Provence & Paris Trip Report 6-21/06 - 7/8/06
Jul 19th, 2006 | 09:49 AM
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Provence & Paris Trip Report 6-21/06 - 7/8/06
With my thanks for all the help received from this board and all of you, here's my trip report. I KNOW it's long, but I love the detail in others' trip reports. Hope you do also!
6 of my girlfriends and I treated ourselves to 60th birthday gifts by spending 8 nights in Provence and 8 nights in Paris. In Provence, we stayed at "Le Lavandin," a guesthouse/B&B in Pernes Les Fontaines owned by an American, Georgia Perrin Ball. A couple of years ago I had read an article about Georgia on the www.bonjourparis.com website about how she found the property and developed it into the little piece of Heaven it is right now!! I thought to myself that it sounded like someplace I would love to go someday! The website is www.lelavandinprovence.com. In Paris we stayed in two Paris Perfect apartments -- 5 of us in the Sancerre and 2 of us in the Champagne - www.parisperfect.com. Both places absolutely exceeded our expectations and what you see on their respective websites is EXACTLY what they offer and much, much more! The "Yellow Book" that is in the Paris apartments has more information that one could possibly imagine - how to use the dishwasher, washer/dryer, Nepresso machine (Yum!), places for manicures, dining, markets, transportation, etc., etc. The "neighborhood" was really great - anything you wanted or needed was within steps, be it coffee, bread, pastries, restaurant, café, shopping, pharmacie, Picard for every type of foodstuff in a frozen condition (LOVED IT!), clothing, jewelry, etc., etc.
We departed Chicago O'Hare about 6PM on June 21st and arrived in Paris on Thursday, June 22nd, about 9:30AM. We had made reservations for the TGV to Avignon for 2:04PM that day, but hoped that all luggage would arrive, all planes on time, etc., to enable us to perhaps get on the 11:20A TGV to Avignon. However, that train was full, so we enjoyed lunch in the area of the TGV station at CDG. We arrived in Avignon about 5P, picked up our brand new 7 passenger automatic transmission van (which took some time and research to get!). I wondered how the van would navigate through the small perched villages, but since we all wanted to be able to travel together, we went ahead and rented the van. We had absolutely no problems except once trying to turn around on a small street in Cassis!
We arrived at LeLavandin to a jaw-dropping gorgeous property - lavender fields, cypress trees, azalea bushes, huge hydrangeas, roses, etc., etc., - just a lush gorgeous property! Georgia is the consummate hostess -- personable, informative, gracious, lovely, etc. There are four rooms in the guesthouse -- two up and two down. We expected to have all four of those rooms, but two of our gals had the studio (very chic with kitchen facilities). The other 3 rooms had 2 twin beds, a LARGE closet with shelves in the middle for storage, and a separate bath with huge shower with a rain showerhead, sink area, and toilet. A chair and desk were also in each room and we never felt crowded. Both the up and down rooms have terraces with chaise lounges. There was also a large terrace outside the "salon" with a large table and umbrella where we enjoyed our market purchases by candlelight after the sun went down in its glory! It turned out, much to our delight, that LeLavandin had been included in the June 2006 issue of the French "Art & Decoration - Mediterranee" magazine! We, obviously, each purchased a copy to bring home. What a wonderful memento!! Breakfasts were wonderful! -- fresh juices, yogurt, fresh fruit (white peaches with fromage blanc! Strawberries), Muesli, an egg casserole one day, a fruit tart one day, baquette, pain au chocolat, sweet brioche, croissants, coffee - soft boiled eggs with bacon still in the shell (egg soldiers?) -- gave us the energy to go about our day! Each day the outdoor "breakfast" table was set with different beautiful linens.
We had a large list of places we wanted to see while in Provence but still just enjoy Le Lavandin, the landscape, villages, markets, etc. (such a conflict!). However, when Georgia saw our daily itinerary, she quietly and eloquently told us, "Don't push the river - enjoy what unfolds and leave something to come back for," Fortunately, we listened to her advice and, although using our itinerary, we just let the days unfold how they would. I will say that while we were in both Provence and Paris, the temperatures were in the high 80's/low 90's. The heat was also a deterrent in our running from place to place!
On that Friday evening, we enjoyed the most fabulous pizza any of us had ever had at L'Industrie in L'Isle sur la Sorgue. I believe it was the "Savoyarde" with the best cheeses any of us had ever tasted - very creamy and very delicious. That pizza kept "calling us" but we never were able to find the time to get back to L'Industrie for that pizza. Another trip?!?
