Trip Report: Provence, Days 1 & 2
Oct 15th, 2004, 02:34 PM
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Trip Report: Provence, Days 1 & 2
Our drive down from Burgundy to Provence was uneventful, although a heavy wind began blowing as we entered the Rhône Valley?the summer version of the dreaded winter mistral. The car seemed to enjoy the challenge and kept its beep quiet most of the way.
We had booked rooms in Villeneuve-lès-Avignon (the "lès" means "across from"
and not bothered to prepare detailed maps as we'd stayed there before. Bad mistake! We missed the autoroute exit for the town and ended up driving south to Cavaillon before we could turn off the road and figure out how to get back. Up the route nationale we went, slowly because of the traffic, and finally found the ring road that circles Avignon itself. Ultimately we discovered that the bridge (another bridge!) to Villeneuve was posted as leading to Arles and Nimes?nothing about Villeneuve on it?and across we went.
After about half an hour of driving hopefully around the Villeneuve area we spotted a little brown-and-white sign (used for identifying hotel directions) with La Magnanaraie on it. We followed the sign and later ones to the top of a hill, turned onto a small street, and arrived at the hotel.
La Magnanaraie, a 4-star hotel, inhabits a 15th-century house and is built on a number of levels, with a large garden at the back. We were shown to a room on the second (U.S. third) floor with a fine view out over the Fort St-André, but I knew that navigating those stairs several times a day would be, literally, a pain. So I asked the nice woman at Reception?who spoke excellent English?whether there might be a ground-floor room available. She affably checked and said that indeed there was, and the sweet French girl (young!) escorted us down the hallway to a door at the end of the hall, which opened into a small lobby.
Up two steps was a very large room, really a junior suite, opening onto the garden by way of French doors and decorated in my favorite blue and white. There was a sitting area with sofa and chairs, and the bathroom was a delight: all done in dark wood, with double sinks, a deep tub AND separate shower, plenty of storage space, huge fluffy towels?and a separate room for the toilet, with a window and a sink. Lovely terrycloth bathrobes hung in the spacious closet, and there was a good-sized bookcase with magazines and books in several languages. My kind of place!
We loved the room but worried about its cost. We returned to the front desk to inquire and were told that the charge would be the same as for our original room: 215€. When we picked ourselves up from the floor we said that we would be very happy to have the second room. Our friend was assigned a room on the first floor, smaller than ours but beautifully decorated in soft green and white, with a nice view and a spacious bathroom.
By then it was around four o'clock. It had been a long, tiring day so we decided not to return to Avignon until the following morning. Instead we settled into our rooms for a nap before dinner, after walking around the hotel's grounds and admiring the swimming pool.
We decided to eat at the hotel, having perused the interesting menu and looked into the very pretty dining room, done in shades of cream. Service was stylish, only two people were smoking, and the food was delicious?I forgot to note our menus, but I do remember my succulent beignets of langoustines. My husband and our friend nearly swooned over their desserts.
It was a good end to a frustrating day.
The next morning we left Villeneuve by 8:00 a.m. and were at the Palais des Papes underground parking garage by 8:30. We walked quickly down through the Place de l'Horloge to a bakery/café we knew and had an excellent breakfast of croissants and Viennoiseries, then headed back to the Palais des Papes. Bob and our friend climbed up to the nearby park for the view over the Rhône, while I sat at a sidewalk café with coffee and watched the world go by.
Quite a number of well dressed people were making their way toward the Palais des Papes, some carrying banners, and I learned from the waiter that there was to be a special of Avignon's history that afternoon and evening, culminating in a son et lumière at the Palais.
We returned our car, drove back to the hotel, and packed up for the journey across Provence to the area around Grasse. For once we did not get lost, and we had a pleasant putdoors lunch in the picnic area adjacent to a small autroute café that made frites to order. The area was designed as a specimen Mediterranean forest and included a combination playground/exercise area, complete with a structure on which to practice rock-climbing. France apparently does not worry about lawsuits from injured users!
