carolynk

We're planning to spend four nights in that area in late April, using it as a base to visit Orange, the Dentelles, and the hill towns of the Luberon. We have an offer from Le Beffroi in Vaison, which has gotten lots of good reviews on this board. I'm wondering, though, if Gigondas would be an easier base from the point of view of parking and driving in and out? Maybe more important, which town has the best restaurants? Thanks in advance for any help.

carolynk

Hello, all--still hoping someone who knows something about the area will see this!

StuDudley

Be aware that the Beffroi is up a very steep hill at the start of the Medieval section of Vaison & it's hard to get a car up there.

Gigondas would be more convenient, but unless you stay at a hotel with a restaurant, you won't be able to walk to dinner like you can in Vaison. However, there are several very good restaurants within a 10 min drive from Gigondas. Les Floets is set back in the woods a little and my wife had trouble driving out of their parking lot once. The resaurant there is very nice. Bellerive, just south of Rasteau (half way between Vaison & Gigondas), is a very nice property with a good restaurant also. It sits on a bluff surrounded by vineyards & has an excellent view across the valley to the Dentelles range. Our favorite restaurant in the area is l'Oustalet in Gigondas. www.restaurant-oustalet.fr

Stu Dudley

Diz01

The 2 places are very different. Gigondas is a village really surrounded by vineyards but Vaison la Romain is a small town. So it depends what you are looking for.

PBProvence

I enjoyed Le Beffroi, but as Stu said, it's up a very steep and narrow cobblestone street - and there are only a few parking places outside the hotel.
It's quite a hike down the hill to find a place to eat, unless you opt to eat at the hotel (which we did). The hotel itself is kind of shabby chic.

I think I'd opt to stay in Gigondas.

Patricia

AnselmAdorne

carolynk, I can't answer all your questions, but I can say I've driven in and out of Vaison-la-Romaine several times and didn't find it particularly awkward. Traffic will be heavier on market day, but you can say that of pretty much every town that has a market.

We've eaten lunch there twice, both times in a café, so I can't really recommend any restaurants.

Given the difference in size between Gigondas and Vaison-la-Romaine, I'd favour the latter as a place to stay. You'll certainly have more choice of cafés and restaurants and greater options for evening walks. Either town is well suited for Orange and the Dentelles; the Luberon is a bit more of a stretch. If you have time, do consider driving north a bit; Nyons is about 15 minutes north of Vaison-la-Romaine and is the source of wonderful olive oil. You'll also see a lot of fruit trees in bloom in that area in April.

You'll be in the Côtes du Rhône wine region. We are particularly fond of the Côtes du Rhône Villages AOCs. There are 14 "named villages," if I remember correctly; we've sampled the reds of Séguret, Cairanne, Valréas, Vinsorbes, Rasteau, and Sablet. Gigondas and its immediate neighbour Vacqueras also have their own AOCs. Both are also very good.

Anselm

cigalechanta

We liked Les Florets. No probelem driving out and the same for the Beffroi but we liked the seclusion of Les Florets.

Underhill

You might consider other hotels in Vaison--here's one.

http://www.lafeteenprovence.com/UK/index.htm

carolynk

Thanks to all of you--that's exactly what I needed to know about Le Beffroi. Stu, I tend to pick hotels for their closeness to good restaurants, so L'Oustalet makes a good argument for Gigondas. But both of the trip adviser reviews for Les Florets mention the narrow, even "treacherous" access road, suggesting you not drive it after dark--if even your wife had a problem, maybe we'd have trouble returning after dinner elsewhere? (um, yes, we'd be sampling the wines AnselmAdorne mentions). I don't have my maps with me (ok, I'm at the office, don't tell on me), but Bellerive looks very nice and might work well. Underhill, La Fete en Provence really does look delightful, but its website says it's "perched on a hill," so maybe it has the same problems Beffroi does?

Underhill

Perhaps you should consider staying further south, allowing you to go up to Orange and then down to the Lubéron. What about one night in Vaison and then visiting Orange and the Dentelles on your way toward the Lubéron? You could finish up your trip with 3 nights in that area, perhaps at La Ferme de la Huppe.

Séguret is also a lovely place to stay.

JudyC

Several years ago, I stayed at Le Beffroi for almost a week to walk around that area (Crestet, Seguret...), really enjoyed the food in the hotel and others in town, the outdoor area for breakfast was really lovely. I ate at "La Table du Comtat" in Seguret couple times also, good food and most imressive views.

cigalechanta

Judy, we dined at the Comtat and there is also Le Mesclun in the village that also has a great view.

Sue4

I stayed in Vaison for 2 nights, but not at the Beffroi - I was at a lovely B&B quite nearby. I was so afraid of that drive up to the old town (I had been warned in advance) that I had packed a small bag, left my suitcase in the car, parked down below and walked up! Being from Florida, I was paranoid about the manual shift on the STEEP little street. That part of Vaison was really quaint and pretty, tho. I was there for market day down below, which was fun. I enjoyed the drive through the lovely wine country from Orange up to Vaison. For the Luberon villages I stayed at a town closer to those.

cigalechanta

Sue we always get the standard because my husband feels he has more control.
We have not been terrified by any roads though some through the mountains had so many short turns and curves, he laughed when I thought I might get ill

carolynk

There is no way we are tackling those roads through the mountains (see my other post). And we'll have to get an automatic shift, despite how much more it costs. (I haven't driven stick shift in 30 years, and I always hated it on hills.) Sue, once you got up to the medieval section of Vaison, did you think you could have driven after all?
Carolyn

Underhill

My husband finally admitted at the end of our recent two-week stay in Provence that next time he'd prefer an automatic shift next time. This is a guy who grew up driving a stick shift on the hills of San Francisco! With the congestion in parts of Provence now, having an automatic makes dealing with the start-and-stop traffic much easier.

DAX

We make it a habit of renting stick shift when we travel in Europe so that we won't forget how to. The only time we had any problem was driving up the steep tight turns on the way to Peillon which I highly recommend for an authentic non commercialized hilltop village. It is very different than any other hilltop villages we've ever been to.

We had a great memorable dinner at L'Oustalet in Gigondas. The charming owner who's like a local wine & food celebrity served us. The restaurant has an incredible Provencal ambiance & outdoor setting. Unfortunately I had a sinus cold and couldn't smell or taste my food at all.

carolynk

I just wrote Les Florets and plan to confirm the reservation. Hopefully, that driveway won't be too much of a problem!

Sue4

Carolyn, I don't think I would want to drive up that steep street in Vaison, even now. At least it was one-way! The walk up was pretty tiring, too. I wouldn't want to base myself up there again, that's for sure - at least not for more than one night.

That said, like Cigale's husband, I prefer the manual shift cars in France, especially in the little villages. They are easier to get around the narrow streets, parking, etc. My main problem with manual is having to stop on a hill, with someone close behind me - that's when I panic! But Carolyn, with your and your husband's nervousness about the hills, I think I would go with the automatic, for less stress.