Favorite Town in Provence
 

What is your favorite town to stay in while in Provence? My husband and I are travelling to Provence in September and were hoping to get your recommendations as to the best town to stay in. We're hoping for a small to medium sized town.

Thanks for your replies.

I like St. Paul de Vence. There is a great restaurant there (I can't think of the name--is it Colom d'Or?--Cigale has eaten there) and I love the little shops and flower boxes. The grave of Marc Chagall is here.

My nephew went to school in Aix and loves the city very much.

Thin

Yes, the Colombe D'Or. One special thing is that many famous artists paid their bills with paintings, so you are surrounded by masterpieces. I also like St. Paul de Vence and its proximity to Nice which is a fantastic city with loads to do. Great Mediterranean flavor.

I like Aix for its youthful vibrancy, although it isn't very central. Nor is there a hotel there that appeals to me, with the exception of the Villa Gallici which is quite expensive.

Just over the border from Provence in the Gard is Uzes, one of my very favorite places anywhere. Perfect size, lovely places to stay, great market, awesome central square, beautiful churches. But not very central to rest of Provence.

St. Remy is most central, but I'm not a big fan of the town.

I like Aix very much and one of my favorite French inns is there, and it is not super expensive like Gallici -- Le Mas d'Entremont. http://www.masdentremont.com It is just outside Aix to the NW, actually, so is a convenient spot for daytrips driving that direction. However, I agree that Aix is not that central to most of Provence. It's website is a little confusing on the tarifs, I think the rate is for two people together, not per person, but you'd have to check on that if you are interested. I know I didn't pay that much when I stayed there, and I had a double room to myself, but that was a few years ago (I mean I know I did not pay about double the rates shown just for the room, I did not take demi-pension).

I found Uzes a nice town, but if any place had no decent hotels, I'd say that was true of that town. I stayed at a hotel often touted as the best in town, and would not return to it. It isn't central, either, though.

If one wanted to stay in the country, I like the area around Roussillon fairly well and you'll find a few inns or whatever in that area. I also am not crazy about St Remy, I would rather stay in Avignon myself as I like that city. It is pretty central and has good transportaiton options, but might not be so convenient as a place to keep a car. My favorite town was actually Pernes-les-Fontaines of all my stays. I loved the Hotel l'Hermitage there
http://www.hotel-lhermitage.com

I stayed in a place a little farther north in the Vaucluse, also, but that isn't what first-timers think of nor want when they are looking for that Provence trip.

Le Mas d'Entremont is a fine small hotel. It's a series of different buildings, some in the mainhouse, some in the grounds, including separate bungalows. There's a nice pool, and the restaurant is excellent. The Mas is on a plateau up above Aix rather than down in the town itself.

We took demi-pension, opting for breakfast and dinner, and had pretty much the choice of the entire menu.

However, we much prefer St-Rémy to Aix. It's a very pretty small town near the major sightseeing draw of Les Baux de Provence and is well located for Arles, the Camargue, Tarascon, the Pont du Gard, and Avignon.

For something off the beaten path, head up to the region of the Drôme (river) and stay in Dieulefit, famous for its pottery. From there you can visit the olive community of Nyons, the Roman town of Vaison-la-Romaine, and the small city of Montélimar. You can also head over to the valley of the Ardèche river; the gorge is magnificent, and there's an immense cave to be seen near Orgnac.