ozgirl

We have been back for over a month and life is hectic but I really wanted to post something in the hope that someone will get a little piece of useful info as I have been helped so much by Fodorites! We are not particularly foodies so apologise in advance for the lack of detail in this area!
Departed Adelaide, South Australia on Malaysia Airlines bound for Kuala Lumpur where we had relatively short stopover and then continued to Zurich overnight. Malaysia Airlines (again) did not disappoint with spacious business class areas and great food and service. Arrived Zurich at 0600 and very quickly cleared customs etc and found our way to the train station where we had online printed tickets for Zurich to Geneva – thanks to WallyKringen and swandav for excellent advice here.
Relaxed on the train, were quite wide awake and enjoyed the view, arrived in Geneva in time to catch an earlier than expected bus to Annecy which all went without a hitch. Checked into our “prestige double room overlooking the canal” for 140 euros/night. I wouldn’t describe it as ‘roomy’ but recently refurbished, separate and well appointed bathroom and toilet, TV and sensational views – it was a corner so we looked out to the Palais from one window and the lake from another. Having visited Annecy for only a half day last year, we spent the afternoon revisiting places we remembered and wandering around before an early snack and off to bed. The following day we picked up our little Mercedes “A” class from Avis and set off to circumnavigate the lake. Stopped in beautiful Veyrier de lac for a wander and photos (lots) and then on to Col de la Forclaz for lunch. Ate at Hotel L’Edelweiss which was not particularly memorable for the food but the donkey and the tandem para gliding runway provided much entertainment before we moved on!
Managed to find the Gorges du Fier which had been recommended on Fodors and we were very glad that we did, very beautiful and an interesting history. Sunday wandered around the Annecy market and then enjoyed a volleyball tournament that was being held lakeside as well as a cycling time trial both of which generated a lot of noise and colour.
Next day off to our next stop near Montelimar....

klondike

Great Timing, ozgirl! We'll be there in a few weeks. Which hotel in Annecy did you stay in? I was considering staying in a smaller village on the lake. Did one in particular appeal to you?

Thanks for posting!

ozgirl

Hi klondike, can't believe I didn't put the name of the hotel in! We stayed at Hôtel du Palais de l'Isle (http://www.hotels-la-clusaz.com/) - best location, right in the old town. You can walk everywhere. As the hotel is in the pedestrian zone, you can't actually drive to the door but you can unload a small distance away and then you can park in a large underground car park at a subsidised rate which was about 400 metres away I guess. I loved staying in Annecy itself but we also thought Veyrier de lac looked beautiful and there were several accommodation options that we saw whilst walking around. Hope that helps!

ozgirl

Arrived just after lunch at Domaine Le Roure just south of Montelimar slightly concerned that we were going to have views of the nuclear powerplant we had passed on the way but happily, this was not the case.
Domaine le Roure was interesting. We had a beautiful room (called Christine) on the first floor which was very spacious as was the bathroom complete with claw foot bath. It was set amongst large trees and park like surrounds but perhaps a little “tired” looking. Overall our hosts Dolores and Phillipe were very gracious, dinner one night was lovely, breakfasts were somewhat disappointing ( a large basket of different types of bread with very small amount of toppings to go with) and it was just a little too cold to enjoy the wonderful pool, although other braver souls did! The accommodation was 120 euros per night inc. breakfast.
Our first day trip was south to the Camargue with a stop at Pont du Gard en route. What an awesome spot! The weather was sunny and warm, Pont du Gard not too crowded and just mind blowing for someone from a country that can claim a little over two hundred years worth of history! Not to be missed for anyone passing this way. We wished we had more time as would have liked to try the canoeing as well.
We arrived at les Saintes-Marie-de-la-Mer in time for a late lunch, of paella of course.
To our detriment we had done little pre-planning here, and ended up being slightly disappointed with the Camargue. Being a horsey person, my main reason for visiting was to see the wild horses and I was very disappointed when the only horses we saw were tied up waiting for business. We even went on the boat cruise up the river where we did see some bulls and then a few horses fenced into a small yard and there for the happy snappers I suspect. We did, however, manage to photograph a flock of flamingos roadside as we were departing the area. We stopped in Aigues Mortes for dinner which was pleasant but too late to explore the area in detail.
Overall, the Camargue area was obviously quite unique but I don’t think we saw the best it had to offer and that was probably our fault. We were prepared for mosquitoes though, thanks to many warnings on Fodors, but saw none!!
The next day we wandered through the countryside visiting le Poet Laval, Dieulefit and Nimes (great co-operative) and then eventually the beautiful village of Vaison la Romaine where we spent the afternoon strolling through the old village and winding our way up the hill to the crumbling chateau.
I have to give special thanks to Jean Underhill for her great description of the Ardeche gorge and also the Aven d’Orgnac where we spent the next day. Despite my fears of car sickness on the ‘winding yellow roads,’ we enjoyed a spectacular drive along the gorge and a pleasant stop for lunch at the small kiosk at le Pont d’Arc before continuing on to the caves. The modern centre here is very informative (albeit all in French but many interesting exhibits nonetheless which certainly told the story) and then for the cave tour we were divided based on language and found ourselves with a delightful young German lady who conducted the tour in German and English for our small group of about 10. Very worthwhile and a cool respite from what was quite a warm day on the outside. Have to agree with Jean though, those stairs (all downhill) played havoc with my calf muscles for days afterwards!

