Trip to France

"She suggested that I try to rent a house or apartment in Provence and make that my base for exploring the country." It would help us help you, if you could clarify what you meant in the part of your post quoted above. You mention using Provence as a base to explore the country. I think you'll want to research the travel times it would take, using Provence as a base to explore the country on day trips. Researching travel times is easy using Google Map or Viamichelin.com

Montparnasse and Provence - sounds to me like your mother was very "with it" in her youth in France. Has she mentioned any place in particular in Provence? It's a pretty large area. If she hung with the arts crowd, I'd guess she went to the Cote d'Azur - St. Tropez, Cannes, etc. but that's just a guess. You want to visit places associated with your mother's life, but you also have to take into account your own interests, e.g. do you like wine, architecture, Roman history? About renting a car, there are many interesting and beautiful places in France that one only can explore by car - the Luberon, for example, which is outstanding with its perched villages, vineyards and orchards, and fine scenery, so definitely plan on that.

I think this is a charming idea. With a whole month, I would want to spend more than a few days in Paris, and I think I would also want to explore more than just Provence (if the word "just" can possibly be used in this context). Many rentals are by the week, so you could, if you chose, rent a house or apartment in Provence for one or two weeks and spend another week in another part of France, in another weekly rental or traveling and staying in hotels and chambres d'hote. I do think the car/train/bike thing in Provence is a good idea, and really only you can do the research to decide what sorts of activities and location makes the most sense.

Thanks for the suggestions! In fact I was thinking about renting for a week in Paris, a week somewhere in Provence, and perhaps the rest of the time in hotels/B and B's. I have time to research. I want to honor my mom, and I'm also a chef/baker and love wine, so some culinary exploration is in order! I also would love to see some of the beautiful castles and explore the ancient druid culture as well. So much to do, so little time!

I haven't seen anyone mention these options here for finding vacation rentals. I haven't used any of them, but plan to next trip, so if any are bad, I'm sure we'd all like to hear about it. 1. Paristay http://www.paristay.com/. 2. Provence Hideaways http://www.provence-hideaway.com/index.html. 3. HomeAway http://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rentals/france/r31.
4. Vacation Rentals by Owner http://www.vrbo.com/vacation-rentals/europe/france. The 2nd two cover the world but I put the direct links for France. Much more search refining can be done at both of them. TripAdvisor has also added an option to look for similar week plus rentals, but I haven't found it as easy to use as these. Your mom's suggestion to finish up in Paris sounds like a good one. In the fall of 2009 my husband and I met a couple at our hotel in Paris who had flown to Paris, rented a car at the airport, driven around France for 2 weeks, returned the car to the airport, took public transportation into Paris and spent their last week in France there. I thought that was such a great idea that we will do something similar on our next trip to Europe. If you don't know much French, I highly recommend the BBC online courses at http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/french/lj/.

A few years ago, my wife and I stayed with our two teens in a small private home that we rented in Lourmarin, in the heart of the Louberon region of Provence (http://www.vrbo.com/229242). The accommodation was simply charming and is owned by a French-American woman who is also an interior designer. The location was ideal as it was an easy drive to any of the major sites in the region (Avignon, Pont du Gard, St. Remy, Gordes, Roussilon, and many more). For a glimpse at the region and some of what it has to offer, I invite you to take a look at our travel blog (http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/foothills_bears/1/1183825516/tpod.html). I would return their in a heartbeat!

Stay away from Paristay.com. I have had nothing but problems with them for over two weeks. Hidden costs. Not delivering what is in the apartment description. Unreliable. They have no office phone number (only a cell phone that only has a recorded message). I am already IN Paris and even their office is open "by appointment only"...which, no surprise, is NEVER! Not even a sigh or name on the door! Nightmare experience that has completely sullied my vacation in Paris. Please do yourself a favor and stay away from Paristay!

I just looked at the ParisStay websightindeed no phone only a fax number. We'll all learn from what ookpik is going through. The lesson is be sure there is at least one telephone number. We've rented for several years through Lodgis.com, and have always been able to call or skype them. Last year we walked into their office on the spur of the moment and rented something immediately, when the apartment of a friend of a friend didn't have amenities we wantedlike hot water and curtains.