Help with Aix-en-Provence question
 

I am in the process of finalizing our Provence trip for June 2009. The plan has seen many changes! Our traveling companions bailed on us. My husband is iffy on the trip. Then, my unmarried adult son said he would love to go! So, the plan is:

Fly from KS to Marseille.
Two nights in or near Aix.
Two nights at Chateau d'Esparron (Thank you, Underhill!) near the Gorge de Verdon. (We would arrive late in the day after seeing Cassis, Hyeres, Bormes-les-Mimosas, etc.)
Three nights at Mas Perreal.
Three nights at Sous le Figuiers in St. Remy.
Back to Marseille. Stay near the airport and fly home the next morning.

My original thought was stay in Aix without a car. We will get there on a Tuesday after a long travel day. Do I want to spend all day Wednesday in Aix? And then get a car Thursday morning when we leave?

Now I am considering getting a car from the get-go and staying in Lambesc at this Chateau:

http://www.avignon-et-provence.com/f...eau-valmousse/

And why have I not seen any reviews of this chateau here or on Trip Advisor? It looks gorgeous!

Any thoughts? Is it further from Aix than I want to be (20 K)?

Which sounds like the best plan?

Thanks for any input into my dilemma!

Rosemary

I love Aix, especially hanging out in the squares in the medieval center in the evening. Good nightlife for your son, too. So I would recommend staying in town rather than outside and picking up your car when you leave, as you will have no need for it in the city.

You could certainly spend a day quite pleasantly strolling in Aix, especially for your first full day when you're recovering from jet lag, although Wednesday isn't a market day. (There is a small daily farmer's market in the middle of town.) Aix is rather light on sights, but very long on atmosphere. I really enjoyed Cezanne's studio. I find myself smiling now when I encounter one of his still lifes in a museum and think, I have seen <i>that</i> table, <i>that</i> towel, <i>that</i> vase - since all of these items are on display in the studio.

It's a shame you won't be there on Tuesday or Thursday, as those are the market days, and they are something special. The hotel you provided the link for looks beautiful. You can certainly see Aix in a few hours if you want to drive in on Thursday morning (and include the market before you head out.) Wednesday could be spent at the hotel itself (or in Aix or in any number of nearbt towns).

If it wasn't clear, I meant that the market in Aix is held Tuesday and Thursday.

Note that the markets are on Tues, Thurs, and Sat mornings - closing around 1pm.

Stu Dudley

I agree. Stay in Aix for your first 2 nights without a car. It's a pleasant town to just hang out in, getting over jetlag. You could go to the market Thursday morning, then pick up the car and drive out of town. We walked from our hotel to our rental car office.

Reading M.L.K. Fisher made me want to go to Aix. You lose something, just doing a daytrip in and out.

As for that chateau-hotel, it looks great, especially the grounds. We're a bit incestuous here on Fodor's, leading everybody to the places we liked. We don't know everything.

Mimar, Did you read The Boss Dog? (based on MFK fisher's stay with her daughters in Aix)

The chateau looks gorgeous and prices reasonable. I would email them and ask about ease of getting into Aix with or without a car. That should help with your decision.

I've stayed at the Villa Gallici in Aix off season when rates were lower and back when the euro was par with the dollar. You might want to check it out--advantage being its at the north end of Aix with parking and an easy walk down to the center of town. I thought it a very special place and was glad I spent two nights there.

I don't think you can go wrong either way.

I think you could easily spend a day sightseeing around Aix itself, I've spent more time than that in it. Aix is a very beautiful city, in terms of a lot of nice architecture, fountains, etc. I don't think of much of it as being Medieval, however, I didn't think hardly any of it was left from that time period, most important historical buildings are from the 17th-19th century, I thought.

If you decide to stay in Aix...

You may already know this, but if not- there is a bus from the Marsielle airport to Aix. It leaves every 20 minutes; the trip takes about 35 minutes and costs only 7.80 Euro. It drops you at the bus station in Aix, which is a few blocks from central Aix. You could then take a taxi to your hotel.

I also highly recommend Villa Gallici.

And next door to the Villa Gallaci is the best restaurant in Aix, Le Clos de Violette.

Rosemary -

I would highly recommend spending those first few nights in Aix. It's a perfect city in which to ease into your Provence trip. The ambiance is great and strolling around during the evenings (with beautiful June weather) is magical.

