St. Remy chateau vs. Avignon apartment
 

Hello all! I am planning ahead for a 2009 trip to Provence and need input on two apartments. One is on VRBO in St. Remy at the Chateau Villa Nova:

http://www.vrbo.com/79367

We love the look of the apartment and the balcony, but would like to hear from anyone who has stayed there. I've heard St. Remy is an ideal base for a Provence so if I can feel more comfortable we might choose this one.

The other is in Avignon:

http://www.provencewest.com/provence/les-deux-terraces/

Again, the terraces are great and there are two of them, but I wonder if Avignon would lack the charm of St. Remy?

We want to be able to walk around at night after dinner for coffee, as well as have restaurants and shopping within walking distance from our apartment. I think both apartments meet our general needs, but now I just need to choose!

Any input would be appreciated!
Anna

The Avignon apt is gorgeous! and well located. Personally, I think there is plenty to do there with markets, outdoor cafes, shops and i very walkable. If you have a car, there is a carpark/parking ramp very close just outside the wall on the palais side, where it looks like the apt is situated making it easy to do daytrips out.

What time of year are you planning for?

I've been to both St. Remy and Avignon. I chose to base myself out of Avignon, given it's proximity to the TGV and it was fine.

St. Remy is a nice town, for certain - but I think given what it is that you want to do after dinner, or in terms of going to dinner you'll be fine in Avignon.
Others will no doubt disagree.

Best wishes for a great trip!
Dave

I stayed in one of the condos (on the grounds but not in the chateau) of the Villa Nova, and we loved it. The location is great as it is just a 5/10 mintues from town (walking).

Anna, a couple of thoughts about the apartment in Avignon ... the first question that comes to my mind is: how many flights of stairs is it up to the door of the apartment? You'll notice on their listing that they have no elevator and that the "apartment is located on the upper-most level". It may only be one flight of stairs, but my recollection is that a lot of buildings in the old part of Avignon are three or four levels. It's certainly something to ask about.

I'd also ask where they recommend you park. As cherrybomb points out, there are public lots just outside the old city walls. That would certainly make it easier to make day trips, but you might end up carrying luggage or supplies a couple of blocks, depending on the apartment's location. (I know some people here have driven within the old walls of Avignon, but I found the streets inside very narrow and confusing. Many are one way, and some of them have restricted access.)

And a final point about that apartment: it looks very appealing, but do note that most of the interior photos were shot with a wide angle lens. (You can tell by the exaggerated curvature of the flooring in the bedroom and the edge of the bathtub ... I'm sure they'll look good when you're there, but smaller.)

I like the place in St-Rémy, too. It's a tough call between the two. If your primary objective is day outings in a car, I'd chose St-Rémy for ease of access. The trade-off is that it's considerably smaller than Avignon, and so has fewer restaurants and shopping choices. I should also add that Avignon has never particularly appealed to me, but maybe that's just me.

Anselm

Thanks all! We will have a car, and from the listings on both sites they both include a parking spot. For the Avignon apartment, I'm not sure where that would be since it's a pedestrian street. The Avignon apartment is also on the 3rd level according to the email I received back (does this mean 4th floor?).

Also, to clarify we don't necessarily need shopping at night after dinner, just overall in the vicinity at any time of day. We would like to have a selection of cafes open at night though, and we do like a good restaurant selection, since we're growing into being moderate foodies lately.

Ah, decisions! I think we'll be happy with either but of course I make it difficult! I've heard a lot of people say they didn't love Avignon's atmosphere (too big-city feeling), so I think that the main thing holding me back from that apartment.

Keep the opinions coming! Between my husband and I we'll go crazy, so outside input is great!

:)
Anna

FWIW: I never felt Avignon was too big-city. It wasn't tiny, but not big. Within the walls you could walk pretty much the whole area in a few hours. Lots of good food choices, places open later for an evening cafe or wine. Nice to stroll around in the evening and in the day. If you are lucky there will be a wine/market fest in the main square while you are there.

I am biased--I like Avignon best of the cities/towns in the region. It is quaint, but you feel like you aren't done, so to speak, within a day.

Personally, I preferred St. Remy by far. I found it to be much more charming than Avignon. If all you want to do after dinner is walk, window-shop, have a drink or coffee, you can easily do it in St. Remy. Plus it's got a wonderful market (Wednesdays, I think).

I liked Avignon least of all the cities and towns we visited. To my eye, it was not clean and covered in grafitti. Someone told me that I won't like Avignon if I make it my last stop before returning to Paris, because I'll have seen all the charm of Provence before getting there, and maybe that was the problem.

Hmm...more things to consider! Any advice on finding out how reputable these places are without actual reviews?

"Any advice on finding out how reputable these places are without actual reviews?"

I can suggest two:

- Try googling "[the name of the apartment] review". You might dig up a posting on some other board. (I just did that on the St-Rémy place and found a link to your query on TripAdvisor. Nothing else, unfortunately.)

- Ask the owner to connect you with previous renters. The latter certainly works. I rented a place in Paris on two occasions; the owner sent me an e-mail a while back asking me if I would provide a reference for her to someone who was thinking about renting. When I agreed, she sent my e-mail address to the prospective renter, who then sent me an e-mail asking about the apartment and the renting experience.

Hope this helps, Anna. I find both of those listings quite intriguing.

AA

anna:


Just to chime in with my comments. There was a ten year difference in visits to Avignon/St. Remy area...we were astounded as to how especially Avignon had become a cluttered traffic-clogged city. We were quite disapppinted and opted to stay in St. Remy where we had stayed a few times in the late 80's and mid-90's...St. Remy has also grown but in a less haphazard, more organized manner.

Stu T.

I am another fan of St Remy. I stayed there last spring and found it ideal in every way. Charming town. Central location for day trips. Many restaurants and shops to choose from. After touring Provence for five days, I drove to Nice and stopped at Avignon on the way for lunch, and to get a look around. I found it crowded, a bit dirty, and not nearly as charming or appealing as ST Remy. Just thought I'd add one more opinion. You'll have a great time either way, I am sure.

Anna, from what I gathered when staying at the Vila Nova, the places are owned by individuals (English and Irish) and a number of them use one rental agent (can't remember his name right now) who was very nice to deal with -- responsive, available and speaks English.

Obviously, things vary by owner but just from what I observed, I woudn't hesitate to rent other condos in the complex.

For those who stayed at Villa Nova in St. Remy, how far of a walk is it to restaurants, cafes, and shopping? It doesn't appear too far from the "historic center" but are there things to see outside of the center?