We are going to spend some days in the Luberon for fifth or sixth time so we know the area quite well.
However, maybe somebody can make a suggestion or propose visiting villages or places that we don't know.
We also would like some advice about resturants. We have been in Mas Tourteron, Clos de Gustave, L'Estellan and Le Comptoir des Arts in Gordes, l'Auberge de la Loube in Buoux, l'Hostellerie du Prieuré in Bonnieux, le Domaine de Cabasse in Séguret,...
What about Bernard Mathys? Is very expensive? And La Ferme de la Huppe or la Bartavelle? Anybody has been in L'Oustalet in Gigondas?
Thankyou

alex2,

We were in Provence and the Luberon for a week in April so I am not an expert. But we stayed at La Ferme de la Huppe for 3 nights and ate dinner there each night. It was one of the highlights of our trip!

The owner of the hotel is the chef and the dinner is an event each night. If you enjoy a nice quiet dinner with several courses, you will enjoy it. There are no choices - the menu is set each night. You start with a pre-appetizer! Something very different but very tasty. Each course is presented by the waitress in a very professional way and explained.

The atmosphere is elegant casual. It is not stuffy, but can be quiet if there are not many diners. However, every night we were there, the place was packed with the the people staying at the small hotel and locals.

I just can't tell you how inventive the chef is. Each course is a new and exciting experience. The desserts are to die for. He usually serves his special homemade flavored ice cream along with the dessert. The ice cream is the most flavorful and creamy ice cream we have ever eaten.

I hope you try this restaurant and like it as much as we did. Make reservations so you won't be disappointed.

His wine list is nice also and very good. The host/sommelier (all around assistant) was very helpful and knowledgeable. Our choices were not expensive.

I hope we can return to the area again.

Ginny

We just got back from our 15th & 16th week of vacationing in Provence.Bernard Mathys is our favorite restaurant in the Luberon - by far. We've dined there about 6 or 7 imes. Michelin Guide says that the FP meals are 43 to 85. We were there in '03, and I probably did not have the lowest priced menu, but I would not spend 80E either, so they have some choices in between. This restaurant is in an old house on very large grounds. You can dine outside or inside in the lovely interior.

We stayed near Bedoin on this last trip, and l'Oustalet in Gigondas was our favorite. In fact, we dined there twice we liked it so much. You can sit ourside on the main square in Gigonday, which is quite lovely and pretty much traffic free. Very creative menu.

An interesting drive in the area that you probably have not take yet starts in Montbrun les Bains. I assume you already have my "Lavender fields" route, which will get you from the Luberon to Montbrun. From there, head north on the D159 to Aulan. There is a wonderful chateau there that has tours, but the hours are infrequent. Drive there anyway to see the chateau. Also notice the "Monument to the Morts" just outside the chateau - seem like almost everyone in town must have been killed in WWI. Then continue north on the D159 till it hits the D546. If you will be there in Lavender season, there are lots of lavender fields there. Take the D546 west a few Ks to see the lavender fields, then reverse your direction and head east on the D546. When the D546 intersects with the D542, take the %542 south to Sederon and continue south. When it splits again, stay on the D542 vearing west. This next secton over the Col de Macuegne is quite pretty. Stay on the D542 till you get back to Montbrun.

Head south from Montbrun and pick up the D72 west, which changes number when you leave the Drome & enter the Vaucluse Dept. Take the D41 west. This next section is also quite pretty. Continue on the D41, visiting Brantes as a small side trip. When the D41 hits the D5, take the D5 to Buis ls Baronnies for a visit. This is a lovely town, and the main square in town has arched walkways around it - like Uzes. It would be a good place for lunch. Explore this town.

Return south on the D5, and continue following the D5 west to Millans. Stop in Mollans, park the car, and cross the river to see the lovely fountain & lavoire.

Follow the D13 to Entrechaux, noting the castle ruins perched on top of a large bluff. Continue on through Malaucene on the D938. When the D938 hits the D19, take the D19 east along a very scenic drive to Bedoin. Stop in Bedoin at a cafe & have a coke or coffee below the plane trees. There are lots of cute villages in this area. If you have more time, stop in Caromb at the tourist office, and pick up the walking tour map (in English), and explore this village.

Head back to the Luberon, but if you hve time, stay on the small roads - the larger ones are not that scenic.

I assume you have already visited Pernes. If not, pick up the walking tour map at the tourist office & either do the 1 hr walk or the 1 1/2-2 hr walk of this fascinating villages with over 35 fountains.

Stu Dudley

Stu, glad to see you're safely back. Your Provence posts are always a wealth of information and always make me want to go back.

Thanks to gopack and StuDudley for your valuable information.
Just some more questions:

Ferme de la Huppe: what's the dinner price per person (&euro? And, do yo mean that you can't choose the menu?

Bernard Mathys: Do you reccommend to have dinner inside or outside?
L'Oustalet: price?

Finally, StudDudley, I don't have information about your lavender routes or other routes in Provence. How can I get it?

I have looked in a map and the route you proposes seems to be quite far from Luberon. How much time from Gordes to Montbrun?

I appologise for my English but it's my third language after Catalan and Spanish.

Thanks again.

No apologies needed--your English is a lot better than most of our Spanish and Catalan!

We'll need the person who recently dined at La Ferme de la Huppe to provide information on prices.

Forgive my geographical ignorance, but does Le Baux count as the Luberon? If so, then I recommend Ousteau de Baumeniere. Maybe my favorite memory of our trip to France last year (and certainly our best meal).

Avignon is definitely worth a visit, lots of history and some interesting architecture in the old town.

Les Baux is over in the Alpilles, not in the Lubéron. The Oustau de Beaumanière is an excellent--and very expensive--restaurant; definitely worth a splurge.