As others have said, it's not a place with many famous sites that &quot;must&quot; be seen. It's more a question of relaxing and taking in the atmosphere. We lived there for two years and never tired of it...

-Kevin

We may also stay in Aix in June. Villa Gallici is too much. Does anyone have any further and less expensive places to stay?
Thanks!

Kevin, I read last year that The chef of the now gone petite maison in Cucuron, has taken over the kitchen at Deux Garcons

Thanks for all the input. I will stick with my original plan and stay in Aix. I had remembered a post by MaiTai Tom - it was quite clever and funny - but he was really going off about Aix. (I have not been able to find this post since I first read it). It appeared he enjoyed nothing about it.

Stu Dudley also mentioned in his itinerary to head out of town in the afternoon as it gets quite hot....so, that was why I was second guessing myself regarding spending a full day in Aix.

To clarify - we are leaving KS on June 15th. We will see the market in Aix on Thursday before we head out of town.

We will leave the gorge of Verdon area on Saturday morning, so could take in the market in Riez if we so desire.

We will be at Mas Perreal (thanks for your input, Kevin!) on Saturday so we can go to the market at L'Isle sur la Sorgue on Sunday.

And on Wednesday morning, we will already be in St. Remy so we can do that market. I think I have worked it out the best way possible for the 10 full days we will be in Provence.

One last thought -

I imagine there must be bus service from Aix to Marseille if we so desired to do this. Would you have to go via the airport or is there a direct bus to Marseille from Aix?

Thanks again for all the above responses and help.

Rosemary

Hi Mimi -

I think that's right. Les Deux Garcons is now in it's third location since we've been here. The first two spots were right in the heart of things. Now they are located about a 15 minute or so walk from the Cours Mirabeau (near the Hotel Pigonnet).

We went there this past summer to give it a try (friends had recommended it). The ambiance is very modern - NY chic, maybe you could call it. Unfortunately, my better half became violently ill (I stress BEFORE we had even ordered - absolutely no fault of the restaurant). So we paid for our drinks and left in a hurry and haven't had a chacne to try it again since...

-Kevin

p.s.: for a favored (less expensive) places to stay in Aix:

1) Le Manoir - perfect location, small but adequate rooms and good price for Aix and free on-site parking (a big plus).

2) Hotel Aquabella - modern accomodations, again perfect location. Nice pool.

3) Maison Carlotta - a very small and cozy B&amp;B right in the center. Beautifully decorated - warm and friendly hostess. This is where we would stay, given the choice.

-Kevin

Rosemary -

There are frequent trains running from Aix to Marseille. This would be the easiest way to do it.

-Kevin

We stayed a night at the Manoir, it was a bargain except for the breakfast served in the cloisters. The worse oj and coffee. We should have gone to a local cafe,

I think you're planning on visiting too many markets. As I've said many times on this forum, markets sometimes &quot;hide&quot; the beauty of the villages. This is especially true with St Remy.

The Aix market is in a huge square in front of a church, so it does not interfere with your enjoyment of the city. The Reiz market is quite nice, and it's along the main traffic street - and not in the middle of town. Be sure to explore the town - and not just the market. The l'Isle sur la Sorgue runs through town - obscuring it - but this is probably the most popular market in Provence because of the Antiques. I would visit St Remy on Tuesday - not Wed (or Monday when most stores are closed). I think you will have visited enough markets by then - IMO your enjoyment of St Remy will be diminished of you try to explore it on market day.

Stu Dudley

Thanks for the advice, Stu. I do remember someone on this forum stating that lots of the markets have the same vendors.

We will get to Aix on a Tuesday. Leave Aix on Thursday.

Thursday night and Friday night will be in Esparron de Verdon.

Saturday, Sunday and Monday nights will be in the Luberon.

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights in St. Remy.

So, we will be able to see St. Remy without its market. And by then we will know if we want to see another market.

What about our plan to drive from Aix to Cassis, with perhaps a boat trip to see some of the calanques. Then follow along through Bandol, Hyeres, to get to Bormes-les-Mimosas. Then make our way north to Esparron de Verdon at the end of the day. Michelin says it is about a 2 hour drive from Bormes to Eparron de Verdon. Is this entirely way to much or is it doable?

Thanks again, everyone.

Rosemary