I will be in Provence in Sept. for only 4 nights (unfortunately, not enough time to rent and travel slow on this trip). I am looking for a charming village not too far from Avignon (TGV) from which to explore Luberon. Does anyone have any comments on the following places?

Choices:
In Velleron, just north of L'Isle sur la Sorgue.
Karen Brown recommends a guest house there that sounds very nice. http://www.villa-velleron.com/

In Saint Remy
Mas des Carassins
http://avignon-et-provence.com/hotels/mas-carassins/gb/

In Bonnieux
Le Clos du Buis
http://www.leclosdubuis.com/


Any feedback?
Thanks

No feedback on those, but you might have a look at La Ferme de la Huppe, which is on the road that leads up to Gordes. It's an old farmhouse turned into a very pleasant, rustic inn, and there is a pool. The restaurant is excellent, with reasonably priced meals.

The Mas de carassins is off the center of town in a residential quarter.
To explore the Luberon, I would chose Bonnieux. There are great restaurants, a bread museum there, and a few artisan shops. I've been by the Clos it looks very nice. There's a very nice antique shop where I bought those red initial dish towels that were a bargain compared to most places, including the flea markets. Another shop I stop at is an embroider. I had her make me a linen shoulder bag, that she mailed me when it was finished.

St Remy is not terribly convenient for the Luberon, whereas the other places you name are perfectly central. If you plan to wander in the day and dine out, remember that the valley is criss-crossed with tiny roads and 10 Km will seem like 100 miles of highway travel.

Anyway I stayed outside St Remy last year and found nothing special there other than the wonderful nearby Alpilles.

I could give you other names in Bonnieux, Lacoste, Gordes (hooray for Ferme de la huppe) and Rousillon. But suffice to say that there are about a jillion places, many of them luxurious (we last stayed last year at the Mas Destonge outside Rousillon -- excellent)

It is often expressed on this board that St Remy is a great base and convenient for exploring the Luberon, but I don't get this either. What is the point of driving back and forth? We like Bonnieux because it is centrally located with roads branching off in different directions.

Hooray, a voice of reason, thanks, Ron.

I agree that St.Remy is not a great base for the Luberon - too far. I just got back from Provence, and stayed in Lourmarin 3 days for the Luberon. It's easy to get in and out of, but Bonnieux would be more central. St. Remy is perfect for other more western sites.

If you're interested in the Luberon, that is where you should base yourself.

St. Remy is considered central for that overall area or Provence, if you'd be visiting the region - North, West, South and East to the Luberon. But to travel more than two days back and forth doesn't make sense.

St-Rémy is definitely not the location to base in for exploring the Luberon. But for access to Arles, Nimes, the Camargue, and Alpilles, and even Avignon it's hard to beat. That region needs at least 3 days on its own; seeing the Luberon should be a separate part of a trip so as to avoid backtracking.

A dissenting voice - we stayed five nights at Le Mas des Carassins last year and found it a perfect base from which to explore the Luberon AND the western areas of Provence (Pont du Gard, Arles, etc.). Moreover, Le Mas was a great place to stay - beautiful rooms, friendly and helpful staff, gourmet dinners each evening, set in well-manicured grounds with a swimming pool, just a few minutes' walk from the center of St. Remy, where we enjoyed the weekly market, the regional museums, the shops and bistros. After St. Remy, we travelled east and stayed in St. Paul de Vence from which we were able to see more of eastern Provence. Would go back in a heartbeat, especially to Le Mas des Carassins.

3gigs, you missed the point. cruisinred will be only FOUR NIGHTS IN PROVENCE so it's nearer to be in the Luberon, otherwise I agree with you, I go from one to the other in a week. And also agree that the "Caressins"is lovely but it is not in the Luberon.

We stayed at Le Clos de Buis in 2002 and would highly recommend it. Do try to get a room with a view, overlooking the valley. You can see all the way across to Lacoste, with its ruined castle of the Marquis de Sade, which is fun to explore. (Rent the movie "Swimming Pool" and check out the deleted scenes for views of that area.).

Bonnieux is a perfect location for exploring the Luberon; we did day trips to Aix, Arles, Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, and several other "villages perche" in the area. Bonnieux itself is a charming town, and the B&B is well located for exploring the village. Pierre, the host, is most gracious and accommodating, and a very good cook if you want to eat at the inn. There's also a pretty good restaurant right across the street, as well as many other options in Bonnieux. Also, a place not to miss in the area is L'Auberge de la Loupe in Buoux, the next town up the hill from Bonnieux. Incredible food, including the most amazing hors d'oeuvre platter you will ever encounter.