Thinking about going to Uzes, France in 5-06 and looking at an apt rental in the town. Has anyone had any experience with Holiday rentals.com? What are your thoughts on Uzes as a base to tour the Provence area. Also, does anyone know of any small, nice hotels/B&B in Avignon?
Thanks

wexford, we have rented several houses through Holiday Rentals.com and French Connections, which is a similar organization. Our approach has been to find a location and a house that interests us, and then to contact the owners.

Sending off a bank draft to someone you don't know requires a leap of faith, but you can generally get an idea of the person you are renting from through e-mails or phone conversations. After more than a dozen rentals, we haven't yet had any difficulties with any of the owners we have rented from.

We have rented homes in Uzès on three occasions. It is an excellent base for day trips to places like Pont du Gard, Nîmes, St-Rémy, Les Baux-de-Provence, les Alpilles, Arles, Aigues-Mortes, and Avignon. You can also visit the Luberon from Uzès, but it is a bit of a drive (east past Avignon), and if you are interested in the Côte-d'Azur, you might want to think about finding a place farther east and south.

Uzès itself is a very attractive town with all sorts of amenties nearby.

We have stayed in two hotels in Avignon: Hôtel de l'Horloge and Hôtel Garlande. The latter is smaller, cosier, quieter, and less expensive; both are in the centre of the city. My brother stayed at Hôtel Cloître St-Louis one year and loved it, although it is neither small nor inexpensive.

As an alternative, you might also think about staying in Villeneuve-lès-Avignon, directly across the Rhône from Avignon. We stayed a night at l'Atelier one year.

Anselm

Anselm,
Thanks for the information. How far is the drive to LaCoste etc in Provence? Was hoping to be able to see that part of the world. Do you recommend another town that would be nice to stay in? I will be travelling with my niece and she is a painter.
wexford

Hi wexford. Lacoste is about 90 kilometres east of Uzès. It's not really all that far, but you have to skirt Avignon, which makes it a bit tedious. I'd allow at least 90 minutes for the drive.

If I were a painter I think I'd choose the Luberon. There are striking vistas, and numerous places where an artist could set up. In Lacoste, for example, there is a beautiful view looking southwards across an orchard-filled valley to the perched village of Bonnieux; there are look-offs in Rousillon, Saignon, and Goult that offer great views of the Luberon Mountains or Mont Ventoux. The village of Gordes begs to be painted and the Abbaye de Sénanque, nestled in its deep valley, is breathtaking.

If you decide to stay in the Luberon, look for accommodation in or near villages such as Goult, Bonnieux, Lacoste, or Saignon. We've stayed in the latter two villages and enjoyed the area immensely.

Anselm

http://www.likhom.com/
It is a very good site to find hight
standard accomodations for all France
and of course Uzes
an other one special for Provence is
http://www.avignon-et-provence.com/
the two have an English version
And if you had time to come and see me
I'll be happy to meet you...

Like Anselm, we rented a cottage not far from the town square in Uzes. We loved the town and it was well situated for day visits to lots of other places of interest. Make sure you stock up at the fabulous Saturday morning markets ( it changes to flower market on Sundays ).Have fun!

Thanks for the information that you have given to me. What would the weather be like in that area in April? Plans are changing constantly and it now appears that I may go sooner rather than later. How is the driving when alone? Easy or difficult?