Friday, Day 1: Drove to Bonnieux, stopped at the Cave, had a winetasting and bought 2 cases wine for the week. The fields of lavender and sunflowers were breathtaking! Walked around the gorgeous village of Bonnieux, on to Lumiere for a leisurely walk around and to see Georgia's friend, Edith Mezard's "atelier;" however, she was closed, on to Menerbes for a leisurely walk and visit Sacha Decoration, another friend of Georgia's who has a great shop in Menerbes, and back to our "home."
Saturday, Day 2: Drove to the jaw-dropping gorgeous Roussillon. Took lots of pictures, shopped, enjoyed the colors, had lunch on the square (a wedding was taking place), drove to Joucas (sweet little village), Gordes (what can I say about Gordes that others haven't said?!? ), walked around, shopped, saw another wedding (great old wedding car decorated with lots of white flowers), sat in a church and listened to music that brought tears to our eyes, had a Peche Kir at the La Bastide Hotel/Spa on their terrace with a view over the valley that wouldn't end, on to Abbaye de Senanque to see the lavender (which was not blooming yet - very disappointed!), and on to "home" through Venasque and St. Didier (would like to come back here some day - looks very cute!).
Sunday, Day 3: To the L'Isle sur la Sorgue market to shop! We found the "chicken" vendor (ordered 2 rotisserie chickens, potatoes, and rice to pick up at the end of the market to take home for dinner), the "soap" vendor whose fragrance is throughout the soap, and the taupe/ivory linen vendor that Georgia had recommended to us. We made several purchases of soap and beautiful table toppers, runners, etc. Very lovely! We all thought the market was extremely crowded, but according to the vendors, it was not! I don't think I'd want to be there when it IS crowded! We could hardly walk as it was. The market is great fun and L'Isle sur la Sorgue is so charming with the water wheels, the water flowing through the village, and the winding streets through the town. We all purchased things for dinner on our terrace that night - tomatoes, haricots vert, greens for salad, various cheeses, fruit, bread, the chicken, etc., tarts -- the greatest picnic makings around! Back to LL and we just enjoyed the afternoon around the pool drinking wine and so totally enjoyed our market dinner sitting on our outdoor terrace with the candles lit listening to the chant of the cigales! Doesn't get any better than that!!
Monday, Day 3: Stopped in St. Saturnin les Avignon at Tissus Gregoire for a shopping expedition. The most fabulous fabrics, wash mitts, placemats, tablecloths, napkins, dish towels, etc., etc., We spent perhaps 2 hours there! Very reasonable prices. The French are the most creative, imaginative, beautiful designers of fabric in the world!
Decided not to stop in Avignon for the Palais du Papes and walking about, but instead drove through (after stopping just inside Avignon for lunch) to Pont du Gard. What an amazing piece of history! I was not able to see that gorgeous place when in Provence in 2002, but am so glad we got there this trip! Great photo ops! Watched the teens jumping off the rocky outcroppings into the water -- it would have been very refreshing on a 90 degree day!
Tuesday, Day 4: Drove a route Georgia mapped out for us through the sweet perched villages up to Vaison-la-Romaine for the market and the vineyards. We shopped the Vaison market for 1 1/2 hours, drove over to Domaine Le Crestet (a guesthouse/B & B where one of our group had stayed a couple of years ago), came upon Maison Chaloin, a "Chocolatier Artisanal" just inside Le Crestet, stopped for wonderful chocolats and ice cream (had my first taste of lavender ice cream -- DELICIOUS!), and walked around Domaine Le Crestet - a beautiful lush setting in a vineyard -- would be a great place to come back to and stay! Decided to stop in only two villages on the way back home -- Seguret and Gigondas -- great choices! Seguret is a precious village with cobblestone narrow streets curving up, around, down, with surprises of window boxes and pots of flowers around every turn! We all LOVED Seguret. Gigondas is a very cute village where we had two wine tastings, did a little shopping, and just sat in the square and listened to the cigales!
Wednesday, Day 5: To the market in St. Remy. We spent the morning at the market buying up what we missed at L'Isle sur la Sorgue! We had lunch at a bistro/café in St. Remy that had huge delicious salads along with the wonderfully refreshing rosé wine. Walked about St. Remy to the Joel Durand chocolat store! The romarin (rosemary) and lavande (lavender) chocolate are to die for! We acted like the typical tourists and had Messr. Durand sign our purchases! I also bought the cocao poudre to make hot chocolat this winter!
