednesday, I believe. It was my favorite market), and simply relished a slow pace while I tried to pretend I lived there! I looked up your hotel and it looks quite nice and seems to be an easy walk to the "ring"!

Six nights is a nice amount of time to enjoy this area. One of the things I liked about the hotel in Les Baux was the easy parking, but your hotel choice in St-Remy seems to have parking(?). I think I would choose St-Remy.

You will love this area. I'm sure you will have a wonderful time. Let us know what you do!

zaksgrandma

thank you so much for the helpful reply,Livinright

adrienne

<< thank you so much for the helpful reply,Livinright >>

So I guess the rest of us are chopped liver and should not have spent any time responding.

colduphere

You're not living right Adrienne.

cigalechanta

I've stayed at the Aigret, very nice.
and easy to ger around to other places but we've also stayed in St Remy at L'Hotel. Very different and lots to see or shop.
Since we live in the city, we liked the tranquility of the Aigret.

PalenQ

.Les Baux but it's not a town>

Well there is a modern town called Les Baux that many people may miss - just visiting the Old Medieval City - a largely ruined Les Baux that regally caps a high rocky plateau. Some folks may only go to the old town - a national historical monument and never see the real Les Baux which though tourist-oriented meets every definition of being a real town - it for years has had a *** Michelin restaurant (may be down to 2?) and a gaggle of other restaurants, hotels and B&Bs.

ira

Hi Z,

I haven;t stayed at your hotel in St Remy, but we did stay at Le Cadran solaire (http://www.hotel-en-provence.com/uk/index.php ) in Graveson, from which we visited St. Remy several times.

There was a carnival in town when we stayed there, the last week in Sept.

St Remy is just the right size. Lots of restos and shops, easy to walk in and around. Parking is tight.

We found Les Baux interesting to visit, but we wouldn't stay there.

Enjoy your visit.

zaksgrandma

Adrienne, I am sorry if I insulted you -- it was unintended. I was responding to the specific information re one of our hotel choices which livinright spoke of. By the way, when I ate meat, I loved chopped liver!

kerouac

Saint Rémy is a real town. Les Baux is an isolated village.
But frankly, I would stay in Avignon or Nimes, which are pretty much equidistant from either.

chutney

Of the two towns, I would stay in St Remy. We stayed there for a few nights on a bike trip and it was easily accessible to other towns you'll want to visit. Also, there are lots of restaurants. We had several excellent meals in St. Remy. The most memorable was aioli with fish and vegetables. it was on the main drag in a family owned place.
We also enjoyed wandering around the narrow streets and checking out the various shops. I bought a beautiful tablecloth in a shop there. Wednesday is the market day and it was my favorite market after two separate trips to Provence. I also bought a wonderful tablecloth at the market

We didn't stay at the hotel you mentioned, so can't comment on that.

Underhill

If you're planning to do sightseeing in the region, staying down in or near St-Rémy will save you time.