A month in Provence - where, when, and why?
 

We are starting to think about and plan for a month long stay in Provence next year. Our preference would be to rent a small house or large apartment (there are only two of us but we expect that family would come visit) and use it as a home base for travel around the region. We've thought about either a village, a small town, or out in the country and have been weighing the pros and cons of each. We've been before and love Arles but are open to your suggestions. What location should we establish as our home base? What time of year is best to go? and Why?

I vote for St. Remy in September. Why? Just because it's not too big, not too small, just right. And, I could close every day by going to Les Baux, or Glanum, or the Asylum, or Les Antiquities, or....

annieladd

My family has spent about 7-1/2 months in Provence over the past three years and will be there for another month this summer. We have based near Bonnieux in the Luberon, though we have visited many (most?) of the towns and villages with 40-50 miles. We are very biased in favor of the Luberon, but I think it depends very much on what appeals to you from your previous visits.

As far as timing, I'd suggest September into mid October or April/May. The weather will be very pleasant, you'll still have the advantage of restaurants and markets operating "in season," but the crowds will be much less than the peak summer months.

We have lived in the countryside, between Bonnieux and Lacoste. There is open space to enjoy and beautiful views if that appeals to you. But you have to walk or get in your car to go to the village for bread or to sit at the outdoor cafe. We haven't minded walking or riding, but think about what you would prefer. I personally would not want to stay in one of the larger towns, though I do enjoy visiting them. But I tire of crowds and traffic where we live in the USA, and I want something different in Provence.

Come to Slow Travel (www.slowtrav.com) and talk with us there too. The focus there is on traveling more slowly and you will get some good recommendations on rentals too.

Kathy

Luberon photo essay: http://www.slowphotos.com/photo/show...y.php?cat=3420

You might consider an area closer to Avignon - in the Vaucluse or the Drome.
Perhaps you'll "fall in love" with a house listed on www.vrbo.com

.....It's a good place to start and day trips (with occasional overnights) are definitely the way to go.

Thank you for your suggestions so far...kdcwood, you made an excellent point about travel to town. We love nature but would like to feel that we're a part of a community for the time we're there. I think that we'd prefer to be at least close enough to walk to the store or a restaurant or two. Perhaps no more than a mile away from a small town or village. Does this change the recommendations?

Christobel -

You may want to look at the following:
http://www.vrbo.com/82258
A friend of ours is the owner and the place is impeccable, with a gorgeous view near a pretty and relatively quiet perched village. And you can easily walk into the village.

-Kevin

P.S.: to Kathy - Bonjour !!!! Nice to see you on the board here !

Thanks for the suggestions - the websites are helpful. Anyone else have experience doing this that wants to add anything?

Listen to Kathy and Kevin, whatever their advice may be, here or at SlowTrav. Two of my favorite posters. Read Kathy's blog from their extended stay in Europe, which included a long stay in Provence.

I agree with Kathy & Kevin - the Luberon would be a great area to stay in for a long period.

When we retired in '99, our first task was to spend several weeks in Provence - seeking out the best area for further visits. We spent 2 week in the Luberon near Gordes, 2 weeks near St Remy, and 2 weeks near Vaison. We liked the Luberon the most, then the Vaison area, then St Remy. We prefered the Lubeon & Vaison because they were closer to the more remote areas in Provence - what we had in our "minds eye" - the lavender fields around Sault, the Ardeche Gorge, Mt Ventoux and the other mountains around it, the Baronnies, the gorges between St Saturnin & Sault, vineyards, etc. St Remy was a little arid, and as you go west to Tarascon & Nimes, north to Avignon, east to Cavaillon, and south beyond the D17, it is not nearly as scenic as the areas around the Luberon & Dentelles (Vaison/Mt Ventoux/Dentelles).

I think St Remy is great for a first timer, but we got a little more bored with that area than we did with the others. We also heard a lot more American English there than we did in Bedoin, Goult, Cavaillon, etc.