We continued on the autoroute for Nice, turning off at the exit for Grasse, and grew excited as we neared our friends' mas (a Napoléonic-era farmhouse) on the plain below. We had a joyful reunion, having not seen them since May 2003, and spent the afternoon catching up on news and showing our TC the mas and the charming "petite maison" that was to be her home for two days. (The little house is sometimes rented as a studio gite?contact me for details.)
Later Bob and I climbed back in the car and drove toward Valbonne to find our hotel for the next two nights. We got lost again?the hotel was not on the Route de Valbonne but on a different side road?but managed finally to locate the Bastide de Valbonne, new a year or so ago, by sheer luck. The façade of the Bastide presented a typically Provençal appearance: light stucco walls, tiled roof, wooden shutters on the windows. The lobby held several sofas placed in front of the massive fireplace; on one side at the front was another sitting area, surrounded by windows; on the other side, toward the pool area, was a pretty breakfast room. The parking lot in front of the hotel held a round bed with a fine display of cooking herbs, as well as lavender plants still in bloom.
We had a ground-floor room that opened out onto a private patio by the pool, perfect for relaxation. Behind the pool was a terraced hill, bursting with fruit trees and planted with fragrant herbs and flowering plants. Our room was decorated in white and orange, with a wrought-iron bedstead and chairs. The bathroom was too small for two people to use simultaneously unless one was in the tub, but the bed appeared comfortable. In an alcove that held a round table and two chairs was a half-size refrigerator.
That evening we took our friends to dinner at Le Feu Follet in the old town of Mougins, a long-time favorite of ours and our dining tradition. We ate a delicious meal and drank good wine, then managed to find our way back to the hotel--with an escort from our friends part of the way. On entering the quiet bastide we found the lobby lit with dozens of welcoming candles that cast a soft glow over the the dimly lit room.
We were happy to be back in our favorite part of Provence.
We had booked rooms in Villeneuve-lès-Avignon (the "lès" means "across from"
and not bothered to prepare detailed maps as we'd stayed there before. Bad mistake! We missed the autoroute exit for the town and ended up driving south to Cavaillon before we could turn off the road and figure out how to get back. Up the route nationale we went, slowly because of the traffic, and finally found the ring road that circles Avignon itself. Ultimately we discovered that the bridge (another bridge!) to Villeneuve was posted as leading to Arles and Nimes?nothing about Villeneuve on it?and across we went.After about half an hour of driving hopefully around the Villeneuve area we spotted a little brown-and-white sign (used for identifying hotel directions) with La Magnanaraie on it. We followed the sign and later ones to the top of a hill, turned onto a small street, and arrived at the hotel.
La Magnanaraie, a 4-star hotel, inhabits a 15th-century house and is built on a number of levels, with a large garden at the back. We were shown to a room on the second (U.S. third) floor with a fine view out over the Fort St-André, but I knew that navigating those stairs several times a day would be, literally, a pain. So I asked the nice woman at Reception?who spoke excellent English?whether there might be a ground-floor room available. She affably checked and said that indeed there was, and the sweet French girl (young!) escorted us down the hallway to a door at the end of the hall, which opened into a small lobby.
Up two steps was a very large room, really a junior suite, opening onto the garden by way of French doors and decorated in my favorite blue and white. There was a sitting area with sofa and chairs, and the bathroom was a delight: all done in dark wood, with double sinks, a deep tub AND separate shower, plenty of storage space, huge fluffy towels?and a separate room for the toilet, with a window and a sink. Lovely terrycloth bathrobes hung in the spacious closet, and there was a good-sized bookcase with magazines and books in several languages. My kind of place!
We loved the room but worried about its cost. We returned to the front desk to inquire and were told that the charge would be the same as for our original room: 215€. When we picked ourselves up from the floor we said that we would be very happy to have the second room. Our friend was assigned a room on the first floor, smaller than ours but beautifully decorated in soft green and white, with a nice view and a spacious bathroom.
