Paul

Am looking at either Aix or St.R&eacute;my as a "base" from which to tour Provence for a week. I'd rather not have to change hotels and pack/unpack any more than is necessary. Are there any advantages to staying in one or the other in terms of choice of quality hotels (Villa Galici seems well rated in Aix, and in St. R&eacute;my the Chateau de Valmouraine or Chateau des Alpilles - has anyone stayed at any of these?), and choice of restaurants nearby, etc.<BR><BR>Are these two places too small to stay for a full week in either one? Are they far enough away from one another to spend a few nights in each?

Sue

If you're driving, St. Remy would be a heck of a lot easier to get in and out of than Aix. Provence is not that large; I would use 1 place as a base. We rented a gite near Gordes and went out everyday in different directions to explore the places we were interested in, and it worked wonderfully.

Christina

I think you can find nice hotels in either place so wouldn't choose on that basis--Villa Gallici is pretty much the upper stratosphere, I'd say, and I don't think there is one quite of that luxury in St-Remy, although I could be mistaken. I don't frequent top restaurants, just kind of going with the flow, so can't really advise on that so much, although again, I'm sure you will easily dine well in either place. Aix is not a small village, though, whereas St-Remy is (maybe not a typical small village as it's become so popular with tourists, but it doesn't even have a train station). I'd guess St-Remy is only about 10K population but Aix is a moderate-sized city of about 125K. <BR><BR>I'm not big on moving between hotels, either, but those are two different experiences so if you travel lightly and don't unpack so much (I don't really that much, leaving most in my suitcase and I don't have a lot of accoutrements), I think you could consider staying half and half in each. You might want to think about what you want to see to make that plan, though. For example, while in Aix you could see Aix itself, maybe Cassis, and the Montagne Ste-Victoire area. From St-Remy, you could visit Arles, les Baux, Avignon, etc. As for the Luberon, which I'm guessing you'll want to see, that's sort of in the middle of those two and I'm not sure which would be most expedient, either is possible.<BR><BR>They aren't really that far apart, though, and St-Remy is probably more centrally located for most itineraries. In a week, I'd probably move myself for variety and to hedge my bets on the place I would be staying. I was in Provence last year for about a week, as I recall, and I did move between hotels, staying 3-4 nights in each. I don't regret that for a minute, I enjoyed staying in two places and two different areas, but I had a specific agenda of things I wanted to see in the upper Vaucluse area which was farther from Aix than I really wanted to do in day trips (not to mention crossing the mountains). So, I stayed in Aix and then moved to the area NE of Avignon a bit which was perfect for my agenda as I wanted to see Vaison-la-Romaine, the Dentelles and Gigonda area. But, I'd seen Arles and St-Remy and had no plans to go there, for example.<BR><BR>Just some ideas. I think you have to get out a map, look at the distances, know your own abilities and interests in driving a lot, and figure out what you most want to see to really make your final decision on that.

Paul

Thanks for all of the helpful information. I should clarify one important thing - when I asked about the restaurants in each area, it's not at all from any interest in haute cuisine - just the opposite in fact - I'm a vegetarian. Not only do I never eat meat, fish, or poultry, but I usually try to avoid having any dairy products or eggs, if I can help it. I'm sure this will leave french restaurateurs totally aghast - especially in Provence. So, I need a hotel place that has a choice of some simple unprentious restaurants and maybe a good local market!

jeff

Hi Paul,<BR><BR> I stayed in Aix-en-provence in May and frankly, I was disappointed. I did not find it to be charming and I wished I had stayed in a smaller town. If I were to do the vacation over again, I would have stayed in a town like St. Remy en Provence.

FLJudi

We've stayed in both places and would highly recommend St. Remy over Aix as long as you have a car. Aix is worth a visit for a day (which you can do from St. Remy), but staying there is a big hassle with the traffic. St. Remy is so centrally located - we've traveled all over the area on day trips - to Cassis, Avignon, Arles, the lovely towns of the Luberon and the Upper Vaucluse. The wineries in Chateau-Neuf-du-Pape and Gigondas are also easily accessible.<BR><BR>We stayed at the Chateau des Alpilles and were very happy with a very large room and modern bath. It is about a mile and a half out of town.<BR><BR>There are also plenty of restaurants in St. Remy - some of our best meals were there. It may be hard to keep a totally vegan diet if you eat out, but you can shop the markets (St. Remy on Wednesday, other towns on other days).<BR><BR>

ger

I'd like to add my thanks to the respondants. I too am planning a trip to Provence and was considering staying IN AIX but your feedback has convinced me to look elsewhere as I am driving and really don't want the hassle of battling traffic.<BR><BR>Regards ... Ger