Thursday, Day 6: Were planning to go to Aix and just quickly run through the market and then drive to Cassis. However, we apparently missed a turn somewhere and ended up in Marseille instead and so drove on to Cassis from there. Cassis is a sweet little village on a harbor on the Mediterranean. Many shops and restaurants line the waterfront. We found a great spot for lunch on the water but under an awning out of the sun! Another very hot day! We took the boat ride out along and among the Calanques which is a "must do." These high white calcium cliffs with various strata line the banks of the Med and every now and then you'll spot a small beach back inside one of the Calanques. Apparently, the boats will drop you off at a beach and then pick you up later in the day on their boat run. The chocolate brown that run through the white of the Calanques downward was very interesting. After the boat ride, we stopped at a café/restaurant on the waterfront for some wonderful ice cream creations! Shopped a short time and had to leave this little spot of Paradise! We took the Autoroute de Soleil back to our "home" in Pernes. Spent several hours packing and taking our luggage down to the van so we could get an early start the next morning for the trip to Avignon to go to Paris.
Friday, Day 7: Travel to Paris on the TGV from Avignon. What a circus! All of us had purchased so many goodies in Provence that we had to stop on Thursday at Auchan in Cavaillon and each buy an additional suitcase for our "stuff." We had to stop for gas on the way so we could drop the van with a full tank and lots of other people were also lined up for gas! Next, just inside the entrance to the TGV station property, a gendarme stopped us for a look at our papers to make sure we were legal! And the minutes are ticking away! We knew we had to get the luggage and ourselves on the TGV in a 4 minute time slot!!! I forgot that I had given the TGV tickets to one of the other gals in the meantime, and when we arrived at the station, I FRANTICALLY started searching for our tickets to Paris, stress and heat having totally emptied my brain of any productive thought and memory! It was as if they just disappeared from my tote bag! Again, time is ticking away, all the luggage is in the station, and the other gals are trying to get the information as to train number, track number, etc. Finally, one of the them realized what I was doing in panic mode and told me that the tickets were in safe hands! Thank you, God!!! We started the massive transfer of luggage upstairs to the track (7 women traveling with beaucoup luggage!), lined it up at both ends of where we expected our car to be, and as soon as the train stopped, people got off, two of us hopped onto the train at both ends of the car and the others on the platform started feeding us the luggage. Finally, after finding our seats and being seatbound for 2 hours 40 minutes, we were all able to take a deep breath, sit back, relax, and enjoy the fast trip and scenery to Paris. Then, we had to go through the entire drill again taking the luggage off, going through Gare Lyon, out to cabs, and onto the apartments!
The restaurants in Provence where we had dinner were as follows and all had been recommended and reservations made by our wonderful hostess Georgia:
L'Industrie - L'Isle sur la Sorgue - Great pizza as described above.
Lou Soloy du Luberon - L'Isle sur la Sorgue - A cute little place on the water basin by the Belle Vue restaurant. The night we were there, they had just lost their electricity! Dinner was just okay. However, the ambience and location more than made up for the food (and the wine helped!). We sat outside above the water, a rain shower came up which refreshed us all, but we didn't get rained on. The diners at the tables on the little bridge over the water had to move from their wonderful seats! Very cute spot.
La Maison Gouin - Coustellat - Very delicious dinner. I can't remember what we had (don't have my journal with me), but I know the entire evening was a wonderful dining experience! We sat on their enclosed porch area with all the windows open. A lovely night.
Dame l'Oie - Pernes les Fontaines - Wonderful little restaurant just off the main street in Pernes les Fontaines. Georgia had recommended this and said if the rabbit with lavender was on the menu, that we wouldn't be disappointed! Fortunately, for us, it was on the menu and it was simply wonderful. The foie gras was like silk in your mouth!!! Desserts were wonderful!
LaBergerie - Maubec - A very charming pizza/café-type restaurant with a view of the church and a small vineyard! We also ate here on their outside terrace. The food was wonderful - gourmet-type brick oven pizzas and wonderful salads and dessert to die for! The inside of the restaurant was very cute - ochre golds and a good red. A large fireplace inside would be a wonderful addition to a winter evening with a big bowl of soup -- very inviting!
