We have been struggling with where to call our home base for five nights in Provence. We considered a great little apartment in Caromb but were disuaded by how far North it was to other locations. So we decided Le Baux might be best and have booked Le Mas d'Aigret, which is a walk into town. Then we wondered, how about St. Remey, only to consider going back north to Vason la Romaine. My quesiton is this: How does one decide? We love the idea of a pool, being out of town, but not so far that we can't get to a cafe. Any thoughts out there? FYI, we will be going to Cassis for four days following our time in the country.
Posted by
Somerville, MA
605 posts
Your question is a very good one. I found it very challenging to identify the optimal place for me and my family to stay in Provence for one week. In the end we prioritized things as follows (this is not a recommendation that you do the same, just some insight into what we did):
- Centrally located to minimize long drives to our intended destinations (Luberon, Cote du Rhone, Pont du Gard, Sts Maries, Arles, Les Baux)
- Under 1,100 euros for the week for a 2 bedroom place with secure parking
- Has good ratings on vrbo/homeaway
- Has a pool
- Has air conditioning
- In a town with things to do
I created a drive-time matrix to estimate times of travel to/from all potential destinations (which I'm happy to share with anyone who is interested) and did a full search on VRBO for all places that met the top 4 priorities on our list. In the end we stayed in Tarascon, which on paper matched our expectations well - nailed priorities 1 through 4 to a tee while the town (priority 6) was nothing to write home about. A mismatch in expectation 5 (they said it was air conditioned but what it really had was AC on the ground floor and no AC in the 2nd floor bedrooms - which turned out to be non-ideal as it was 100 degrees and the mosquitoes were an issue at night).
Given the week we spent in the region, if I had to do it again I would still find it challenging. We liked the feel of Roussillon and Joucas the best of all the places we visited and would love to stay out there some day - but that would have put us quite a bit east of most of our site-seeing priorities on this trip. St Remy would have probably been a good choice as well as it is centrally located and offers more to the traveler than where we stayed.
-Matt
Posted by
Portland
3594 posts
We love the area near and to the east of Avignon. There are hundreds, perhaps thousands of accommodation possibilities in that region. The one factor I would caution you to be careful about is the accessibility of the town and your lodgings to good roads. Just looking at a map isn't sufficient. You need to find out, for example, if there are narrow, hilly, winding roads involved in getting into and out of your base. Being able to walk into town is a good criterion. Being able to drive to a good road in a few minutes is another.
Posted by
Seattle, WA, US
1005 posts
It's going to be hard to find a place in the countryside with a pool that is still within walking distance of a cafe. You need to decide what is your top priority. Also, keep in mind that some Provencal roads are narrow and twisty, especially in the Luberon, so driving might take longer than you think. I feel in love with Rousillon and there are charming country guesthouses nearby, but I don't think any are within walking distance.
Posted by
2 posts
We had the good fortune of living in Provence for a full year, so speaking from experience, I recommend the Pierre et Vacances ( you can Google the company) Pont Royal en Provence. We have stayed in over a dozen of their vacation homes throughout France and we have always been very satisfied. Their provence location is in Mallemort, a perfect base to tour. Their price is reasonable, the choice of accommodation is varied, the premises are clean and attractive ( flowers etc). Our daughter went to high school in this town while we lived in a nearby village (Alleins). There is a large supermarket ( fun food shopping:) as well as cafés in Mallemort. The surrounding villages, towns and cities ( including Aix-en-Provence) are within easy driving distances. Enjoy!
Posted by
OP
15 posts
Wonderful suggestions. One place we are looking at is in Rick's book called Le Mas d'Aigret. It has the pool and is close to Les Baux. We were thinking this may keep us a little south of central but looks good online. Any experience with this property?
Many thanks for all of the wonderful perspectives. It helps a lot.
Posted by
Eugene, Oregon...Formerly Ventura, CA
2261 posts
I wonder if you have considered Uzes, is that central enough for your needs? We spent a half day there and liked the town very much, and it was easy in and easy out. Les Baux and Saint Remy were quite crowded, Uzes less so though still busy.
Posted by
119 posts
We have just returned from a trip which included 6 nights in an apartment in Provence. Had the same struggles you are describing in deciding where to stay. Originally booked an apartment in St. Remy (which included underground garage parking and a pool), but then backed out on that when I found out that a festival was going to be taking place while we were there. As it turned out, I don't think it would have mattered, and probably St. Remy would have been a good choice. We ended up renting an apartment, through VRBO, in L'Isle sur la Sorgue, which is a town east of Avignon. It was centrally located to all the towns you have named, however it did not have designated parking nor a pool. If I were to do it again, I would choose the place I originally booked in St. Remy. Le Baux is very cute, but not as large a town as St. Remy.
Posted by
Atlanta, Ga, USA
2023 posts
Sounds like St Remy would fit your requirements. We stayed at Sous Les Figueres (under the fig trees) and it has a pool. Also has gated secure parking. It is an easy walk to restaurants in the town and has a great market day Very easy to drive to Les Baux, Rousillon, Arles, Pont du Gard,etc. It is a lovely small hotel.