House in Provence
 

We are a family of 5 looking for a house in Provence for about a week in the first part of July. I've looked at what Karen Brown has to offer, but she doesn't talk much about separate houses (mostly inns and B&Bs). Any suggestions? Has anyone done a house swap before? It occurred to me this might be a cost effective alternative. Thanks in advance.

The problem with a house swap will be finding someone who lives in Provence who wants to spend a week in Toadsville. That will probably be a diffult matter.

We rented a wonderful house in Provence in a tiny village in St. Andre d'Oleargues near Goudargues - a great location for touring the area - it had 2 bedrooms and 2 ensuites with a great pool and a visiting cat! It was called Mas Phyllis. Although I think it only slept 4, the company in Toronto I dealt with was great - you can check out their web page <BR>www.vacancesprovencales.com

Susan, you're probably right (though we in Toadsville have a lot to offer!) <BR> <BR>Lyv...thanks, I'll check it out.

Jae, we tried to do a house swap in Provence about 5 years ago and had no luck. We had 3 families dangle the carrot in front of us for months and then changed their mind when somethimg better came along! We have a great place with lots to offer, but they could be extremely picky since they were really riding the "Year in Provence" craze at the time. Maybe now it's slowed down, but from personal experience I'd say you would probably have more luck renting as opposed to trading in Provence. The whole trading thing takes a lot of time and is worth it if you can nail down a family that wants to exchange at the same time. In the end I'm glad France didn't work, because we ended up exchanging with a family from Spain, it was an amazing holiday! If you do pursue the trade idea, you better get on it right away, since like anything else, the best places go first, most trades are sometimes arranged a year in advance ( it takes a while to find the right person and place) <BR>Good Luck!

Even if you could manage a house swap, it's already too late in the year for that. Most house swaps have already been arranged for this coming summer. And, as others have pointed out, you'd have to have something fairly special to effect a swap for a house for 5 in Provence. There are two reliable house rental agencies I know of, though, which you could contact: Sue Mellups of Rentavilla (e-mail: [email protected]) and Linda Posson of ProvenceWest(e-mail: [email protected]). Both have a good selection of houses in Provence. Bonne chance!

Jae, <BR>Where do you live now?...on a lily pad? Fat chance someone's gonna swap their house for space on a leaf...but all kidding aside... here's some other info for you. We rented a house for 4 to 5 in Provence through www.gite.com (I think that was the one) the other contact is The French Experience in NYC at 212-986-1115. Rentals for both companies are from Sat. to Sat. This group will fax you a questionnare and then find you 2 selections within the location and price range you are looking for. Cost for their service is about $25. The deposit is then deducted from the invoice should you choose to rent with them. <BR>Book now for peace of mind and have fun. <BR>Dr. Betty

I posted a reply but it didn't take...so I'll try again! Thanks for all your good advice. I've given up on the house swap and the house rental too (since I can't do a Sat to Sat). Still looking for a "place" for a family of 5 in Provence and now am considering inns and B&B's. We arrive on Thursday July 5 and depart Friday July 13 for Paris. Perhaps more northern Provence would be better to still allow day trips south, but help with the ultimate drive to Paris. Want to go east to the French Alps too. Am I planning too much again? Any advice welcome!! Thanks

Don't give up yet. There's one other resource that doesn't require Sat. to Sat. It is the French association of private homes offering chambres d'hotes (B & B). They are of extremely high quality and the most reasonable you will find anywhere. www.fleurs-soleil.tm.fr