Our lunches were "wherever we were" and mostly consisted of refreshing salads in the heat of the day, glasses of wonderful rosé, and very delicious desserts! What more can you ask for?!?
We found the driving very easy. Georgia would plot our course every morning and we would be off. We put 1009 km on the van (or 625 US miles) on our various daytrips.
We absolutely loved Le Lavandin and Provence and would go back in a heartbeat!
I'll post the Paris segment in the next couple of days!
6 of my girlfriends and I treated ourselves to 60th birthday gifts by spending 8 nights in Provence and 8 nights in Paris. In Provence, we stayed at "Le Lavandin," a guesthouse/B&B in Pernes Les Fontaines owned by an American, Georgia Perrin Ball. A couple of years ago I had read an article about Georgia on the www.bonjourparis.com website about how she found the property and developed it into the little piece of Heaven it is right now!! I thought to myself that it sounded like someplace I would love to go someday! The website is www.lelavandinprovence.com. In Paris we stayed in two Paris Perfect apartments -- 5 of us in the Sancerre and 2 of us in the Champagne - www.parisperfect.com. Both places absolutely exceeded our expectations and what you see on their respective websites is EXACTLY what they offer and much, much more! The "Yellow Book" that is in the Paris apartments has more information that one could possibly imagine - how to use the dishwasher, washer/dryer, Nepresso machine (Yum!), places for manicures, dining, markets, transportation, etc., etc. The "neighborhood" was really great - anything you wanted or needed was within steps, be it coffee, bread, pastries, restaurant, café, shopping, pharmacie, Picard for every type of foodstuff in a frozen condition (LOVED IT!), clothing, jewelry, etc., etc.
We departed Chicago O'Hare about 6PM on June 21st and arrived in Paris on Thursday, June 22nd, about 9:30AM. We had made reservations for the TGV to Avignon for 2:04PM that day, but hoped that all luggage would arrive, all planes on time, etc., to enable us to perhaps get on the 11:20A TGV to Avignon. However, that train was full, so we enjoyed lunch in the area of the TGV station at CDG. We arrived in Avignon about 5P, picked up our brand new 7 passenger automatic transmission van (which took some time and research to get!). I wondered how the van would navigate through the small perched villages, but since we all wanted to be able to travel together, we went ahead and rented the van. We had absolutely no problems except once trying to turn around on a small street in Cassis!
We arrived at LeLavandin to a jaw-dropping gorgeous property - lavender fields, cypress trees, azalea bushes, huge hydrangeas, roses, etc., etc., - just a lush gorgeous property! Georgia is the consummate hostess -- personable, informative, gracious, lovely, etc. There are four rooms in the guesthouse -- two up and two down. We expected to have all four of those rooms, but two of our gals had the studio (very chic with kitchen facilities). The other 3 rooms had 2 twin beds, a LARGE closet with shelves in the middle for storage, and a separate bath with huge shower with a rain showerhead, sink area, and toilet. A chair and desk were also in each room and we never felt crowded. Both the up and down rooms have terraces with chaise lounges. There was also a large terrace outside the "salon" with a large table and umbrella where we enjoyed our market purchases by candlelight after the sun went down in its glory! It turned out, much to our delight, that LeLavandin had been included in the June 2006 issue of the French "Art & Decoration - Mediterranee" magazine! We, obviously, each purchased a copy to bring home. What a wonderful memento!! Breakfasts were wonderful! -- fresh juices, yogurt, fresh fruit (white peaches with fromage blanc! Strawberries), Muesli, an egg casserole one day, a fruit tart one day, baquette, pain au chocolat, sweet brioche, croissants, coffee - soft boiled eggs with bacon still in the shell (egg soldiers?) -- gave us the energy to go about our day! Each day the outdoor "breakfast" table was set with different beautiful linens.
We had a large list of places we wanted to see while in Provence but still just enjoy Le Lavandin, the landscape, villages, markets, etc. (such a conflict!). However, when Georgia saw our daily itinerary, she quietly and eloquently told us, "Don't push the river - enjoy what unfolds and leave something to come back for," Fortunately, we listened to her advice and, although using our itinerary, we just let the days unfold how they would. I will say that while we were in both Provence and Paris, the temperatures were in the high 80's/low 90's. The heat was also a deterrent in our running from place to place!
