September in Paris and Provence
 

We are planning a trip Sept 10th until Sept 29th with the first 4 days in Paris and then taking tgv to Avignon and renting a car there. We are in our 50's--really wanted to concentrate on Provence but think it would be a mistake to not see Paris while we're in France.
Our itinerary is:
4 nights Paris
Train to Avignon
3 night Bonnieux at la Bastide de Capelongue to rest up from Paris
4 night somewhere near Gordes
6 nights in St Remy
Can anyone help us:
1. Does this time frame look good?
2. ? hotel in Paris--150 euros or so--Someone recommended near Place de Madeline
3.Recommendations for lodging near Gordes-150 euros or so
4. 2 places in St Remy interest us :
1. Les Mas des Carassins
2. Hotel Gounod
Has anyone stayed at either?

September/October is a great time to travel in France...Last October we arrived in Paris and took the TVG to Avignon..Provence is incredible!, You will love it. We rented a villa in St Remy and took day trips from there. All of the interesting towns are approximately 1-2 hours by drive from St Remy, including Avignon, Nimes, Vaison-la- romaine, Les Baux, Seguret, Sablet, Fontaine de Vaucluse, and Gordes. I would recommend driving from Avignon right to St Remy, it is a short 45 min drive. Also for 150 a night in Paris, you can find a great apartment. It is much more enjoyable than staying in a hotel. Good luck! mike1728

We stayed at Mas De Carrassins last May and absolutely loved it. You can click on my name and get more information and I posted some pictures. It is very accessible to St. Remy and has the most beautiful lawns, gardens, patios. Owners are fantastic.

Do make a point of having dinner there at least once. We did it twice and it was the best meals we had on our trip. Each time we dined by candelight in the rose garden and the food was delicious. You have to sign up each morning.

The owners also run Mas de Romarins in Gordes. It is on the main road going into Gordes and has quite a nice view of the town. Its in your price range. Do go to Rousillion when you are in the Gordes area. Very nice 1/2 day trip and very close.


Here is a link that shows both places mentioned.
http://www.avignon-et-provence.com/h...s-romarins.htm

Hi NS,

>hotel in Paris--150 euros or so--

We always stay at the Hotel Bonaparte, 61 Rue Bonaparte in the 6th. About 124E dbl w/bkfst

Tel 33 1 43 26 97 37
FAX 33 1 46 33 57 67
www.hotelbonaparte.fr

For more info, enter "Hotel Bonaparte" in the "search this forum" box.

Photos are at http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=...&y=-l95uyr

Looks like a lovely trip.

I suggest adding a day to Paris.

((I))

I wouldn't spend 7 nights in the Luberon at two different hotels. Gordes & Bonnieux are only about 20-30 mins apart at most.

For 13 nights, I would spend:

5 in the Luberon (Gordes or Bonnieux)
4 nights near St Remy
4 nights near Vaison

This would allow you to experience different regions of Provence, and reduce the day-trip driving.

Stu Dudley

Stu,
Good response. Have you any recomendations for staying near Vaison, St Remy, or Gordes?

Thanks--your pictures are great! Which room did you have at mas des Carassins ? It looks like you had a suite?

Yes we had a suite which you enter from the outside of the main building. I believe it was called l'Estable as this part of the building used to be stables.

The rooms that are upstairs in the main building are equally as nice - we just had an additional sitting room with our own small terrace and table.

We stay in Gites (houses) while vacationing in France, so I don't have any current hotel recommendations.

Stu Dudley

Rooms at the Bastide de Capelongue are smallish, except one called Simeone, designed for handicapped access. This is a comfortable and attractive hotel with a good restaurant. Consider one dinner at La Feniere, about 20 minutes away, just past Lourmarin on the road to Cadanet.

My husband and I love St. Remy. Two years ago,we stayed at Mas De Cornud, which is a charming bed and breakfast just outside of town. We will return in June. We planned our trip to this region for Fête de la Transhumance. This is a local festival where sheep parade through the town in the morning, then back to Mas De Cornud, where there will be food and music. The Inn is owned by a lovely couple, David and Nito. Go to their website, www.mascornud.com for more information and pictures. You will see that it is also a cooking school. The last time we were there, I was lucky enough to take part in a cooking class. It was wonderful. David and Nito know Provence very well and are a wealth of information. Nito will prepare dinner, if there are enough guests who wish to participate. Breakfast is served outside and consists of coffee, croissants, bread, cereal and home-made jams and jellies. We highly recommend it.

Three nights at Mas de Coupier near Cassis. Lovely hostess and amazing scenery.

http://www.guideweb.com/provence/bb/coupier/indexa.html

Three nights at L'Eveche in Vaison la Romaine. Stunning B&B in the historic section of the city with views over the mountains and city below. Amazing food and perfect hosts. This city is a must!

http://eveche.free.fr/uk_index.htm

On to Mas de la Beaume in Gordes. This beautiful B&B looks across the valley at the city of Gordes. An outstanding view, especially at night. Hostess gave much attention and lots of great restaurant recommendations and driving routes. This B&B has been featured in many magazines.

http://www.labeaume.com/page1anglais.html

Last - but not least - was staying in Avignon with the most congenial Madame Michele at Villa Agape. You will not believe this beautiful home - on the top floor of a commercial building right in the heart of Avignon. Great restaurants are just steps away. Shopping is right downstairs. Markets for al fresco lunches at the pool. Its hard to believe this is a private home. She could not have been sweeter or less intrusive.

http://avignon-et-provence.com/bb/vi.../gb/index.html

I found all B&Bs on the following web site and booked them directly with the owners via email.

http://www.avignon-et-provence.com/b...t_provence.htm

My apologies for starting the above post so abruptly. This was the itinerary for our two week drive through Provence last November. We flew in and out of Marsailles. Rented a car from Auto Europe and had a marvelous journey.

We are two couples in our mid-50s.

In Paris we like Hotel Jardin du Luxembourg. Small, but comfortable rooms in a great location. We stay here often.

http://www.travel-in-paris.com/jardi...rg/english.htm

Enjoy!

I agree with Stu D.; Bonnieux and Gordes are too close together to bother changing hotels. We spent over a week outside Gordes and did all day trips, the farthest away being Moustiers Ste Marie, to the east.

Otherwise your trip sounds wonderful; happy planning!

Does anyone know of particular dates and towns which may have festivals or interesting events in late Sept?
I have checked provence web sites and get vague info. Does anyone know what the fetes votives in St Remy is for ex.? Thanks.

In a fête votive, bulls are allowed to run through the streets. See here:

http://www.prestigeproperty.co.uk/pa...c_property.asp

We base ourselves in one village in Provence and travel all over from there, This year there'll be a day trip to the Camargue again, to Arles and to Languedoc (Sommieres) and that is only a few besides the usuals , Lourmarin, Bonnieux and more.

grandmere: Where did you stay in Gordes? We will be 2 couples traveling in September for 5 nights. Inquiring now on another post if we should consider a gite in the area. Where did you stay for your week?

I don't remember where grandmere stayed, but a hotel I'd recommend is La Ferme de la Huppe, on a road that runs down from Gordes to the main road going through the Luberon. The hotel is small, with a rustic theme, but there's a good pool and an excellent restaurant. Prices are moderate.

We are staying at Mas des Romarins in Gordes--recomended by this site and then we are moving to St Remy and staying at Mas de Carcassins. We realize these inns are 20 miles apart but we wanted to change at that time--less driving--new location.