hunnibun

I am hoping for some feedback regarding a trip that I am co-planning with my parents for their first ever France trip. It had been a dream of theirs for quite sometime.

Somewhat versed in "pieces" of France, I have spend a few years here and there as an student...but I am unfamiliar with PROVENCE, the first place we will visit.

I want my parents' first trip to France to be as smooth and as happy as possible. Accomodation-wise, I know they would like something classy yet authentic but not terribly expensive.

We have agreed to do 3 home bases in the meager 2 weeks in August we have to work with:

Provence (around 5 days)

Burgundy (around 4 days)

Paris (around 5 days)

They plan to fly into Marseille and enjoy 4-5 days in Provence. (not Cote d'Azur) I'm just not sure where would be a good HOME BASE to see authentic PROVENCE (I am visualizing lavender, olive groves, markets and quaint villages). My Dad enjoys cooking and photography and my Mom is into interior design and textiles.

I would greatly appreciate any suggestions/tips as I don't want to spread the trip too thin but make for a lovely time for 1st timers in France.

merci mes amis!!
HB

frogoutofwater

What's your definition of "not very expensive" for accommodation?

Sherbrooke

Do you plan to rent a car for Provence & Burgundy? Important to know for us to advise, and, of course, what your budget will be for accommodation. I would like to suggest, if you haven't done so already, that you read a good guide book on Provence, too. It is a diverse area.

frogoutofwater

I'm not a Provence expert but I think that a safe bet (especially since they're flying into Marseille) would be Aix-en-Provence.

I would recommend that you limit the number of changes in accommodation to 3 or 4, rather than having them move every night or two. If they're on a moderate budget, Logis de France (a chain of hotels) and Best Western (surprisingly) offer some surprisingly charming and nice hotels. Splurge for a one-night stay in a chateaux in wine country (but book well ahead).

Sherbrooke

Logis de France is a group of small, family-run inns, and if you look at the website you will see that many of them are perfectly charming and typically French. Most have space to park cars. Often the owner is a chef, as well, and can provide a good dining experience. We have stayed at many of these inns over the years and always travel with the Logis de France guide book in the car. You can get one from your nearest French Gov't Tourism Office, or just print out a list from the website for the 2 areas where you will be.

I just remembered a wonderful one we stayed at in the town of Nolay in Burgundy, in 2004. It is called Le Sainte Marie and we had a super dinner there. For the cheese course I was introduced to Époisses, which is a cheese of the area, and it was divine. Do try it.

bozama

If you are planning on getting any accomadation for August , you should have booked yesterday,, August will be difficult, except for Paris where you may find some hotel deals.

PS Lavender is over in august, but perhaps you will find sunflower fields , they are very pretty.

TimS

For Provence I recommend the Lonely Planet Provence & the Cote d'Azur guidebook. The Rick Steves Provence & the French Riviera guidebook is also good, but not as thorough as LP.

hunnibun

Wow thanks for all of your great advice!!

TimS - I will definately pick up one of the guide books you have recommended. I have an outdated book I've been referring to - The South of France by Cadogan. (still talking in Francs instead of Euros!!)

Sherbrooke - Aix does sounds good for a Provence base - nice and central. They want to go to Montpellier as I lived there in 14yrs ago....so I thought maybe a day trip to Nimes/Pont du Gard/Montpellier loop?
I was thinking we should maybe rent a car in Marseille and drop it in Dijon in order to TGV up to Paris for the final leg.

As for a budget not sure if 200Euro per night is a good target or not? We would prefer gîtes or chambres d'hôtes rather than hotels but there may be slim pickings at this point? Logis de France sounds awesome - I will check that out - thanks!

Frog:
Great idea to keep the bases to 3 -- in Burgundy will be staying in Beaune and in Paris we are now just looking for apartments somewhere in the 1st-6th arrondissements.

I like your splurge idea - my parents are more the splurge type than the budget type anyway. They love the "finer" things. I might be out to lunch on the 200/night perhaps?

Bozama:
Do you think that end of July, beginning of Aug might be a better month to go?

A+
HB

frogoutofwater

If you have any flexibility, late June or any time in September would be even better.

Mr frogoutofwater and I like splurges, too, but we find that we appreciate them more when we switch back and forth between moderately priced hotels and splurges. Sadly, 200 euros a night in high season Provence and Burgundy probably won't get you into 5* accommodation (nor will it do so in Paris, where August can be a little quiet). You should be able to find nice places to stay, though - and as I said, a few nights at 100-150 euros will give you some cash to spend for a terrific night somewhere special.

