We have been to Paris often, but are now planning to go to Provence for a week in October. Had thought about staying in St Remy and venturing forth from there, but a friend seems to think we should be staying closer to Nice or Cannes (she particularly likes Eze...) <BR>Would we be better off in Aix-en-Provence, Avignon, St Remy, or farther east?? Any NICE hotel recs? I made reservations at Hotel Pigonnet and Vallon de Valrugues...know them?? Thanks...ooh! I mean Merci!!

Vicki-- <BR> <BR>As opposed to staying in a hotel, I would highly recommend renting a 'gite' (vacation home) for the week. There is a great company called Provence West, run by a lady named Linda, that specializes in vacation rentals in Provence and can be found at http://www.provencewest.com/ We utilized her a couple of years ago when my family spent a couple of weeks in Provence and she was very helpful and is extremely knowledgable about all areas of Provence. Just let her know what you have in mind and what you are looking for. We stayed in a beautiful home with a pool with a view of a castle and it was very reasonable (we were in Vaison la Romaine in northern Provence). Have fun--Provence is spectacular!!

Vicki-- <BR> <BR>As opposed to staying in a hotel, I would highly recommend renting a 'gite' (vacation home) for the week. There is a great company called Provence West, run by a lady named Linda, that specializes in vacation rentals in Provence and can be found at http://www.provencewest.com/ We utilized her a couple of years ago when my family spent a couple of weeks in Provence and she was very helpful and is extremely knowledgable about all areas of Provence. Just let her know what you have in mind and what you are looking for. We stayed in a beautiful home with a pool with a view of a castle and it was very reasonable (we were in Vaison la Romaine in northern Provence). Have fun--Provence is spectacular!!

I assume you're renting a car? If so, then rent a house or apartment (lots of companies do this - everything from a basic farmhouse to a seaside villa) and take day trips. Your own 'home' gives you more space, and the fun of grocery shopping for your meals - you learn point-and-mime REALLY well. <BR>If you're going to be relying on public transportation, then stay in Nice (skip Cannes - pretentious and expensive - whip through it in an hour or two if you must) or Avignon (Nice has buses that go to the various hill towns; I don't know about Avignon). <BR>You should be in time for the wine and truffle harvest/festivals (at least for a part of it)...

Hi Vicki: <BR> <BR>St. Remy and Aix-en-Provence are entirely different from each other. St. Remy is really a tiny little village and Aix is quite a large town. Friends have stayed at both the Pigonnet and V& V. Pigonnet is lovely and V&V is "absolutely fabulous--can't get any better than this," according to them. <BR> <BR>Hope this helps. <BR>

Vicki, <BR> <BR>If it turns out that you stay further east,(toward Eze) I can heartily recommend Le Chateau Chevre D'or, in Eze village, absolutely charming with an excellent restaurant. Our room had a wonderful view overlooking the pool covered in Bougainvillia, and down the hill to the sea. Not exactly in the heart of Provence though. <BR>

Vicki, we spent a wonderful week a few years ago at the Domaine de Valmouraine, a 14-room inn just outside of St. Remy. I posted a note describing its facilities following our stay; you can find it in the archive. We had dinner one evening at the Vallon de Valruges, but found it cold and imposing. <BR> <BR>St. Remy makes an excellent jumping-off point for day trips across Provence; bettter, at least in my mind, than staying on the Cote d'Azur. <BR> <BR>Please let me know if I can be of further help. <BR>

Both Provence and the Cote d'Azur are wonderful, but if you want to really see Provence, staying in Nice is quite impractical as far as distance is concerned. Though I have not stayed in St. Remy, it always gets lots of kudos on this forum. I have stayed in Arles, Nimes and Orange and find them all convenient for getting around the area since distances are not too far. The Camargue is also within easy driving range.

I'd recommend staying in or near Avignon, as I did this spring. It's a great base for day trips to St. Remy, Arles, les Baux, Aix, Marseilles, etc. and you'll have easy access to trains, car rental and the charming old city of Avignon.

Vicki: In July, on my 4th trip to Paris/other parts of France, we spent too little time (only 4 nights) in St Remy, and our group of 4 felt strongly that we could have passed several weeks there -- in fact, hope to go back there in about 2 years. (I've been to Nice/Cannes area, and agree with other posted responses: that's not Provence!) We stayed in St Remy at an absolutely wonderful hotel, Chateau des Alpilles, and if you decide to rent a home, I would recommend that you at least have one dinner there. The staff is charming, helpful to the nth, and so kind. (I even ended up needing a doctor, and they directed me to a delightful one in St Remy -- my french was stretched, since he spoke no english!) From the hotel to the heart of Avignon was barely 25 minutes, the Roman ruins about 5 minutes, les Baux perhaps 20, so St Remy is obviously a great base for that part of Provence! Enjoy your trip!

Cannes/Nice in late May were VERY crowded when my wife & I were there. The highways were very busy, and the cities and towns did not resemble the quaint countryside of "Provence" that we experienced closer to Avignon. We liked some of the smaller, market towns near Avignon (even Avignon seemed too touristy in comparison). My advice is to check out the namy web sites on travel in Provence (many with photos), pick a few towns that sound like what you want to see, and find a semi-central location as your base. The hotels we stayed in sound like they may not be what you're looking for (nice but in the in the $50-60 range per night, two adults). We found several on the Internet; soem had nice restaurants. We used a rental car and found the driving tiring but OK. Aix was only a lunch time stop but seemed like a place worth visiting longer. Good luck.