On that Friday evening, we enjoyed the most fabulous pizza any of us had ever had at L'Industrie in L'Isle sur la Sorgue. I believe it was the "Savoyarde" with the best cheeses any of us had ever tasted - very creamy and very delicious. That pizza kept "calling us" but we never were able to find the time to get back to L'Industrie for that pizza. Another trip?!?
Friday, Day 1: Drove to Bonnieux, stopped at the Cave, had a winetasting and bought 2 cases wine for the week. The fields of lavender and sunflowers were breathtaking! Walked around the gorgeous village of Bonnieux, on to Lumiere for a leisurely walk around and to see Georgia's friend, Edith Mezard's "atelier;" however, she was closed, on to Menerbes for a leisurely walk and visit Sacha Decoration, another friend of Georgia's who has a great shop in Menerbes, and back to our "home."
Saturday, Day 2: Drove to the jaw-dropping gorgeous Roussillon. Took lots of pictures, shopped, enjoyed the colors, had lunch on the square (a wedding was taking place), drove to Joucas (sweet little village), Gordes (what can I say about Gordes that others haven't said?!? ), walked around, shopped, saw another wedding (great old wedding car decorated with lots of white flowers), sat in a church and listened to music that brought tears to our eyes, had a Peche Kir at the La Bastide Hotel/Spa on their terrace with a view over the valley that wouldn't end, on to Abbaye de Senanque to see the lavender (which was not blooming yet - very disappointed!), and on to "home" through Venasque and St. Didier (would like to come back here some day - looks very cute!).
Sunday, Day 3: To the L'Isle sur la Sorgue market to shop! We found the "chicken" vendor (ordered 2 rotisserie chickens, potatoes, and rice to pick up at the end of the market to take home for dinner), the "soap" vendor whose fragrance is throughout the soap, and the taupe/ivory linen vendor that Georgia had recommended to us. We made several purchases of soap and beautiful table toppers, runners, etc. Very lovely! We all thought the market was extremely crowded, but according to the vendors, it was not! I don't think I'd want to be there when it IS crowded! We could hardly walk as it was. The market is great fun and L'Isle sur la Sorgue is so charming with the water wheels, the water flowing through the village, and the winding streets through the town. We all purchased things for dinner on our terrace that night - tomatoes, haricots vert, greens for salad, various cheeses, fruit, bread, the chicken, etc., tarts -- the greatest picnic makings around! Back to LL and we just enjoyed the afternoon around the pool drinking wine and so totally enjoyed our market dinner sitting on our outdoor terrace with the candles lit listening to the chant of the cigales! Doesn't get any better than that!!
Monday, Day 3: Stopped in St. Saturnin les Avignon at Tissus Gregoire for a shopping expedition. The most fabulous fabrics, wash mitts, placemats, tablecloths, napkins, dish towels, etc., etc., We spent perhaps 2 hours there! Very reasonable prices. The French are the most creative, imaginative, beautiful designers of fabric in the world!
Decided not to stop in Avignon for the Palais du Papes and walking about, but instead drove through (after stopping just inside Avignon for lunch) to Pont du Gard. What an amazing piece of history! I was not able to see that gorgeous place when in Provence in 2002, but am so glad we got there this trip! Great photo ops! Watched the teens jumping off the rocky outcroppings into the water -- it would have been very refreshing on a 90 degree day!
Tuesday, Day 4: Drove a route Georgia mapped out for us through the sweet perched villages up to Vaison-la-Romaine for the market and the vineyards. We shopped the Vaison market for 1 1/2 hours, drove over to Domaine Le Crestet (a guesthouse/B & B where one of our group had stayed a couple of years ago), came upon Maison Chaloin, a "Chocolatier Artisanal" just inside Le Crestet, stopped for wonderful chocolats and ice cream (had my first taste of lavender ice cream -- DELICIOUS!), and walked around Domaine Le Crestet - a beautiful lush setting in a vineyard -- would be a great place to come back to and stay! Decided to stop in only two villages on the way back home -- Seguret and Gigondas -- great choices! Seguret is a precious village with cobblestone narrow streets curving up, around, down, with surprises of window boxes and pots of flowers around every turn! We all LOVED Seguret. Gigondas is a very cute village where we had two wine tastings, did a little shopping, and just sat in the square and listened to the cigales!
