Provence, Burgundy & Paris Trip Report
Jul 18th, 2006, 09:40 AM
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Provence, Burgundy & Paris Trip Report
Following is my 1st post for my trip report, covering Provence, Burgundy & Paris, in celebration our 20year anniversary. Although we had gone over a month ago, I have been immersed in my next mission: finding a job. We are in our mid to late 40’s, without children, and concluded as a result of this trip, enjoy towns with a bit of action. I am a native Chicagoan and DH is from a near in suburb. I believe this is why I love the big cities of Paris and Rome. This was a quickly thrown together trip, which is not my typical way of planning.
I recently completed a course of study with the International Sommelier Guild and chose these locations to reinforce a portion my education. Looking back, I think I would have enjoyed the French Rivera more, due to a higher level of activity/choice. Although in career transition from a recent restructuring, we choose to proceed with the trip before finding my next position. This trip was to be about wine, enjoying life by sitting at cafes, and relaxing. This was achieved for the most part, however, the quantity of driving was a bit too much, for both DH and I. I would rather walk than drive.
Itinerary:
5/30 = Chicago direct to CDG
5/31 = CDG via TGV to Avignon for rental car through AutoEurope
5/31 – 6/4 = Luberon area of Provence
Hotel: Mas de Carassins
6/5 = Lyon
Hotel: Hotel la Residence
6/6 –6/8 = Cote de Beaune area of Burgundy/Aloxe Corton
Hotel: Villa Louise
6/9 – 6/11 = Dijon
Hotel = Cocofromdijon Apartment
6/12 – 6/13 = Paris/6th arrondisement
Hotel: Hotel Bonaparte
6/14 = CDG via Boston to Chicago
Provence:
We chose to stay in Gordes, as the hotels I’d chosen in St. Remy were full. If I were to do this again, I would find another hotel option in St. Remy. We prefer towns that are a bit larger; offering more options in restaurants, shops, etc. Gordes, although beautiful, was too small for our liking as a base for 5 nights.
While based in Gordes we took the following day trips:
St. Remy: arrived late morning, in time for early lunch, having stopped on the way to see the bories, outside of Gordes. Seemed quite a bit of the shops were closed, even before 11 am. We left St. Remy and headed for Chateauneuf du Pape, purchased wine and hoped to sit in the main square for a drink, however, the town literally closed up at 5 pm. Hubby & I wondered about that. Chose to stop in Isle sur la Sorgue, as it was on the way back to Gordes and looked for a dinner spot. This town also had its sidewalks pulled in. We could find only 1 place open for dinner, which was a very old building that served as a hotel & restaurant. The name: La Gueulardiere, I have no address on the receipt. Completely French, no English was spoken by the staff.
Although I planned to go to the various towns within the Cotes d’Rhone from our base in Gordes, DH found the driving more than he cared for, so a change in the itinerary was called for. We chose to visit APT, although unplanned, I must say we enjoyed this town quite a bit. We had lunch here and found they were setting up for a festival that was to run the weekend, so we planned to return the next day. Our next stop was Roussillon, which we liked quite a bit. There seemed more “life” here then in Gordes, more shops, restaurants, and sidewalk cafes. After exploring the town, we sat at a café and just soaked in the sun and the wine.
On Saturday, we went back to APT, great market, and stopped in Bonnieux, another unplanned stop. I’m glad we stopped here, this is a cute LITTLE town. I would visit, but not base here. We met another couple while having drinks at the outside café (only one we could find).
On Sunday, we spent most of the day in Isle sur la Sorgue, for their market, which we also thought was very good. We also stopped at Fontaine de Vaucluse. This was a very busy town. It was quite picturesque, with the water dominating the town. Having picked up some wonderful goodies, we planned a picnic as our dinner that evening, utilizing the table outside our room and watched the sun set on Gordes.
On Monday, we set out for our next hotel, La Residence, in Lyon. As we left Gordes, we made a stop at the Abbey Notre Dame de Senaque. The lavender was not yet in bloom, but there were quite a number of poppies. Drove up the Rhone valley route, versus the autoroute, to enjoy passing through the towns. This probably added a significant portion of time onto the trip to Lyon.
