janie

Ok, I have 5 days in Provence with my hubby. we've never been to France (we're going after 6 nights in paris).....I really need some suggestions on where to stay:<BR><BR>a) I was thinking of 3 nights in Arles, then 2 in Aix en Provence (then flying out of Marseilles)<BR><BR>b) But what do you all think of this? Do they sound like good bases to get around town? We'll be renting a car.....<BR><BR>Any ideas? Any good Hotel Suggestions? SHould we stay in St. Remy or somewhere else? Id like to get an authentic experience (ie not VERY touristy) if possible, Im open to suggestions????<BR><BR>

Ronda

Arles is pretty small and we found 2 nights were more than adequate. We happened to arrive on a market day, probably Saturday, and had a wonderful time walking around checking out the food, vegetables, fruit and fabrics. We did not have a car.<BR><BR>We stayed at Hotel Calendal. The room was small but smartly decorated with French fabrics, lovely setting, good bathrooms. www.lecalendal.com There are nicer hotels.

Jody j

My guide book suggests the Nord Pinus on the forumn.

Christina

I think your itinerary sounds pretty good. As long as you are changing hotels, you might as well do it for ones somewhat far apart in different areas. St-Remy is smaller than Arles so might be easier to get out of for day trips, I suppose, but that probably depends where you are staying. I'm not one of these folks on here that is batty about St-Remy, so I don't have much preference between those two, myself. There have been quite a lot of threads on here in the last 6 months or so about hotels in Aix, surprisingly. I personally like Mas d'Entremont for a 4-star with car (it's just outside the city so you need a car) or Hotel Cardinal for a charming 2-star in town center without car.

jw

Pardon my interruption, but maybe Janie might be interested in this, too. Does anyone know a source for ordering Provencal lavender soap?

RR

Provencal lavender soap? Go to www.loccitane.com. They also have lists of stores across Europe and US.

Robin

I have a not-so-romantic solution for the soap question: I discovered that Cost Plus carries Marius Fabre, made in Salon-de-Provence! (I was actually horrified to learn this, having just carried home umpteen bars and gift sets!) Buying at L'Occitane has much more atmosphere, but you can't beat the price at Cost Plus!

Andy

I ,too, purchased the French Lavender Soap in Provence and lugged it all around with me as gifts for everyone---Much to my suprise,I came home and saw it at TJMAXX for less and NO LUGGING AROUND!

jw

Thanks all. Janie, here's a site you might enjoy exploring before your trip. I thought I'd better contribute something after derailing your thread. <BR>http://www.provenceweb.fr/e/alaupro/simiane/simiane.htm<BR>J.

Sue

Also www.beyond.fr<BR>and www.luberon.news.com<BR><BR>I think I would find one place as a base, since everything is so close there.<BR><BR>Have a fabulous trip!

jw

yes, I agree with Sue; see if you can find a place for all five nights. You're likely to get your best price that way, and it is wonderful coming back to a homebase each night.