In the Luberon dine ouside at the lovely Moulin de Lourmarin,
The Fournil in Bonnieux,
Le Mas de Tourteron in Les Imberts(outside of Gordes),
And Yes, the Ousteau is very special
dining by the pool as the Alpilles look down on you.

If you are going to the huge flea market on Sunday in the Isle Sur-La-Sorgue, I love the Jardin du Quai (by the train station)

>>Bernard Mathys: Do you reccommend to have dinner inside or outside?<<

I think inside is nicer - however, you usually don't get a choice. Either everything is set up inside or outside. That's normal in most French restaurants.

>>L'Oustalet: price?<<

I had the 42E menu,, and my wife had one that was less expensive.

Here is their web site
www.restaurant-oustalet.fr

This might be a litle too far to drive to from the Luberon.

We've dined at Estallan several times - it's OK but lots of American English spoked and it reminds me more of a restaurant that might be in the Napa Valley here in the US, than a French restaurant.

Dined at Mas Tourteron several times, but not in the past 4 years. Lovely setting outside, but the food is only OK. Actually, except for Bernard Mathys, I would not rank any place in the Luberon in my to 20% restaurant list in France. Been to Bartavelle several times, and it's probably our second favorite - nice setting outside along a small pedestrian street. Inside looks good too, but we've never dined inside.

>>Finally, StudDudley,<<
It's Stu - not Stud. Hope my wife doesn't see this.


>>I don't have information about your lavender routes or other routes in Provence. How can I get it?<<<


E-mail me at [email protected] & I'll attach a copy on the reply e-mail

>>I have looked in a map and the route you proposes seems to be quite far from Luberon. How much time from Gordes to Montbrun?<<

It's only about 45K, so I'm guessing 1 to 1 1/4 hrs, but you will want to stop in Sault along the way - very scenic drive. We just did it again for about the 5th time 2 weeks ago.

>>>I appologise for my English but it's my third language after Catalan and Spanish.<<<

Wow - I never would have guessed that - Your English is better than mine!!!

Spent 2 1/2 weeks in Catalonia on the French side last year - with a few dips into Spain. Beautiful area.

Stu Dudley

We like the Mas de Tourteron also. My wife uses her cookbook alot. She's one of the top rated woman chefs in Provence. I never put down someone's choices but we didn't like Bernard Mathys.

Thanks to everybody for the information.
We'll try some of your recommendations. However, it would be very useful if you can possibly give me some price references of Bartavelle, l'Osteau, le fournil, Moulin de Lourmarin, Ferme de la Huppe, Jardin du Quai,...
Maybe because I'm Catalan (and we, like Scottish people, are considered to be a bit stingy!!), I always consider the price before going to a restaurant.
On the other hand, I would like to open a debate about markets in the area. I like the market in l'Isle sur la Sorgue on sundays. Any suggestion?

>>give me some price references of Bartavelle, l'Osteau,<<<

The Michelin Guide gives 34E as the price of their Fixed Priced menu at Bartavelle. No a la Carte.

The prices of the many menus at l'Oustalet (I'm guessing that's the one you are inquiring about), is listed on the web site I gave you. I had the 42E menu both times, and my wife had the lesser one on the first visit & the 42E on the second. The first time when we had the 42E & lesser one, with Kirs before dinner, 1 bottle of Tavel Rose, 1 glass of red wine to go with my pigeon, and a glass of Beaumes de Venise, and a bottle of Badoit water, cost us about 120 Euros.



>>On the other hand, I would like to open a debate about markets in the area. I like the market in l'Isle sur la Sorgue on sundays. Any suggestion?<<

The best food market I have ever seen is in Barcelona - I think that's close to where you live. I have visited well over 50 markets in France. Close to the Luberon, the market in l'Isle sur la Sorgue on Sunday is the most popular with the tourists - and my wife too. Get there by 8:30 - it's a mob scene by 10:30. My favorite market is the Friday one in Carpentras. Also, there is a very good one in Apt on Saturday

l'Isle sur la Sorgue has the best antiques, crafts, soap, and pretty good provence fabric. The one in Carpentras has the best food, and best fabric. The Apt one doesn't have as good food, but the fabric & crafts stuff is excellent.

Bedoin on Monday is a very nice small market, amung the plane trees in the main street of town. Tuesday in Gordes is another nice small market. The Wednesday market in St Remy is quite nice, but it will interfere with your enjoyment of St Remy, because the market hides much of the interesting architecture and also the "normal" shops in this town. A friend said she wished she did not visit St Remy only on market day.

Stu Dudley

If you're asking about Oustau de Beaumanière, my recollection is lunch for 2 with wine will be in the $150 range. annieladd

You can actually save money if you have lunch at the Oustau de Beaumanière, as you will have absolutely no need for dinner.

We enjoyed the Moulin de Lourmarin. I forget what dinner cost (not cheap, but okay, as a vague recollection.) We were staying at the Moulin at the time, and enjoyed it all very much. If it's any indication, the Moulin is a member of the Relais & Chateaux group.

This was about 2 years ago. The chef and owner are known as something of a maverick. Most of the dishes were wonderful, but a few a little strange (the anise soup was a bit overpowering.) And mon dieu! -- a female wine steward!! In all, this was a wonderful stay, where you could relax at the owners' pool a short drive away -- you felt as though you had your own country house. This is not top-end, gold-plate luxury, but a wonderful sense of well-being. the building itself was converted frmo an old olive oil mill.

Lourmarin is only mildly interesting, but there are some wonderful shops for tableware, etc.

madame, I think that chef Edouard Loubet is not a maverick but inovative as he once worked under Marc Veyrat in Annecy. From him, he learned about cooking with wild and his own grown herbs.
I love Lourmarin. If anyone is interested , Camus is buried there.