Despite having said we are not foodies, we decided to continue following Jean Underhill’s advice and booked into Les Hospitaliers at Le Poet Laval for dinner. Well, it was sensational! Couldn’t sit outside, it was just a little chilly but the service was impeccable, the food mouth watering and the wine probably the best we had had in France according to my husband. All in all, a delightful experience.

nukesafe

Ozgirl,

I am enjoying your trip report very much, but was puzzled by the sentence, "-slightly concerned that we were going to have views of the nuclear powerplant we had passed on the way but happily, this was not the case."

What in the world would be wrong about catching a glipse of a nuclear power plant? Almost any power plant you see in France would be nuclear, as they produce over 80% of their electricity that way. Much more appealing IMHO than gazing upon a pollutant-belching coal or oil fired plant -- as in Oz, perhaps.

ozgirl

Hello nukesafe, appreciate your comments. We just hadn't quite anticipated that our "park like setting" may include a powerplant on the horizon but as I said, it didn't anyway so all was well! Luckily for me, I don't have any powerplants nearby in Oz so am obviously more fortunate than some.

ozgirl

Next, we headed for the coast and moved down to Villefranche-sur-mer and our studio apartment for 6 nights. It was located directly opposite the Hotel la Flore with a beautiful view of the bay and a balcony where we consumed quite a lot of local wine! Villefranche was absolutely beautiful, great atmosphere and sensational location which was convenient to Monaco and Nice by train (or bus) in either direction. At this stage, I must admit, whilst strolling past an Italian restaurant in old Monaco that I became a football (soccer) devotee! After assuring my husband prior to leaving Australia that just because Australia was in the World Cup he couldn’t expect me to suddenly become interested….. I did! Australia was playing Japan, we hit the front just as we strolled past Pinocchios and I was suddenly there with a glass of champagne whilst the owner offered the lone Japanese man at the table next door a box of tissues!
Anyway, the independence of having our own apartment was wonderful, we shopped at the local super marche and enjoyed watching the cruise ships come and go in the bay below. Excellent value also, we thought, at 595 euros for a week.
From here we also visited Eze which was spectacular despite visibility being poor for distance photographs. Really enjoyed the Fragonard perfumery and spent far too much but am still enjoying the memory each day. Another day we went by train to Menton which was picturesque and hot but gave us the opportunity to have a slow paced day drinking cocktails by the beach.
Nice and especially the flower market were visually spectacular and we chose to do the “hop on, hop off” bus for a quick orientation but decided that we were happier in Villefranche.
Next port of call, Le Mas Perreal with our charming hosts Kevin and Elisabeth and the unforgettable breakfasts….

grandmere

We will be staying at Palais de l'Isle in early Sept for 2 nights, so I was interested in hearing your take on it. Are there any restaurants that you would recommend, either in town or in the area? This will be our first time to Annecy.

Enjoying the whole report!

cocofromdijon

Hi ozgirl
At last! I understand now why it took you such a long time to write your trip report, so many details, it was worth waiting for it!
I'm glad you didn't find any mosquitoes in Camargue because they can be very bad. It is a pity you didn't see "real" wild white horses, you didn't go far enough maybe.
What was the name of your studio in Villefranche? Does it have a website?
Hope you're both well
coco
PS Hi nukesafe and grandmere

ozgirl

Hello grandmere and coco.
Coco you have not had to wait so long for a trip report because of detail but because I have been sooo busy at work I haven't had the opportunity to visit Fodors! Even now I am away from home in a hotel and despite not having my notes and maps with me have decided that it is now or never to write my trip report! Yes, we are well but busy as I have said, I am on one side of Australia at the moment and my DH is on the opposite side.
Grandmere, you will love Annecy - I have no recommendations on restaurants, there are many within a very short walk from your hotel but the real connoisseurs on Fodors would probably not rate them as special I guess! I preferred to eat by the side of the canal with a wonderful view rather than concentrate on the food, but that's just me! Having said that I don't remember anything terrible. I think our room was No.3 - beautiful views!

cocofromdijon

I can't believe you wrote this without any notes!=D>
When you get them please tell me more about the studio in Villefranche.
Poor you for being so far from hubby!

ozgirl

Goodnight ladies, more tomorrow hopefully...

