Best base and hotel in Provence: Cavaillon, St Remy, Isle-sur-la-Sorgue?
 

Hi,

After reading lots of posts I'm still doubting... I would like to receive your sugestions about a good town to place our base for our next trip to Provence.

In August, we are travelling to Provence by car with our three children (6,4 and 1 year old). We plan to stay two nigths and I am thinking in a town where it can be easy to walk, to park and to find a "simple" restaurant or cafe (children do not appreciate enough the "charming" places).

We would like to visit:
-St Remy and les Baux
-in Luberon: Bonnieux, Rousillon, Menerbes, Oppède-le-Vieux, Gordes, Fontaine-de-Vaucluse, L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue,..

Probably it may be a too intense itinerary but I cannot decide which town scratch from it (I accept suggestions, too)

Which town could be the best for the base?
-Cavaillon?
-Isle-sur-la-Sorgue?
-St-Remy?

Could anyone recommend me a hotel too? (we would like to stay in a not too expensive hotel in the town, not outside)

Thanks

Rosa, We just stayed in a town outside of St. Remy, and it worked out great...we saw many of the little towns you plan to. But I would recommend an air-conditioned room as it was quite warm last week when we were there and I can't imagine it being much cooler in August. We stayed in a B&B w/o a/c and at night it was not unbearable, but warm...almost 90 by 10:00 am. A?C if you can find it would be a priority for me.

Hi Rosa, I think St.Remy is a great base to hit those towns. I have not stayed IN the town, but beatchick did, I think. Be sure to taste the Cavaillon mellons and visit the Flea market on Sunday in Isle. Outside of St. remy is Glanum and Les Antiques, a must to visit.

Hi Rosa,

My sister and I visited L'Isle-Sur-La-Sorgue in May 2001. The antiques flea market and canals/city hall building were neat and worth seeing, we were bored after two hours and were ready to go back to Avignon because there isn't that much to do or see. Unfornately, our bus was not scheduled to return for another 2 hours. The town is very much centered around its antique shops, but the prices seemed really marked up for the tourists that go there for "provencial" antiques. Hope that helps! Enjoy your trip-the scenery is beautiful!!

K

Have never stayed in any of the three towns but have visited all of them. By far the most enjoyable was St Remy. We enjoyed walking around and ate in two different pleasant cafes with outdoor seating. Parking was not a problem.

Another vote for St. Remy - but you had better get going on booking a room. And yes, you must have a/c. This past summer has been terribly hot all over Europe and traveling with children that are "hot" will only make you all the more "hot" and miserable.

It's already end July and practically all of France goes on vacation in August, let alone all the tourists.

Unfortunately, I cannot recommend a hotel as we stayed rather expensive and in October (rates were lower).

St. Remy is ideal, though much more crowded in August than it was when we visited in October. It's easy to drive in every direction from the town center to visit the sites you mention as there are roads clearly marked going N,E,W,S. And right there in St. Remy is the old town, Glanum, Les Antiques, Van Gogh's Asylum and not far from Les Baux (another very crowded town with tourists).

But get going with a reservation or you'll be locked out!

Rosa:

IMHO think that you are trying to do way too much with three children in tow. Forget Cavaillon it really has nothing much to see. Don't go near Ils-sur-la-Sorgue on a Sunday...you will never find a parking spot.

Les Baux is great fun if you have never been there but on a hot day it is a steep climb ???

We like the quiet life so that I would suggest any of the other smaller villages that you mentioned in the Luberon. My favorite is Lourmarin just a few kms South of Bonnieux, great Saturday market, good restaurants not many hotels but lots of B & B's nearby.

By the way, how are you getting there? It has a bearing on how you might want to spend two days.

Thanks everybody for your suggestions.

Hi,oakvilleonca. I am driving a car from Spain with my husband and children. We are going to visit some friends that live near Dole and we thougth to stop in the middle of the way to know a little bit the Provence. For that reason we have only two nights to stay there...

Does any one knows a budget hotel with A.C. in St Remy???

I found two hotels with a free family room in August with A.C. in L'Isle sur la Sorgue...
-Hotel Cantosorgue and
-Hotel Les Nevons

Could anyone tell me something about those hotels??? They are supposed to be two star hotels...

I probably would have suggested St Remy as best among your original suggestions -- def. not Cavaillon.

I do know about Hotel Cantosorgue, and have eaten there twice. For some reason, there are several budget hotels around that area that are only 2* hotels but have AC. I think because they are newer hotels so put in AC, but they are still basic. I think the Cantosorgue might be 2* because it does not have an elevator; as I recall, it is one of those open 2-story motel-type structures. So, you don't need an elevator. It's modern and basic, so you get no older charm or character, but it should be serviceable. I don't know where you are from, but it reminds me of the chain budget motel type places in the US on the highways (Comfort Inn, etc).

I will say that their restaurant is excellent, however, which is why I went there twice. It's sort of the place to go out for a nice meal in the neighborhood, and one of its nice points is that it is located on a terrace next to the stream and water mills, so it is very pleasant and cooler in hot weather than a lot of places around there. It is located on one of the main roads (the D938) on the way out of town to the North, so is convenient for driving. It is not within walking distance of the center of Isle-sur-la-Sorgue. Well, it is if you want to walk very far (prob. a couple miles. It should be easy to drive into town center from there, however.

Don't know where you looked, but that hotel is located on www.avignon-et-provence.com and it gives a good description and photos. I think it is better than Nevons from what I've seen. The people there are very nice.

Thanks Cristina
I'am waiting to know some references about Les Nevons (it is supossed to be closer to the center of the town), but if not I think I would make a reservation there.. It is not easy to find a family room in August with AC.!!! Almost everything is full....

It is very difficult to find a budget hotel with AC in that area. Usually only the 4* places have AC, or some more modern hotels like these. I looked at them again and the Hotel Nevon looks better than I remembered -- I think I was thinking of another hotel. It is much more central than Cantosorgue and I think it looks okay to book.

May I suggest the Hotel Arene in Orange. We were there in Sept 2001 and it was very very nice. A/C worked great. We stayed accross the alleyway in one of their larger rooms for about $100/night. It sleeps 4 or more. It was our base to discover the Provence area.

Make sure you have AC in the car as well!

Secret Isle sur La Sorgue parking spot ... behind the grocery.

Rosa,

We are just back from our 11th straight trip to St. Remy. I echo the other respondents, it is terribly hot this year, unlike any other we experienced. (e visited in June/July on four other occasions.)

We are frequent visitors to Provence, St. Remy in particular. We just returned and it is terribly hot there, nearly 100 degrees every day. We cut short our Provence holiday and returned to Paris and a/c--also quite hot there.

You are very late for reservations. We did not have air conditioning in our otherwise charming little hotel in St. Remy. We never missed it before. It is a must this year! Only the more expensive hotels have a/c. Try Chateau des Alpilles in St. Remy - it may have a/c.

In Aix, the Pigonnet Hotel impressed us for lunch--it may have a/c. Rate about $200 per day.

Good luck!!

Yes, Le Pigonnet has A/C -- and a very cool pool.

I would agree that Cavaillon would not be a good choice. We thought Isle was charming, even when it wasn't market day, and it was raining...so can only imagine it to be wonderful on a bright, sunny day.

St. Remy sounds lovely...we've never been there, but wonder if jmoulin would tell us about the charming hotel where they stayed. We would be travelling in October, so a/c wouldn't be important.