Wednesday, Day 5: To the market in St. Remy. We spent the morning at the market buying up what we missed at L'Isle sur la Sorgue! We had lunch at a bistro/café in St. Remy that had huge delicious salads along with the wonderfully refreshing rosé wine. Walked about St. Remy to the Joel Durand chocolat store! The romarin (rosemary) and lavande (lavender) chocolate are to die for! We acted like the typical tourists and had Messr. Durand sign our purchases! I also bought the cocao poudre to make hot chocolat this winter!
Thursday, Day 6: Were planning to go to Aix and just quickly run through the market and then drive to Cassis. However, we apparently missed a turn somewhere and ended up in Marseille instead and so drove on to Cassis from there. Cassis is a sweet little village on a harbor on the Mediterranean. Many shops and restaurants line the waterfront. We found a great spot for lunch on the water but under an awning out of the sun! Another very hot day! We took the boat ride out along and among the Calanques which is a "must do." These high white calcium cliffs with various strata line the banks of the Med and every now and then you'll spot a small beach back inside one of the Calanques. Apparently, the boats will drop you off at a beach and then pick you up later in the day on their boat run. The chocolate brown that run through the white of the Calanques downward was very interesting. After the boat ride, we stopped at a café/restaurant on the waterfront for some wonderful ice cream creations! Shopped a short time and had to leave this little spot of Paradise! We took the Autoroute de Soleil back to our "home" in Pernes. Spent several hours packing and taking our luggage down to the van so we could get an early start the next morning for the trip to Avignon to go to Paris.
Friday, Day 7: Travel to Paris on the TGV from Avignon. What a circus! All of us had purchased so many goodies in Provence that we had to stop on Thursday at Auchan in Cavaillon and each buy an additional suitcase for our "stuff." We had to stop for gas on the way so we could drop the van with a full tank and lots of other people were also lined up for gas! Next, just inside the entrance to the TGV station property, a gendarme stopped us for a look at our papers to make sure we were legal! And the minutes are ticking away! We knew we had to get the luggage and ourselves on the TGV in a 4 minute time slot!!! I forgot that I had given the TGV tickets to one of the other gals in the meantime, and when we arrived at the station, I FRANTICALLY started searching for our tickets to Paris, stress and heat having totally emptied my brain of any productive thought and memory! It was as if they just disappeared from my tote bag! Again, time is ticking away, all the luggage is in the station, and the other gals are trying to get the information as to train number, track number, etc. Finally, one of the them realized what I was doing in panic mode and told me that the tickets were in safe hands! Thank you, God!!! We started the massive transfer of luggage upstairs to the track (7 women traveling with beaucoup luggage!), lined it up at both ends of where we expected our car to be, and as soon as the train stopped, people got off, two of us hopped onto the train at both ends of the car and the others on the platform started feeding us the luggage. Finally, after finding our seats and being seatbound for 2 hours 40 minutes, we were all able to take a deep breath, sit back, relax, and enjoy the fast trip and scenery to Paris. Then, we had to go through the entire drill again taking the luggage off, going through Gare Lyon, out to cabs, and onto the apartments!
The restaurants in Provence where we had dinner were as follows and all had been recommended and reservations made by our wonderful hostess Georgia:
L'Industrie - L'Isle sur la Sorgue - Great pizza as described above.
Lou Soloy du Luberon - L'Isle sur la Sorgue - A cute little place on the water basin by the Belle Vue restaurant. The night we were there, they had just lost their electricity! Dinner was just okay. However, the ambience and location more than made up for the food (and the wine helped!). We sat outside above the water, a rain shower came up which refreshed us all, but we didn't get rained on. The diners at the tables on the little bridge over the water had to move from their wonderful seats! Very cute spot.
La Maison Gouin - Coustellat - Very delicious dinner. I can't remember what we had (don't have my journal with me), but I know the entire evening was a wonderful dining experience! We sat on their enclosed porch area with all the windows open. A lovely night.
Dame l'Oie - Pernes les Fontaines - Wonderful little restaurant just off the main street in Pernes les Fontaines. Georgia had recommended this and said if the rabbit with lavender was on the menu, that we wouldn't be disappointed! Fortunately, for us, it was on the menu and it was simply wonderful. The foie gras was like silk in your mouth!!! Desserts were wonderful!
LaBergerie - Maubec - A very charming pizza/café-type restaurant with a view of the church and a small vineyard! We also ate here on their outside terrace. The food was wonderful - gourmet-type brick oven pizzas and wonderful salads and dessert to die for! The inside of the restaurant was very cute - ochre golds and a good red. A large fireplace inside would be a wonderful addition to a winter evening with a big bowl of soup -- very inviting!
