Provence -St. Remy vs L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue
 

I will be traveling with 2 other friends, and spending a week in Provence, the middle of Sept. Two years ago, after advice from Fodor's forums, we stayed at a B & B in St. Remy, and thought it was a wonderful place to stay. We want the same smaller town experience (but plenty of places to eat within walking distance), just in a different Provence town. Would like to know if L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue is similar, or does someone have a different recommendation for us? Also, hotel recommendations, we try to stay under between $150-$200 USD/night. We will have a rental car. Got great information and help last time!
Thanks

Can't help with hotels because we stay in Gites (houses). Try Bedoin, St Saturnin les Apt, or Uzes.

Stu Dudley

I like Vaison la Romaine and though it is not in Provence, I second the suggestion of Uzès. L'Isle sur la Sorgue is a great town with lots of restaurants but none that I found to be amazing, shops, and a fantastic wine bar (Le 17 Place Au Vin). I too can't help with hotels because we rent houses in Provence but I did see a hotel called La Maison sur La Sorgue that looked good near the wine bar. I don't know if it fits in your budget.

I don't think it has great restaurants, either, otherwise it would probably work (Isle sur la Sorgue). It's more central for touring than a place like Vaison la Romaine. Saint Remy is very popular with tourists and English-speakers, and Isle sur la Sorgue won't be quite that developed.

You don't say where you'd like to go during your stay, so I'm just going to throw this into the hopper. If you want to focus on the Luberon towns, this is a bad idea--too far. But if you've seen those and would like a slightly different experience that's only an hour or so away, I suggest you look into the area around Vaison. The countryside is beautiful, the restaurants abundant, and the terrain different from what you see near St. Remy or in the Luberon. There are many, many beautiful villages clustered around Vaison, from Gigondas to Le Barroux and Crestet, great nmarkets, easy driving, spectacular drives through the Dentelles and around Mont Ventoux (don't miss the tiny village of Brantes, across the Valley of the Toulourenc). Anyway, since you'll have a car, you might like to see something a bit different and very, very beautiful.

>> L'Isle sur la Sorgue is a great town with lots of restaurants but none that I found to be amazing<<

What did you think of Le Vivier??

Stu Dudley

Stu Dudley, so glad to see that you replied. You were very helpful on our last trip to Provence. I printed off your interary, and used it extensively. Your suggestion to me was St. Remy, which we loved. I am currently looking at Uzes. What do you think of Vaison, as suggested above? Thanks again!

Vaison is fine. Close to a lot of stuff. The Medieval section on the south side of the Ouveze River is interesting. The area on the north side of the river where most people gravitate to, is only OK - a little "bland". Lots of "simple" restaurants around Place Montfort. We've dined at a few restaurants there that were nice - but they have all closed. We've stayed in a gite in Bedoin just 30 mins south of Vaison for 8 weeks - and we're returning for 2 more next year - so we're big fans of the area.

Stu Dudley

Stu, have you tried the Bistro d'a Cote in Vaison? Hardly a "simple" restaurant. I know the Brin d'Olivier has closed, but I didn't that was as good as its reviews. The Bistro, OTOH, is really excellent, better than under its previous owners. We also liked Le Bateleur, although we didn't get there on our last stay in the area, in 2014. I know that too has changed hands.

The Michelin Red Guide has a Bistro du'O in Vaison and a Bistro A Cote in Arles. We've been to neither.

I had one good meal at Brin d'Oliver and one not-so-good one. Also had 2 dinners at the Michein 1 star next to the river (now departed) that was not that great for a 1 star.

The menu at Bataleur did not appeal to us. We also had a dinner at the Beffroi - mediocre.

Stu Dudley

Oops, you're right. I meant the Bistro du'O, in the medieval quarter of Vaison. Never been to the Bistro d'a Cote in Arles (although there's a very nice restaurant near me in NYC by that name! And the ones in Paris, too, which we tried years ago and rather liked, esp. the one in the 17th arr.).

We stayed in ISLS many years ago and although there aren't any gourmet restaurants, I enjoyed it as a home base--much more so than Uzes. Personally, I felt that Uzes was very far removed from everything. Uzes is a nice town for a day trip but, I'd never stay there again. Who knows, maybe you're not looking for gourmet meals anyway.

In ISLS you're close enough to do some nice day trips in the Luberon and beyond. I will say that parking is challenging there. We stayed at La Maison Sur La Sorgue and it although it was very nice, there was no parking so we'd have to circle the town a few times before finding a space on the street. I really like the town itself and the market/antiques market on Sunday is a must see. I also found it nice to see it on other days when the market & day trippers doesn't overtake it.

For restaurants we enjoy Le Viver and have also had really great meals at Le Jardin du Quai (although the menu is limited). Le Jardin has lovely al fresco dining during the warmer months! We are headed to Provence in June/July and plan to eat at both of these.

Check out Lourmarin as a base. That's a great town as well.

IMO, Lourmarin is just as "removed" as Uzes, if you include having to drive over the winding Combe de Lourmarin.

Uzes is close to the Pont du Gard, Nimes, Avignon, and the Chateauneuf do Pape area - whereas Lourmarin is near the upper Luberon (Gordes, Bonnieux, etc), lower Luberon, and Aix en Provence. They are equal distance from St Remy & Les Baux (1 hr) and also equal distance from Arles (1 hr 10 mins). About equal (15 mins diff) to Vaison. They (Lourmarin & Uzes) are 1 3/4 hrs from each other.

Both are quite nice.

Stu Dudley

True, Loumarin is a bit off the beaten path however, where I prefer to be closer to the Luberon to me it's in a more favorable location. To each his/her own. Lourmarin is definitely smaller than St Remy or ISLS but, it's a lovely village and has a wonderful market on Fridays. I just wanted to provide an alternative town.

If you're looking for some ideas for daytrips in the Luberon area, check out Provence Byways. They offer a very useful guidebook that you can purchase.
http://provencebyways.com