Just a note to add that poppies tend to bloom a good long time before lavender does. And I can't remember ever seeing a field of poppies in Provence, though I've seen so many in my lifetime I could be wrong about that.

This threat is fantastic to read. At the end you understand nothing.

I think Stu gave you good pros and cons. Just to add to it a bit, we tend to split our trips. Partly to experience a village versus more of a town for instance. Also, since we are wine drinkers, we prefer to stay for dinner where we staying versus driving long or even fairly short distances back to another base after we have had some alcohol.

If you do decide to split the trip-I would still be tempted to venture a bit further afield like Uzes-because even though it is not officially Provence-it is a charming area and you could explore places like Arles and Nimes from there versus a Gordes and St. Remy split.