We loved Lyon, it’s a small city, with lots to see, and we knew we would have to come back. Before dinner, we puttered around the medieval section of town, and ate at Le Merciere, which was fantastic. They are located at 56 rue Merciere.
I would not stay at La Residence again, primarily because of its location in a pedestrian only zone. Because we had a significant cache of wine and goods by this time in our trip, and did not want to leave it in a public garage, we were able to locate a private garage.
I will continue later with the Burgundy portion of the trip.
I recently completed a course of study with the International Sommelier Guild and chose these locations to reinforce a portion my education. Looking back, I think I would have enjoyed the French Rivera more, due to a higher level of activity/choice. Although in career transition from a recent restructuring, we choose to proceed with the trip before finding my next position. This trip was to be about wine, enjoying life by sitting at cafes, and relaxing. This was achieved for the most part, however, the quantity of driving was a bit too much, for both DH and I. I would rather walk than drive.
Itinerary:
5/30 = Chicago direct to CDG
5/31 = CDG via TGV to Avignon for rental car through AutoEurope
5/31 – 6/4 = Luberon area of Provence
Hotel: Mas de Carassins
6/5 = Lyon
Hotel: Hotel la Residence
6/6 –6/8 = Cote de Beaune area of Burgundy/Aloxe Corton
Hotel: Villa Louise
6/9 – 6/11 = Dijon
Hotel = Cocofromdijon Apartment
6/12 – 6/13 = Paris/6th arrondisement
Hotel: Hotel Bonaparte
6/14 = CDG via Boston to Chicago
Provence:
We chose to stay in Gordes, as the hotels I’d chosen in St. Remy were full. If I were to do this again, I would find another hotel option in St. Remy. We prefer towns that are a bit larger; offering more options in restaurants, shops, etc. Gordes, although beautiful, was too small for our liking as a base for 5 nights.
While based in Gordes we took the following day trips:
St. Remy: arrived late morning, in time for early lunch, having stopped on the way to see the bories, outside of Gordes. Seemed quite a bit of the shops were closed, even before 11 am. We left St. Remy and headed for Chateauneuf du Pape, purchased wine and hoped to sit in the main square for a drink, however, the town literally closed up at 5 pm. Hubby & I wondered about that. Chose to stop in Isle sur la Sorgue, as it was on the way back to Gordes and looked for a dinner spot. This town also had its sidewalks pulled in. We could find only 1 place open for dinner, which was a very old building that served as a hotel & restaurant. The name: La Gueulardiere, I have no address on the receipt. Completely French, no English was spoken by the staff.
Although I planned to go to the various towns within the Cotes d’Rhone from our base in Gordes, DH found the driving more than he cared for, so a change in the itinerary was called for. We chose to visit APT, although unplanned, I must say we enjoyed this town quite a bit. We had lunch here and found they were setting up for a festival that was to run the weekend, so we planned to return the next day. Our next stop was Roussillon, which we liked quite a bit. There seemed more “life” here then in Gordes, more shops, restaurants, and sidewalk cafes. After exploring the town, we sat at a café and just soaked in the sun and the wine.
On Saturday, we went back to APT, great market, and stopped in Bonnieux, another unplanned stop. I’m glad we stopped here, this is a cute LITTLE town. I would visit, but not base here. We met another couple while having drinks at the outside café (only one we could find).
On Sunday, we spent most of the day in Isle sur la Sorgue, for their market, which we also thought was very good. We also stopped at Fontaine de Vaucluse. This was a very busy town. It was quite picturesque, with the water dominating the town. Having picked up some wonderful goodies, we planned a picnic as our dinner that evening, utilizing the table outside our room and watched the sun set on Gordes.
On Monday, we set out for our next hotel, La Residence, in Lyon. As we left Gordes, we made a stop at the Abbey Notre Dame de Senaque. The lavender was not yet in bloom, but there were quite a number of poppies. Drove up the Rhone valley route, versus the autoroute, to enjoy passing through the towns. This probably added a significant portion of time onto the trip to Lyon.