ozgirl

Sorry Coco, posted at the same time..
www.holidayfrance.com
property/15149

cocofromdijon

Merci beaucoup! bonne nuit!(only 4.20pm here)

waggis

Great report, ozgirl. Thank you for taking the time to go into details, much appreciated. I'm also surprised that the Pont du Guard isn't visited more often. And don't think you didn't do enough research on the Camargue...we were disappointed, too. Looking forward to the rest of your report

ozgirl

Sorry Coco, it appears the website for the Villefranche apartment has changed.
www.holiday-rentals.com
property number still 15149

cocofromdijon

Hi and thanks Vicky, I couldn't find it with the number yesterday, thought it had been removed. It looks great, I would love to spend a week there in winter (350€!).
à bientôt
coco

ozgirl

Before I make any comment about our stay at Le Mas Perreal I would like to say that their service began long before we even left Australia. Kevin had been most obliging with my numerous questions, changes of dates (and general nuisance value) and had even organised tickets for the Cezanne exhibition in Aix for us.
Anyway, after driving up from Villefranche to St.Saturnin les Apts we arrived at the utterly charming Le Mas Perreal (www.masperreal.com) and were greeted at the door by the equally charming Kevin and Elisabeth and shown to our room, the Chambre du Puits Perdu. It was clear that an incredible amount of thought had gone into the renovation and decoration of this mas and we were thrilled with our temporary piece of it. The photos on the website don’t do it justice, go and check it out! Upon reading the guest comments in the room it became very obvious that breakfasts were a big feature and the following morning (and every one subsequently) we were not disappointed. Le Mas Perreal was a great base to revisit places that we had explored in our one week in Provence a year earlier including Rousillon (where Kevin recommended a lovely little Italian restaurant), and Bonnieux. We also visited Aix for the Cezanne exhibition and the markets and a new pair of shoes when my blisters got the better of me.
I was very keen to visit Moustiers and so we set off with Kevin’s recommendations for a route which took us through some lovely lavender fields (not quite at their best but spectacular nevertheless) and over mountains and eventually to the somewhat unique Moustiers. It was very warm and we wandered sluggishly around taking numerous photos and couldn’t quite face the climb to the church, as beautiful as it looked. The pottery was fantastic and when we finally decided what we would like to have shipped home, were devastated to find that the costs of shipping to Australia were exorbitant (by our standards anyway) and we purchased a lovely watercolour print to remind us of Moustiers. We then enjoyed a brief sojourn through the Gorges de Verdon but soon baled out due to a combination of it being late in the day and an onslaught of mad RVs coming at us on the wrong side of the road around corners. I know, no sense of adventure! On the way home we tuned the radio to what was clearly the soccer although I had no idea what was happening except that Australie and Brasil were playing and the commentators were very excited. Eventually we gleaned that the score was nil all and decided that we must find somewhere to watch what was an unexpectedly close game (at this stage anyway.) We checked our trusty Michelin (I’m sure Stu has shares in same) and we were nearing Forqualqier so pulled into the parking area and raced to the village square to find what every other town in France had in every café/restaurant – a plasma screen TV. Every other town but Forqualqier it seems – despite my increasingly desperate charades of playing football the Sunday evening dinner crowd were unimpressed and ate on. Finally, at the last eating establishment open, we were directed to the “piano bar 100 metres a gauche” with a somewhat vague point down the road. I raced off (the non football person) trailed by somewhat bemused DH (the original football fan) and when we had almost given up, much more than 100m down the road we found the aforementioned and deserted, piano bar complete with large screen projection. The rest, as they say, is history, as of course Australia was beaten but we will always remember where we watched their defeat.
The next day delivered what was undoubtedly one of the highlights of the trip – we went horse riding. Kevin had scouted out a reputable organisation prior to our arrival and we were not disappointed. I am a past horsey person but this represented DH’s fourth time on four legs and he loved it! I am not sure what happens in other “trail” rides around the world, but often in Oz the horses are tired, unenthusiastic (until you turn for home) and generally uninspiring. Not so here. Christian was our guide and his horses were healthy, happy and a delight to ride. Our two hour ride took us through lavender fields, wildflowers, streams, vineyards and down tiny village streets where madam waved “bonjour” as we clattered through. It was fantastic and I would recommend to anyone really wanting to see Provence very close up. That night I realised that there was only one thing our room lacked, sorry Kevin, but I could really have done with a bath!!
Anyway, after four beautiful nights at Le Mas Perreal (and having eaten numerous cherries from Kevin’s orchard) we reluctantly set off for the business part of our trip, a conference in Toulon.

kevin_widrow

Hi Vicky,

Well, next time you will have to try the Chambre du Lavoir !

And I think your (and Russell's) raves about the horseback riding may have just convinced Elisabeth to give it a go. I think we will wait till the fall when things have cooled (and calmed ) down a bit.

Best Regards,
Kevin

ozgirl

Hi Kevin, I didn't mean to suggest there was anything missing from our room at all!! However, when you get Elisabeth on horseback I'm sure she'll know what I mean!!