If your budget is around 200 euros a night for accommodation, you might also check out the SLH (small luxury hotels) website. We stayed at Le Pigonnet (which is part of this hotel association) in Aix-en-Provence in the off season and liked it. I think it would have been too expensive for our budget in the summer, but it was a very good deal in late spring.

Underhill

If you have the Cadogan Guide to the South of France, don't worry about the prices in francs--the guide is still excellent and full of useful information. In addition, you might pick up the Michelin Green Guides for Burgundy and Provence. They offer good driving itineraries and excellent sightseeing coverage.

poss

Frog: Would you be kind enough to give some details about Pigonnet? I've been haunting this board, and I think we'll be in Aix for 2 nights (after arrival in Marseilles). We're looking for somewhere very quiet and restful to help us unjetlag. Are the rooms especially quiet there? Did you happen to visit Villa Gallici?

hunnibun: I envy your closeness with your parents. How lovely to enjoy traveling with them.

balletgirl

We took our first trip to Provence last August. We were there the first week of the month. It was a fairly last minute trip so we didn't book hotels until June. We ran into some availability problems but not horrible. I'm not advising you wait that late but I don't think you need to panic. You might just have to contact more hotels.

We stayed at Hotel Cezanne in Aix. It is nice but old. Bathrooms were large, beds were very comfortable and the beverages were FREE from the mini bar in our rooms (you might want to double check they still are).

Then we stayed at Mas De Fauchon in Saint Cannat. Mas De Faucon is out of the way but a great place. We stayed there because some of our travel companions wanted to stay at a more "quaint" place. The owners were wonderful and helpful.

You might look into staying in St. Remy. It is so cute and charming and I have read many posts about this being a good base. We plan to use St. Remy as a base on our next trip. For hotels in St. Remy, you probably need to book early.

We didn't see any lavender when we were there so you might want to adjust your travel dates if that is important. Or drive farther out.

We LOVED the Saturday street market in St. Remy so would recommend it.

As for olive groves, I recommend going to Les Baux. You drive through tons of olive groves on your way to the cliffs.

Underhill

For quiet rooms near Aix (about a mile up the hill), take a look at Le Mas d'Entremont. It's a very pleasant small hotel set up above the city and has both regular rooms and separate bungalows (no stairs), which are quite spacious. There's a nice pool, and the restaurant is excellent.

okay1943

I agree with Tim that Rick Steves is sometimes not as thorough as Lonely Planet, but for a first trip, he tells you what to see and do and what to leave out. Everytime the rickster tells us not to do something because it's disappointing or not worth it,and we do, we say,"He was right!!"
Also, he has great drives and walks, into and through Provence, tells you where the parking is, exactly where to turn, etc. He has personally checked every hotel in the book. None are 5* or even 4*, but they are great.

hunnibun

Thank you all for the great posts. Such thoughtful and insightful comments.
I will take all of your suggestions and do a bit more digging and looking - I will report back!
A+
HB

P.S.
Poss:
I really appreciate your comment... I wouldn't miss this opportunity - I consider myself very lucky indeed. If it weren't for my parents I wouldn't have taken French in school and been able to study and travel in France. I owe them the world!!

Sassafrass

For really interesting B&Bs, hotels, etc. try Fodor's Rivages series: Hotels of Character and Charm in France, Bed and Breakfasts of Character and Charm in France, and Hotels of Character and Charm in Paris.

Also great are Alastair Sawday's books: Special Places to Stay, French Bed & Breakfast; Special Places to Stay, French Hotels, Inns and Other Places; & Special Places to Stay, Paris Hotels.

I used both Fodor's Rivages and Sawday's for Spain and the places we stayed were great. Both resources have information about the place with pictures, maps, contacts, prices, etc.

Underhill

For seeing the "real" Provence, consider staying in a B&B or small hotel in the Lubéron or St-Rémy area. Aix is a large city; the charm of Provence lies in the countryside.

sebinah

I agree with Underhill.

Last year we based in Gordes and could go a number of places from there for the day.

It was such a beautiful area to come home to for the evening.

Sebina

cigalechanta

ST Remy would satisfy your parents
needs. Great home and design shopping and the L'Hotel Les Atelier de l'image is a photographer's dream.(www.hotelphoto.com) You'll be in the Alpilles, famous for the olive trees and see some lavender yet to be harvested. The Souleiado museum in nearby Tarascon is famous for it's Provençal fabrics.

hunnibun

Thank you Sassifrass!! What excellent resources!!

Underhill, Sebinah, that really helps me - I like the sounds of St Remy and Gourdes...

Cigale, thank you... I think my parents are really going to be amazed and inspired. My eyes are watering just imagining it!

HB