We loved Lyon, it’s a small city, with lots to see, and we knew we would have to come back. Before dinner, we puttered around the medieval section of town, and ate at Le Merciere, which was fantastic. They are located at 56 rue Merciere.
I would not stay at La Residence again, primarily because of its location in a pedestrian only zone. Because we had a significant cache of wine and goods by this time in our trip, and did not want to leave it in a public garage, we were able to locate a private garage.
I will continue later with the Burgundy portion of the trip.
Jul 19th, 2006, 04:39 AM
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Hi delvino
Just read your interesting post and have a couple of questions re Gordes.
You mentioned you based there at "Mas de Carrasins" did you mean "Mas des Romarins?" We are booked at Mas de Romarins in Gordes for late September and would like to hear opinions of this small hotel regarding access to Gordes, rooms, meals etc.
Thanks for your help.
Just read your interesting post and have a couple of questions re Gordes.
You mentioned you based there at "Mas de Carrasins" did you mean "Mas des Romarins?" We are booked at Mas de Romarins in Gordes for late September and would like to hear opinions of this small hotel regarding access to Gordes, rooms, meals etc.
Thanks for your help.
Jul 21st, 2006, 09:32 AM
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Yes, Delvin0, I've been waiting for this next installment, too. I'm particularly interested in the Burgundy/Dijon portion, because I'd like your impressions of Corinne's flat. We may want to use it on our next trip.
Jul 23rd, 2006, 04:45 AM
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Although I've not written the next portion of the trip report (I'm consumed with this job quest), I'll let you know about Gordes & cocofromdijon's flat.
Gordes: Royal, you are absolutely correct, my error. It is the Mas de Romarins (silly me). It's location, relative to the actual town of Gordes is great. It is across a gorge, but within easy walking distance. The grounds have a walkway down to the main road leading into the actual town. But be aware that there could be some major wind.
The rooms were very clean, but too small in my opinion for a 5 night base. Although they do have satellite TV, there are no english speaking channels. We did eat there for dinner on our first night and it was pretty good. Again, I would not personnally base in this town if I were to do it again, as it was sooooo quiet, yet quite beautiful. They have a nice pool, however, we did not utilize it.
Nukesafe, Coco's apartment was fantastic. She is a wonderful hostess of the most considerate caliber. It's location is quiet central, yet provides quiet for the evenings. I would most definately stay there again and highly recommend you book yourself in. I was a bit concerned about the studio idea, as my husband is such a light sleeper and I'm the morning person. However, this wsa not an issue as we both ended up sleeping in most days. Going forward, I will not rule out studio's.
Hope this helps, I'll try to get to the next section within this week.
Gordes: Royal, you are absolutely correct, my error. It is the Mas de Romarins (silly me). It's location, relative to the actual town of Gordes is great. It is across a gorge, but within easy walking distance. The grounds have a walkway down to the main road leading into the actual town. But be aware that there could be some major wind.
The rooms were very clean, but too small in my opinion for a 5 night base. Although they do have satellite TV, there are no english speaking channels. We did eat there for dinner on our first night and it was pretty good. Again, I would not personnally base in this town if I were to do it again, as it was sooooo quiet, yet quite beautiful. They have a nice pool, however, we did not utilize it.
Nukesafe, Coco's apartment was fantastic. She is a wonderful hostess of the most considerate caliber. It's location is quiet central, yet provides quiet for the evenings. I would most definately stay there again and highly recommend you book yourself in. I was a bit concerned about the studio idea, as my husband is such a light sleeper and I'm the morning person. However, this wsa not an issue as we both ended up sleeping in most days. Going forward, I will not rule out studio's.
Hope this helps, I'll try to get to the next section within this week.
Jul 23rd, 2006, 06:21 AM
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Hi delvino.
Thanks for the info on Mas des Romarins. I expected it to be pretty quiet so that's not a surprise.
We have booked a suite with terrace as we are staying a week and felt we needed the extra space.
