Provence Hotel and Flights

Old Jul 25th, 2017, 06:16 AM
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Provence Hotel and Flights

Hello Fodorities....we are thinking about a trip to Provence next summer and wondering what hotel recommendations you might have. Would like something with a country feel but not to far from a vilage with restaurants if possible because of night driving. I would say our budget is no more than $300 a night. I was also wondering about travel from NY. I know many say that flying into Paris and taking the train is the way to go but I don't want to stress about missing my train if my flight is delayed. Is it any closer if we fly into Nice? We will have a little more than a week and while I wouldn't mind terribly staying in Paris overnight I would really prefer to spend the time we have in the countryside We are thinking of basing in St. Remy as we were scheduled to take this same trip in 2012 but due to a family issue, we had to cancel. It sounded at the time like that might be a good choice. We want to be there for sunflower season and lavendar if possible s I would guess we need to shoot for July or late June...does that sound right?

Thanks so much.
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Old Jul 25th, 2017, 07:40 AM
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>>> I don't want to stress about missing my train if my flight is delayed. Is it any closer if we fly into Nice?


"closer" is a driving proxy for time. For train, look at www.voyages-sncf.com. While Nice is closer in DISTANCE from Provence, if you take a train, it is about 3 hours to Avignon which is the closest major train station to St. Remy. To use this TGV, you need to get to Nice-Ville downtown station. There is a commuter train station, Nice St-Augustin near the airport, but that involves a slow train at some point. The travel time from Nice is similar to one from CDG if you find a no change TGV, otherwise it is over 4 hours from CDG to Avignon.

Nice has an advantage if you rent a car immediately upon landing in Nice. An example is Delta 412 arriving in Nice around 10:30am. This is only advisable for those who can drive safely after a transatlantic flight.

Depending on where in Provence you are heading, St-Remy might be to much to the west.
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Old Jul 25th, 2017, 08:21 AM
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Um, Nice is actually IN Provence, the eastern portion of that huge region.

What the OP needs is a good guidebook in order to begin sorting out options. I like the Michelin Green Guides, and the viamichelin.com web site is also useful (and free).
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Old Jul 25th, 2017, 08:22 AM
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You would probably get better airfare going in and out of Paris, but of course you must check; we fly in/out of Newark Liberty and this is United Hub. Yes, we LOVED St. Remy as it was convenient for all directions in Provence; we took the TGV from Avignon back to Paris and flew out of CDG; Pont du Gard just outside Avignon, definitely worth a visit; Arles just a bit south, Gordes just to the east along w Luberon villages. Check out Soleil Hotel & Spa, just 2 blocks from the old town, we loved that spot. Quiet, secure, private parking and across street from Tourist Office. (We had an extended time in France so drove to St. Remy from Toulouse & Dordogne.) September was post lavender and sunflower season but weather was delightful; friend was in Provence this June and says it was sweltering; we never do Europe in the summer but if you must go then, that's that.
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Old Jul 25th, 2017, 09:49 AM
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Thank you. I really am not liked into the time that I go and could consider September as well. Thank you aliced. and everyone so far who has chimed in. I will check out the hotel as well.
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Old Jul 25th, 2017, 09:50 AM
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meant to say I'm not locked in to time that I go...
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Old Jul 25th, 2017, 11:12 AM
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Consider flying into and out of Marseilles. The airport is small and rental car access quite easy. There are some good Marseilles airport hotels for night prior to departure. All very simple.
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Old Jul 25th, 2017, 11:24 AM
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If you want to see lavender season late June or early July is the season.

We flew into Marseille.

You can see our pics here

https://www.flickr.com/photos/pug_gi...57655199440738
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Old Jul 25th, 2017, 11:36 AM
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Thank you so much about the Marseille suggestions. That might e a great option for us. Great photos jamikins...may I ask where you stayed?
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Old Jul 25th, 2017, 11:52 AM
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We stayed here and loved it...walking distance to town

http://www.lesterrassesduluberon.fr/index-english.htm

Definitely want to go back...
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Old Jul 25th, 2017, 12:58 PM
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Hey, we loved the Riviera which by my standards is: Nice, Eze, Monaco, Cannes, Grasse, St. Tropez, but it is a very different vibe than western Provence, i.e., Avignon, Arles, St. Remy. The Riviera is all about "the scene" while western Provence is most definitely not.
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Old Jul 25th, 2017, 03:57 PM
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Air France/Delta has a non-stop from JFK to Nice. Why wouldn't you take that??

From SFO, we take a non-stop to CDG and then the TGV from CDG to either Avignon, Aix, or Nimes to get to Provence.

To get to Nice, we fly United to Frankfurt then on to Nice.

Stu Dudley
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Old Jul 26th, 2017, 12:52 AM
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Thanks. If based in st remy is it easy to get to if we fly into nice? I understand the train from there is local and long.
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Old Jul 26th, 2017, 12:59 AM
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jamkins your hotel looks lovely but it seems like a bit away from st remy? Is that right?
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Old Jul 26th, 2017, 01:55 AM
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It is in Bonnieux. I think Bonnieux is better located for the lavender fields. But I could be mistaken.

If you fly into Marseille it is about an hours drive I believe.
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Old Jul 26th, 2017, 05:40 AM
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There are many lavender fields around Bonnieux. None around St Remy. Bonnieux has several restaurants. I think the area around Bonnieux (Luberon) is more interesting than the area around St Remy. St Remy has more restaurants & shops than Bonnieux. More English spoken in St Remy. More crowded in St Remy. St Remy is flat. Bonnieux is a hill village - thus not flat.

Both St Remy & Bonnieux are 2 1/2 to 2 3/4 hrs driving from the Nice airport. Easy drive. It's actually a scenic drive once you get out of the Nice sprawl.

If you live in NYC - fly non-stop to Nice and spend as little time as possible in airports & in the air.

Stu Dudley
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Old Jul 26th, 2017, 05:41 AM
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St-Rémy does not have a train station. Either fly to Nice or Marseille and pick up a rental car, or take the TGV to Avignon from CDG. Give yourself around 3 hours between landing and boarding the train to cover any unexpected delays.
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Old Jul 26th, 2017, 08:14 AM
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Great info...thank you all so much. Considering Bonnieux for sure.
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Old Jul 26th, 2017, 08:49 AM
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You can walk to town for dinner from the hotel I posted. Hubby likes his wine with dinner so this meant he didn't need to drive and could drink with dinner.
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Old Jul 26th, 2017, 11:28 AM
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Same with my hubby! Thanks so much.
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