By then it was around four o'clock. It had been a long, tiring day so we decided not to return to Avignon until the following morning. Instead we settled into our rooms for a nap before dinner, after walking around the hotel's grounds and admiring the swimming pool.
We decided to eat at the hotel, having perused the interesting menu and looked into the very pretty dining room, done in shades of cream. Service was stylish, only two people were smoking, and the food was delicious?I forgot to note our menus, but I do remember my succulent beignets of langoustines. My husband and our friend nearly swooned over their desserts.
It was a good end to a frustrating day.
The next morning we left Villeneuve by 8:00 a.m. and were at the Palais des Papes underground parking garage by 8:30. We walked quickly down through the Place de l'Horloge to a bakery/café we knew and had an excellent breakfast of croissants and Viennoiseries, then headed back to the Palais des Papes. Bob and our friend climbed up to the nearby park for the view over the Rhône, while I sat at a sidewalk café with coffee and watched the world go by.
Quite a number of well dressed people were making their way toward the Palais des Papes, some carrying banners, and I learned from the waiter that there was to be a special of Avignon's history that afternoon and evening, culminating in a son et lumière at the Palais.
We returned our car, drove back to the hotel, and packed up for the journey across Provence to the area around Grasse. For once we did not get lost, and we had a pleasant putdoors lunch in the picnic area adjacent to a small autroute café that made frites to order. The area was designed as a specimen Mediterranean forest and included a combination playground/exercise area, complete with a structure on which to practice rock-climbing. France apparently does not worry about lawsuits from injured users!
We continued on the autoroute for Nice, turning off at the exit for Grasse, and grew excited as we neared our friends' mas (a Napoléonic-era farmhouse) on the plain below. We had a joyful reunion, having not seen them since May 2003, and spent the afternoon catching up on news and showing our TC the mas and the charming "petite maison" that was to be her home for two days. (The little house is sometimes rented as a studio gite?contact me for details.)
Later Bob and I climbed back in the car and drove toward Valbonne to find our hotel for the next two nights. We got lost again?the hotel was not on the Route de Valbonne but on a different side road?but managed finally to locate the Bastide de Valbonne, new a year or so ago, by sheer luck. The façade of the Bastide presented a typically Provençal appearance: light stucco walls, tiled roof, wooden shutters on the windows. The lobby held several sofas placed in front of the massive fireplace; on one side at the front was another sitting area, surrounded by windows; on the other side, toward the pool area, was a pretty breakfast room. The parking lot in front of the hotel held a round bed with a fine display of cooking herbs, as well as lavender plants still in bloom.
We had a ground-floor room that opened out onto a private patio by the pool, perfect for relaxation. Behind the pool was a terraced hill, bursting with fruit trees and planted with fragrant herbs and flowering plants. Our room was decorated in white and orange, with a wrought-iron bedstead and chairs. The bathroom was too small for two people to use simultaneously unless one was in the tub, but the bed appeared comfortable. In an alcove that held a round table and two chairs was a half-size refrigerator.
That evening we took our friends to dinner at Le Feu Follet in the old town of Mougins, a long-time favorite of ours and our dining tradition. We ate a delicious meal and drank good wine, then managed to find our way back to the hotel--with an escort from our friends part of the way. On entering the quiet bastide we found the lobby lit with dozens of welcoming candles that cast a soft glow over the the dimly lit room.
We were happy to be back in our favorite part of Provence.
Oct 15th, 2004, 04:24 PM
#4
Hi, underhill, as you know, I love Villeneuve and dined one night at your hotel. I stayed at the Le Prieuré. and one night at LÉurope in Avignon. Looking forward to this part of yopur trip as well as dln, who is seeing it for the first time. We have lots of rich reports this month, From so many in different places. What a treat.
Oct 15th, 2004, 04:57 PM
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Thanks again for your lovely reports. I stayed in Villeneuve last May - like Cigale, at Le Priere. I loved it, but your hotel sounds lovely, too. I had debated between the two. I couldn't help but laugh at your getting lost. I did that so many times in Provence. After I picked up my car at the TGV station in Avignon I was heading back to the hotel in Villeneuve, but somehow ended up on a major road to Orange. It makes me feel better reading about someone else's misadventures! Now I just expect these episodes, and have learned to rather enjoy getting lost (as long as it's not approaching nighttime!)