Also was happy to hear that the food was good as we will probably have dinner there at least once.
We chose this hotel mainly due to its location and services as we don't really like driving around at night and wanted to be able to walk into the town for dinner.
Thanks for your reply - looking forward to your next post.
Thanks for the info on Mas des Romarins. I expected it to be pretty quiet so that's not a surprise.
We have booked a suite with terrace as we are staying a week and felt we needed the extra space.
Also was happy to hear that the food was good as we will probably have dinner there at least once.
We chose this hotel mainly due to its location and services as we don't really like driving around at night and wanted to be able to walk into the town for dinner.
Thanks for your reply - looking forward to your next post.
Jul 23rd, 2006, 12:41 PM
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Hi delvino and thanks for your comments! Do you allow me to put part of them into my website guestbook with your pictures? 
I'd love to see you there!
And did you get a refund from Europcar by giving the car back to the agency one day earlier? (always good to know)
I'm looking forward to reading more about your Burgundian experience!
Good luck with your job quest
and thanks for your comments! Do you allow me to put part of them into my website guestbook with your pictures? I'd love to see you there!And did you get a refund from Europcar by giving the car back to the agency one day earlier? (always good to know)
I'm looking forward to reading more about your Burgundian experience!
Good luck with your job quest
Jul 23rd, 2006, 06:05 PM
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JUst reading this thread after royal asked me about mas des romarins. We will be at Mas des Romarins in Sept. and then we have rented cocos flat in Dijon. So Coco or Delvino can you recommend wine tours or restaurants in the area. Can't wait till Sept.
Jul 23rd, 2006, 06:12 PM
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Delvino : I also see you stayed at Hotel Bonaparte--We are staying at residence Henri iv on rue des bernardin in the latin quarter. Can you recommend good or great retaurants--do we need a reservation ?
Oct 14th, 2006, 04:22 AM
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Eeck gads!!!! I'm guilty of having shirked my responsibility of completing my trip report in a timely manner.
I apologize for this delay.....WAY TOO BUSY. And coco, I did not forget about you, you'll receive it around christmas.
Here is the rest of the report.
On Route to Burgundy
We left Lyon earlier than our usual time, as we were planning on stopping in Perouges, and then had a long drive into the Cote d’ Beaune area of Burgundy.
Perouges is a wonderful town. To me, it was more a living museum, although the inhabitants are attempting to ensure it does not become one. The population is small, near 100, all of who are committed to restoring the town to its earlier glory. While walking through the uneven & cobbled streets, I felt like I’d stepped back into the days of the three musketeers. Apparently, filmmakers for its authentic and preserved look have used this location. If you’re near the area, I’d highly recommend a stop over.
We left Perouges and traveled up through the Rhone Valley, intentionally avoiding the autoroute for a more scenic drive. Stopping in Macon for lunch we found Le Restique at 56 rue St. Antoine. It was a simple, inexpensive yet tasty lunch. We then headed straight to our hotel in Aloxe-Corton, staying at the Villa Louise.
Although we thought our hotel was very nice, I felt just a wee bit isolated from the activity. The location, although isolated, is quite central to both the Cote de Beaune & Cote d’Or, this was great for planning day trips to the various wine regions of both Cote’s.
Our room was of ample size, VERY clean, and next-door was Louise Perrin, quite convenient for their wine tasting tour. The Villa Louise has no restaurant, so you are on your own for all meals. However, we realized, a bit lay into our stay, that they do provide an afternoon respite. Perhaps this is in their literature, but we missed it. I guess we run around a bit too much.
A few notable restaurants while in Burgundy:
La Rotisserie du Chambertin
Le Bonbistrot
Rue du Chambertin
[email protected]
Tel: 03 80 34 33 20
The restaurant within ermitage du Corton
RN 74 – Chorey-Les-Beaune
Tel: 03 80 22 05 28
An absolutely wonderful gourmet dinner
Le Cadran Solaire
14 Place Fleurty
Beaune = The best escargot I’d had
Atmospheric Wine Bar
Le Bistrot Bourguignon
Bar a Vins
8 rue monge (rue pietonne)
Beaune
[email protected]
Their food was also appetizing
Sights we visited/wine tours:
Cassisium in Nuits Saint George
Purchased some outstanding Marc de Cassis = should have purchased more, but we were loaded with wine already. Their Crème de Cassis is also very concentrated, have not found this quality at home.