Our lunches were "wherever we were" and mostly consisted of refreshing salads in the heat of the day, glasses of wonderful rosé, and very delicious desserts! What more can you ask for?!?
We found the driving very easy. Georgia would plot our course every morning and we would be off. We put 1009 km on the van (or 625 US miles) on our various daytrips.
We absolutely loved Le Lavandin and Provence and would go back in a heartbeat!
I'll post the Paris segment in the next couple of days!
Jul 19th, 2006 | 10:37 AM
#2
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 1,510
Likes: 0
luvparee,
It sounds like a wonderful trip- thanks for reporting. What a great way to celebrate your birthdays!
I like the philosophy of relaxing and letting the days unfold as they will, and to leave some things for the next trip!
I'm adding some of your restaurants and shopping spots to my list for our trip this September.
Now I can't wait to hear about Paris!
It sounds like a wonderful trip- thanks for reporting. What a great way to celebrate your birthdays!
I like the philosophy of relaxing and letting the days unfold as they will, and to leave some things for the next trip!
I'm adding some of your restaurants and shopping spots to my list for our trip this September.
Now I can't wait to hear about Paris!
Jul 20th, 2006 | 09:27 AM
#5
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 656
Likes: 0
I can't wait to hear about the Paris portion of your trip!! I'm staying in a ParisPerfect apartment next year, the Volnay.
Also I'm looking at staying at Le Lavandin for a few of our days in Provence. How was the studio outfitted? Which did you enjoy more, the guest house or the studio? And did any of the guest rooms or the studio have a bathtub?? (my obsession!!)
Thanks!
Also I'm looking at staying at Le Lavandin for a few of our days in Provence. How was the studio outfitted? Which did you enjoy more, the guest house or the studio? And did any of the guest rooms or the studio have a bathtub?? (my obsession!!)
Thanks!
Jul 20th, 2006 | 09:37 AM
#6
Original Poster
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 357
Likes: 0
The studio was very large and chic! Not sure if the beds are twin beds or a queen separated for 2 of our gals. Lots of storage in the very beautiful built-ins. Long, low L-shaped "couch". The studio is pictured on the website. It has a bath (never saw it), and a kitchen with sink looking out onto the property, dishwasher, stove (I think!), and counterspace. It had three or four stairs into the "salon" and then out onto the terrace. It also had its own entrance/exit door. I KNOW you will absolutely love Le Lavandin. Georgia is delightful, very personable, and the consummate hostess! If you have other questions, please don't hesitate to post them here.
Joy/luvparee
Joy/luvparee
Jul 20th, 2006 | 09:56 AM
#7
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 656
Likes: 0
Hi Joy - thanks for your response. So then I take it that the studio has its own private terrace too? Because I looked at the pictures and the terrace on one of the guest rooms looks really neat!!
Does everyone have breakfast in the main house?
Does everyone have breakfast in the main house?
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Jul 20th, 2006 | 11:43 AM
#9
Original Poster
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 357
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Jen -- The terrace is not private to the studio only. It is shared with anyone in the guesthouse also. It's the "main level" terrace. There is also one terrace outside both the upstairs rooms with 4 chaise lounges.
The studio is somewhat to the side of the guesthouse, but connected. The "salon" is for everyone. In the guesthouse proper, there are two rooms down and two rooms up.
All our breakfasts were outside at a beautifully set table (different every day) that is under a large magnificent tree and in a lovely garden setting with the pool just steps away, but hidden behind lush foliage. It's a Paradise in Provence! I don't know when you are going and also don't have any information about breakfasts when it might be raining or too chilly to be outside. I would be glad to answer any other questions. Keeps me in Provence for a little while more!
Joy/luvparee
The studio is somewhat to the side of the guesthouse, but connected. The "salon" is for everyone. In the guesthouse proper, there are two rooms down and two rooms up.
All our breakfasts were outside at a beautifully set table (different every day) that is under a large magnificent tree and in a lovely garden setting with the pool just steps away, but hidden behind lush foliage. It's a Paradise in Provence! I don't know when you are going and also don't have any information about breakfasts when it might be raining or too chilly to be outside. I would be glad to answer any other questions. Keeps me in Provence for a little while more!
Joy/luvparee
May 6th, 2007 | 07:05 AM
#15
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 677
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