Hi all,

Eight of us are planning to rent a house/villa for a week in Provence. We like food, wine, hiking and history. Ideally our base would be a small town where we could walk to markets and drive to other towns for day-trips.

I just know you all will have some suggestions!

St Remy, Maussane, Eygaliers, Lourmarin are a few that come to mind.

I would also add Vaison la Romaine--great food, market on Tuesday, roman and medieval ruins as well as fantastic wineries in the area. We've hiked in the Dentelles nearby as well as explored lots of villages.
You're in for a treat! Paul

After spending 18 weeks in many locations in Provence - we've settled on Bedoin as our favorite spot. Great Monday market.

Stu Dudley

I would also go for Vaison la Romaine - all what Macanimals said and great restaurants, too!

www.lecalendal.com

Arles my fav just the right mix for me.

www.sunfrance.com other charater villages

I know I suggested Vaison la Romaine and I still stand by the town. But your group size made me think of an excellent place we stayed in a couple of years ago--Mas L'Authentique.
http://www.avignon-et-provence.com/l.../gb/index.html

Its a very well located old stone farm house with all the trimmings--pool, outside dining options, good kitchen and best of all within walking distance of Cigalechanta's favorite village, Eygalieres (6 km from St Remy). The size is a bit overstated as 12 is tough to accommodate but 8-10 is fine. The photos are true but don't capture the ambiance of the place and its proximity to the village. We loved our daily walk to the 2 bakeries, the variety of sights in the vicinity and location.

We stayed in Uzes a couple of years ago and found it to be a delightful and interesting town and nice base to explore the area. Enjoy!

St. Remy for us!
cheers,
CC

St. Remy.

Your comments are a huge help. Provence doesn't seem so overwhelming now. We will look into these towns and the recommended villa. Perfect.

Maggie