March Aux Vins within Beaune
Wine quality was not that impressive, but the tour within the wine cellar was worth it. One wine we did enjoy was Fixin’
Domain Trapet Pere et Fils
53 rte de Beaune
Gevery Chambertin
[email protected]
Absolutely our best experience. A tour of their cellar, as well as barrel tastings was the highlights, including their 2005 Grand Crus of Chambertin & Latricieres Chambertin. They do not ship to the US as they are without an importer. I will search out their wines, particularly the 2005’s, when released.
Overall, we purchased wines to carry home (13 bottles), and shipped 2 cases, 1 case of Chassagne Montrachet Premier Cru’s & 1 mixed case from the Cote d’Or region.
Our next stop was Dijon, staying at Cocofromdijon’s studio. What a wonderful place. We would highly recommend a stay here. The town is picturesque, wonderful architecture and some very fine restaurants. Here are a few worth calling out.
Osteria Italiana
32 rue amiral roussin
Tel: 03 80 50 07 36
Havana Café
2b rue Claude Ramey
Le march des halles
Tel: 03 80 50 05 88
Café Gourmand
Taverne Maitre Kanter
18 rue odebert
Tel: 03 80 30 81 83
Les Moulins Bleus
4 rue musette
We wrapped up our trip in Paris and enjoyed most of the touristed but infamous cafes, visited a few new places, such as St. Sulpice, as well as old, rue cler.
This was a great trip, although thrown together rather quickly. Personally, I prefer to take more time in the planning process, so I’m certain of those places I want to see and am able to see within a com
I apologize for this delay.....WAY TOO BUSY. And coco, I did not forget about you, you'll receive it around christmas.
Here is the rest of the report.
On Route to Burgundy
We left Lyon earlier than our usual time, as we were planning on stopping in Perouges, and then had a long drive into the Cote d’ Beaune area of Burgundy.
Perouges is a wonderful town. To me, it was more a living museum, although the inhabitants are attempting to ensure it does not become one. The population is small, near 100, all of who are committed to restoring the town to its earlier glory. While walking through the uneven & cobbled streets, I felt like I’d stepped back into the days of the three musketeers. Apparently, filmmakers for its authentic and preserved look have used this location. If you’re near the area, I’d highly recommend a stop over.
We left Perouges and traveled up through the Rhone Valley, intentionally avoiding the autoroute for a more scenic drive. Stopping in Macon for lunch we found Le Restique at 56 rue St. Antoine. It was a simple, inexpensive yet tasty lunch. We then headed straight to our hotel in Aloxe-Corton, staying at the Villa Louise.
Although we thought our hotel was very nice, I felt just a wee bit isolated from the activity. The location, although isolated, is quite central to both the Cote de Beaune & Cote d’Or, this was great for planning day trips to the various wine regions of both Cote’s.
Our room was of ample size, VERY clean, and next-door was Louise Perrin, quite convenient for their wine tasting tour. The Villa Louise has no restaurant, so you are on your own for all meals. However, we realized, a bit lay into our stay, that they do provide an afternoon respite. Perhaps this is in their literature, but we missed it. I guess we run around a bit too much.
A few notable restaurants while in Burgundy:
La Rotisserie du Chambertin
Le Bonbistrot
Rue du Chambertin
[email protected]
Tel: 03 80 34 33 20
The restaurant within ermitage du Corton
RN 74 – Chorey-Les-Beaune
Tel: 03 80 22 05 28
An absolutely wonderful gourmet dinner
Le Cadran Solaire
14 Place Fleurty
Beaune = The best escargot I’d had
Atmospheric Wine Bar
Le Bistrot Bourguignon
Bar a Vins
8 rue monge (rue pietonne)
Beaune
[email protected]
Their food was also appetizing
Sights we visited/wine tours:
Cassisium in Nuits Saint George
Purchased some outstanding Marc de Cassis = should have purchased more, but we were loaded with wine already. Their Crème de Cassis is also very concentrated, have not found this quality at home.