Since our initial visit, we've returned to the Luberon for 2 more weeks, the area around Uzes for 2 weeks, and the Vaison/Dentelles/Mt Ventoux region for 2 more weeks. We like the Uzes area more than St Remy also. We currently are trying to reserve a Gite for 4 weeks near Vaison for '07.

We prefer June in Provence because Provence screams "summer" to us, and we enjoy the lavender, poppies, and sunflowers in bloom.

Stu Dudley

Christobel, just to add one more voice, although it may be redundant.

We've been spending two or three weeks a year in the south of France since 2000, save for last year when we went to Auvergne. Our preference is for staying in small towns and villages. We like to feel we are part of a neighbourhood, and being able to stroll a hundred metres or so for bread, charcuterie, or Le Monde is essential. So, nothwithstanding all the wonderful homes we've considered in the countryside, we keep choosing villages.

Like Stu, we love the Luberon for its scenery; and have rented in both Lacoste and Saignon. We also fell for the area around Nyons, for reasons I cannot quite articulate, but have rented in Nyons itself and Venterol. But our greatest love is for Uzes, where we have rented on three occasions. It's a bit of a trade-off, as the surrounding scenery is not quite as compelling as the Luberon, but the town feels like home.

All of our visits have been in April, May, September, and October. In retrospect, we have preferred late May and September; both are obviously warmer with longer days.

I think your idea of establishing a home base is excellent. We used to rent one house per week so that we could see as much as possible, but gave that up a couple of years ago when we realized that we were chewing up whole days in moving and getting re-established.

Others have already mentioned vrbo. We have been very successful locating excellent rentals through that site. We also use www.frenchconnections.co.uk
and once rented very happily in Saignon from www.henriettataylor.com

Anselm

Christobel,

If you like the idea of accessibility to a village (and would prefer to walk vs. driving), you might want to target the village itself or something closer than a mile. It really depends on your, but a mile (there and back) can inhibit an easy morning or afternoon stroll in for bread or a drink. Of course, you could always bike or drive... And sometimes that mile might be all uphill!

I loved the place that Kevin posted the link to! We like St. Saturnin a lot. And we rented from Henrietta Taylor (Anselm's link) in Saignon on our first trip... a small, very intimate and beautiful village that does have a good bakery, a beautiful main square and a couple of restaurants... and one of the best views in the Luberon from the top of the rocher.

Sounds like you already have some areas you're drawn to... have fun browsing all the wonderful rental possibilities, send some inquiries... then post back when you've narrowed down to a couple to get input.

Meanwhile, here are a few other suggestions for the Luberon:

I had seriously considered a two-bedroom house in Menerbes for our six months stay: http://www.provence-rentals.org/ A friend of mine on Slow Travel recently stayed there and was very positive about it.

We ended up renting this house: www.vrbo.com/1293 and were just back for two weeks at the end of March. I feel as much at home here as my "real" house. This might be a possibility for you, depending on timing.

A friend of mine rented this cottage in Lacoste twice: http://www.holiday-rentals.com/Franc...m?uni_id=17442. There isn't too much info on this website, but it says you can contact for their own website. Lacoste is even smaller than Saignon, but very beautiful with wonderful views... and a bakery, two bars, a seasonal restaurant, and a small weekly market. And you would be very close to Bonnieux, Goult and other larger villages.

http://www.provenceweb.com/e/villages.htm is a great website to research and learn more about villages.

Kathy

We love September in Provence, it is still warm, most places are still open, and the summer crowds have gone. We have a village house in a wine village and it is great to sit outside the local cafe and watch the growers bring their grapes into the co-op. St Remy is a good base for the Luberon, as some other posters have already said, and friends of our speak highly of Loumarin. We are in the village of Beaumes de Venise in the Vaucluse, right next to the Dentelles de Montmirail and we love that area. We have been going there for 1-2 weeks at a time for several years and are still able to find new places to see. Take a look at our website to see some of the places that we enjoy in the area - http:www.users.tpg.com.au/adsl8fbu/bdv.html - go to the 'Region' tab.

Can anyone give advice on what the area is like, especially weather wise, between late October to late February?

Thx!

S