Oct 15th, 2004, 05:01 PM
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Add another one here for frustrations at getting lost in Provence! I spent the first day--my very first day ever--in tears on and off because of those roads. I hate roundabouts and I'm not a very good navigator. I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one out there who got lost!
Underhill, you're writing a really nice report. It gives me so much pleasure to read reports about places I've visited. It gives me another view, and lets me relive a good trip. Keep telling us more!
Underhill, you're writing a really nice report. It gives me so much pleasure to read reports about places I've visited. It gives me another view, and lets me relive a good trip. Keep telling us more!
Oct 16th, 2004, 09:59 AM
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More to come: the rest of our time in Provence and then the final days in Paris.
My husband just finished writing a guide to driving in France; it will be up on the bonjourparis.com site one of these days. His basic thesis is that when you're in France you can only get somewhere the first time if you've been there before.
My husband just finished writing a guide to driving in France; it will be up on the bonjourparis.com site one of these days. His basic thesis is that when you're in France you can only get somewhere the first time if you've been there before.
Oct 16th, 2004, 10:09 AM
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Underhill, your husband's thesis is wonderful. I think almost any of us who have driven in France could offer evidence to support his position. Like Sue4, who found herself on the road to Orange, our first attempt to drive from Avignon to Lacoste started off in the direction of Nîmes!
Loved reading about your trip and look forward to the continuation.
Anselm
Loved reading about your trip and look forward to the continuation.
Anselm
Oct 16th, 2004, 01:32 PM
#12
underhill, I'll look forward to your husband's guide.
hopeto travel, you'd love the shops in Normandy/Brittany filled with blue and white. I subscribe to Coté Ouest, the blue/white rooms are stunning.
hopeto travel, you'd love the shops in Normandy/Brittany filled with blue and white. I subscribe to Coté Ouest, the blue/white rooms are stunning.
Oct 16th, 2004, 01:40 PM
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I'm not sure when, but if you send me a message at [email protected] I can forward the article to you.
Oct 16th, 2004, 01:46 PM
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hopingtotravel,
Our family room is all blue and white (and basically French country in style), and I'm thinking of re-doing the bedroom in the same colors. I really loved the blue and white striped wallpaper at the Château de Cottun.
Our family room is all blue and white (and basically French country in style), and I'm thinking of re-doing the bedroom in the same colors. I really loved the blue and white striped wallpaper at the Château de Cottun.
Oct 16th, 2004, 07:31 PM
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We too have just returned from Provence, and had been lost on the roads. We could see the freeway, drove parellel to it for miles, wanted to get on and pay the high tarrifs, but just couldn't find the on ramp. Once on the auto route, just couldnpt seem to get off where we wanted too, always had to go way farther than we wanted to, and then backtrack. I hope his book has a long chapter on this.
The roundabouts were beautiful...who designs and maintains them? One is more beautiful than the next, the large ones are landscaped in three different designs, the smaller ones are all so different. I wanted to stop and photgraph all of them, but we were lost and in a hurry!
The roundabouts were beautiful...who designs and maintains them? One is more beautiful than the next, the large ones are landscaped in three different designs, the smaller ones are all so different. I wanted to stop and photgraph all of them, but we were lost and in a hurry!
Oct 16th, 2004, 07:53 PM
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The roundabouts are generally designed and maintained by local jurisdictions, especially those who enter the Villes et Villages Fleuri competitions--that's where you see the most spectacular plantings. Some roundabouts double as World War I and II memorials, and we saw one with a large status of General de Gaulle, commemerating his birthplace.
Oct 17th, 2004, 07:45 PM
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Underhill, the decor sounds beautiful. Upon our move 2 years ago the realtor made us paint everything white before trying to sell. I'm trying to convince my husband things have changed since then.
