Hi All - Trying to decide if I should spend 2 nights in Gordes/ 1 night in St. Remy OR 2 nights St. Remy / 1 night Gordes. Curious which location is better for restaurants, wine/bars and evening fun...I will be staying at Hotel Sous le Figuers in St. Remy and La Bastide de Gordes in Gordes. Both are within walking distance to the towns...

The advantage of staying in Gordes the extra night is that it puts me a bit closer to Isle sur La Sorge for the following morning drive to the market there. But I guess St. Remy is not that far from ISLS either (1 hr from St. Remy vs 20 min from Gordes), so if it is better to spend 2 nights in St. Remy, I will do that instead. Thanks all!!

Personally, I would stay three nights in one place instead of moving to another town only 35 km away. Packing up, checking out, driving to the new place, checking in, settling into the new place all take a little time and hassle and cut into your valuable time to enjoy the area.

I would choose St. Remy, because it has a lot more restaurants, etc., although I don't think of it as a place for nightlife. Gordes is very small, so has fewer choices.

As you mention, L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue is an easy drive from St. Remy, too, so I certainly wouldn't move for that reason.

BTW, I've stayed at Sous les Figuiers before, and found it charming and comfortable and a great location for visiting St. Remy.

Have a great trip!

St Remy definately has more restaurants & cafes. Neither has much nigh life - except maybe hanging out at cafes in St Remy.

As I've always advocated - unless you like huge crowds & taking 4 inch paces as you walk behind strollers, talkers, picture takers - get to the l'Isle sur la Sorgue market early - no later than 8:30am. Have breakfast at the market. If it takes you 1 hr to get ready in the morning, then you'll have to get up at 6:30 in St Remy & 7:10 in Gordes. If this was my trip, however, I would stay all 3 nights in 1 place. If your "must sees" include Arles & the Pont du Gard & you want to walk to restaurants & not drive, then I would stay in St Remy.

Stu Dudley

Well, we stayed in Joucas which is very close to Gordes. I can't speak for nightlife as we are always too tired, but there are plenty of good places to eat. Having said that, Stu probably knows best. He doesn't love Gordes - I did but was only there for a short while. Had a really lovely meal there at Le Clos de Gustave.
Happy travels.

>>Stu probably knows best. He doesn't love Gordes <<

You might be confusing me with someone else - I do like Gordes. We've stayed there in hotels several times, and in a Gite close by for 4 weeks.

I like St Remy, but I prefer the countryside around Gordes over the countryside around St Remy.

Stu Dudley

For night lofe, definately St Remy. There is a unfortunately)
Privated club and jazz in one of the restaurants and very busy cafess.

It escapes me why people are so eager to fall into tourist traps and flock to .....oh so quaint and picturesques markets as L'Isles sur la Sorgue...... only to be crushed by crowds, look at over-priced antiques and made-in-China "authentic provençal' table-cloths and pay twice the amount for the "typical" souvenirs they bring home.

People just hear about those markets, that's all. The Market as Isle sur la Sorgue isn't quaint, whatever that means. I can't think of any weekly or more market in France that I would call quaint, but that one sure wouldn't be it. If one were quaint, it would have to be one in a very small place, unknown to many tourists, I guess.

I don't love Gordes, but you don't go to rural Provence for exciting nightlife.

I'd call the villeneuve-lez-Avignon flea market with ita makeshift cafe quaint.

AM

If you were in your 30s or 40s & lived in Iowa, Kansas, Indiana, mid-west USA all you life and were visiting France for the first time - you would LOVE the l'Isle sur la Sorgue market. Nothing like it at home. We still go there and the one in Carpentras too - but we arrive by 8:30am, look around, purchase soap for the gite, roast chicken & potatoes for dinner, any other food we need, browse by the antiques - and leave the market by 10:30.

Also, you forgot to mention the "French" pottery made in La Bisbal Spain. When you told us to go there, my wife found the exact same bowl we purchased in Gordes on a previous visit.

I like the Monday market in Bedoin - less crowded & lots of good stuff.

One of my favorite markets is in Caussade - north of Toulouse. Not many tourists - if any. When we were there they had about 12 Cepe vendors selling Cepes from perhaps 5 different regions in France. Lots of mobile hardware, shoe, clothing, window vendors selling "practical" (but boring for the tourist) stuff.

Stu Dudley

What is a cepe?

Cèpes are porcini mushrooms.

Are they wonderful? How are they prepared?

http://italianfood.about.com/od/mush...r/blr0274a.htm
for you Kristinelaine

I actually prefer the base of the mushroom instead of the caps. I like the smaller firm ones, instead of the larger mushy ones that you typically find in Italy.

Slice then up. Sautee in butter - but not too long. If you do it right, they are very "nutty" and have a little "crunch" to them. Liberal with the Salt & pepper.

Serve them as an appetizer just sauteed in butter.

Put them in a frittata or an omelette.

The less you do with them, the better - just like truffles.

VERY expensive in the US. Reasonable in France. I had a hard time finding them in Italy. Everywhere in mid-Sept through mid-Oct in France.

Stu Dudley

Do what Stu said and then use them to stuff an omelette - makes for a very tasty Sunday brunch !

-Kevin

We're going to Aix-en-Provence in early October. Would I find them there?

PV remarks,

>It escapes me why people are so eager to fall into tourist traps.......<

Because they have not yet been there. When they are as well traveled and experienced as you, they will find some little out-of-the-way spot and avoid the crowds.
..........................................
Hi Kris,

>Are [cepes] wonderful? How are they prepared?

Yes.

Like any other mushroom. You can also get them dried.

They are in the same family as porcini.

Cepe season starts the beginning of Sept. They should be in bloom when you get there.

>>We're going to Aix-en-Provence in early October. Would I find them there?<,

Most likely

Stu Dudley

Great! I will look for them.