4 days in Provence - where to stay?
 

Hello! We're having trouble deciding where to stay in Provence for 4 days next May. Our plan is to take the train from Paris to Avignon and pick up a car there. Have considered Lourmarin, St. Remy & Roussilion. We'd like to be able to walk to restaurants for dinner, so would love some suggestions for towns and B&B/Inns. Also would love some advice on which towns to visit on day trips - definietly planning on Pont du Gard and some of the Luberon Hill towns. We're mid-50's, fit and love to walk and hike. Too much to see in such a short time, so would be so grateful for some assistance. Thanks so much!

-N

I would stay in St Remy or Roussillon. Lourmarin, while a charming town, is not as centrally located as the other two. St Remy has more restaurants & shops than Roussillon.

Do you have my 27 page itinerary for the Cote d'Azur & Provence??? I've sent it to over 3,000 people on Fodors. E-mail me at [email protected] & I'll attach a copy to the reply e-mail

Stu Dudley

I would love your itinerary and will email you - thanks so much for the offer!

Hi N,

Since you want to walk to restos, I second St. Remy.

If you wouldn't mind taking your car, and getting a broader choice of available restos, I suggest the Cadran Solaire in Graveson http://www.hotel-en-provence.com/uk/index.php

Details in my trip report:
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-in-europe.cfm

Enjoy your visit.

((I))

Of the places you have listed, St Remy would be the best for your intended day trips. Lourmarin is lovely but as previously mentioned, requires a tedious (on second, third etc.) trip thru mountains to visit the Luberon or your other destinations. Roussillon is okay but we haven't found anything other than tourists spots to dine in.
We're not enamored with the restaurants in St Remy and suggest a short drive to Eygalieres for several which are located there--its also a pleasant, if upscale village.

It is a challenge to stay in Provence in smaller towns or the country but to be able to walk to restaurants. It's sort of contrary to the reason many people go there, or some of the nicer inns people want to stay in for the experience are not in the center of towns.

However, I have stayed in Roussillon and was able to walk to dinner. It is large enough to have enough choices (as long as you are not picky, I'm not talking find dining) and you can find places to stay with parking, plus it isn't forbidden to cars like some places. I stayed in a modest place, however, the hotel Reves d'Ocre but it was an excellent location with free parking included in a city lot just across the street (on the north edge of the town), and a short walk to the town center at night, only about 5 minutes.

There is one higher level hotel in the town center of Roussillon, it was too expensive for me plus I wasn't clear where you could park in that hotel, but you could check. It does look very nice.

This is the place I stayed http://www.hotel-revesdocres.com/
As I said, it is modest, but the owners are nice and it is a great location, as I said. The AC was broken when I was there which I was not thrilled about as it was July, but it supposedly does have it (according to the website).

This is the nicest hotel in Roussillon itself http://www.luberon-hotel.fr/
There is a public lot very near it, but it is the main lot where visitors would park so not sure how full it gets (as it is on top near the look-out for the views). The lot across from the Reves d'Ocre is down the hill a bit and I never had any trouble getting a parking spot there.

macanimals I stayed over ten years in Equalisers with my late husband until our hotel was sold after a broken marriage. I'm told it is now a private home. Lourmarin and Bonnieux have a few good restaurants if you want the village life. We like St Remy and our stay at L'Hotel Des I'mages where you could walk to a dozen ver good restaurants.