March Aux Vins within Beaune
Wine quality was not that impressive, but the tour within the wine cellar was worth it. One wine we did enjoy was Fixin’
Domain Trapet Pere et Fils
53 rte de Beaune
Gevery Chambertin
[email protected]
Absolutely our best experience. A tour of their cellar, as well as barrel tastings was the highlights, including their 2005 Grand Crus of Chambertin & Latricieres Chambertin. They do not ship to the US as they are without an importer. I will search out their wines, particularly the 2005’s, when released.
Overall, we purchased wines to carry home (13 bottles), and shipped 2 cases, 1 case of Chassagne Montrachet Premier Cru’s & 1 mixed case from the Cote d’Or region.
Our next stop was Dijon, staying at Cocofromdijon’s studio. What a wonderful place. We would highly recommend a stay here. The town is picturesque, wonderful architecture and some very fine restaurants. Here are a few worth calling out.
Osteria Italiana
32 rue amiral roussin
Tel: 03 80 50 07 36
Havana Café
2b rue Claude Ramey
Le march des halles
Tel: 03 80 50 05 88
Café Gourmand
Taverne Maitre Kanter
18 rue odebert
Tel: 03 80 30 81 83
Les Moulins Bleus
4 rue musette
We wrapped up our trip in Paris and enjoyed most of the touristed but infamous cafes, visited a few new places, such as St. Sulpice, as well as old, rue cler.
This was a great trip, although thrown together rather quickly. Personally, I prefer to take more time in the planning process, so I’m certain of those places I want to see and am able to see within a com
Oct 14th, 2006, 04:58 AM
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Hi Diane! Nice to read you at last, I was sure you were very busy but wouldn't forget Fodors.
I'm impressed by all the restaurants you tried, and not only in Dijon! Just want to add that "le Café Gourmand" is on place de la Libération.
How many degrees has your crème de cassis? And what brand do they sell there?
Did you get a refund from Europcar?
I'm impressed by all the restaurants you tried, and not only in Dijon! Just want to add that "le Café Gourmand" is on place de la Libération.
How many degrees has your crème de cassis? And what brand do they sell there?
Did you get a refund from Europcar?
Oct 14th, 2006, 05:34 AM
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Hi Coco,
Thanks for filling in the location of that restaurant (I usually use the receipts to identify this, but it was not on the receipt I had).
We did get a credit back from autoeurope for the early return. Yippee!
The brand of product purchased from the Cassisium was Vedrenne. The Supercassis was 20% alcohol (is that what you mean by degrees) and the Marcassis was also 20%.
Unfortunately, having written the balance of the report I start to forget the sequence of some events. I'm looking int purchasing a mini laptop so I can keep up to date notes real time. I always appreciate the detailed reports I've read.
Thanks for filling in the location of that restaurant (I usually use the receipts to identify this, but it was not on the receipt I had).
We did get a credit back from autoeurope for the early return. Yippee!
The brand of product purchased from the Cassisium was Vedrenne. The Supercassis was 20% alcohol (is that what you mean by degrees) and the Marcassis was also 20%.
Unfortunately, having written the balance of the report I start to forget the sequence of some events. I'm looking int purchasing a mini laptop so I can keep up to date notes real time. I always appreciate the detailed reports I've read.
Oct 14th, 2006, 06:24 AM
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You're going to make really good Kir with your crème de cassis, 20° is the best one (you can find 15° or 16° at supermarkets but they're like syrup with water)
Replace Aligoté white wine with Champagne to make a Kir royal. (I'm sure you know that already)
Don't drink and drive! ;-)
Replace Aligoté white wine with Champagne to make a Kir royal. (I'm sure you know that already)
Don't drink and drive! ;-)
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