We will be traveling around Europe during April/May, 2010 with our three children ages 8, 10, and 12. We would like to stay in a house in Provence for a week. I visited the Luberon several years ago for a wedding and fell in love with the villages. However, I saw a posting about a group of houses near St. Remy (Provence Paradise?) that look ideal (rural feel but within walking distance of town). My question: Is St. Remy as charming and easy to wander around as the Luberon villages? Does it feel larger than the Luberon villages with more traffic, etc?? Any other recommendations for similar houses to rent which are within walking distance to a village?
Your family trip sounds wonderful and I'd love to know more about it and where else you'll be visiting.
I think April or May are both good times to enjoy Provence. It sounds like you may have seen this recent thread where the complex of houses outside St. Remy was mentioned.
I like St. Remy, though I've never stayed there overnight. But I love the Luberon, and I think you'd find St. Remy very different than a Luberon village. As a point of reference, St. Remy is a town with about 10,000 people. Bonnieux, Menerbes, St. Saturnin-les-Apt, Goult, Lourmarin... these are villages in the Luberon with about 1000-2000 people. There is beautiful countryside and mountains around St. Remy, but in the Luberon it's more of a wide open view.
Can you tell us more about what you are looking for? How many bedrooms? What budget? You want to be just outside a village vs. right in the village-- someplace with some green space? What type of shops or services would you want in a village? For example, I think this house in Saignon looks really interesting (850 euro in April), but Saignon is a very small village. It does have a boulangerie, a few shops, and one really good restaurant but it's quiet. On the other hand, your children would love exploring the village and it would be very safe. (There's also some great hiking around the village.)
Thanks for your reply, kaydee. Although I liked the idea of the complex of houses near St. Remy (maybe meet fellow travelers, English-speaking host to give suggestions, pool and green space) I'm afraid I would be disappointed not being in the Luberon among the smaller villages. I like the idea of a small village where the kids can explore and get to know their way around. As for budget, I was looking for someplace that sleeps 5 comfortably for around $3,000 US per week. It would be great to be close enough to town to walk to the cafes and shops, but still have some green space and perhaps a pool. We plan to be in Europe for about 8 weeks, hitting the major sights, but leaving time for relaxed visits to the countryside like Provence and Tuscany. This website has been a wonderful find!
$3000 for the week is an ample budget to work with at that time of year.
Have you looked at this website The Luberon to see if anything there works?
We loved this house where we lived for six months a few years ago, between Bonnieux and Lacoste. It was a fabulous location in the countryside. You could walk to either village, about 30 minutes if you walked briskly, about 8 minutes by car. But this wasn't an easy stroll if you just wanted to get a baguette or have a drink in the village.
In April and even much of May you won't be able to really use a pool. You might enjoy sitting by it, but it really isn't normally swimming weather.
Look at some of the rent-by-owners sites (www.vrbo.com or www.holiday-rentals.co.uk and search on Bonnieux, Lacoste, Menerbes, Goult, St. Saturnin-les-Apt, Lourmarin. Or I found this agency very helpful the first time we rented in Provence: France by Heart.
You might want to post back here with links to any properties you're considering. Several of us could potentially offer input about the house or the location... and we always like looking at rental listings!
Hello Alli. I don't know the Luberon but I do know St Remy. It's a market town and so attracts a certain amount of traffic and tourism, tho' mostly French tourism. It is just about my favourite market in France - olives to die for, and olive wood kitchen things, and table cloths. St Remy is close to Les Baux, where you can take your kids to see working medieval instruments of war (trébuchet) at the fortress, and a son et lumière show that they will LOVE in the surrounding caves. And up the road there is a site of Roman ruins that is interesting and well presented. If you get tired of village life, you're a short drive or bus ride from Avignon and its papal palace, etc. Not to mention all the other charming provençal villages a stone's throw away. The other thing is that in April/May it will be warm in Provence while the Luberon is more temperate in climate. I'm not a huge Provence fan in general (too many of us tourists there) but I love St Rémy de Provence!
Kathy- I like the house you stayed in between Lacoste & Bonnieux. The site said there are bikes available at the house -- is it an uphill ride on winding roads or is there some time of bike path that the kids could safely manage? I'm still debating a place in town versus in the country.... Thanks for all of your suggestions!
Alli, the house is down a gravel road, which is off of a narrow paved road that runs between the two main roads (called D roads) that connect Bonnieux and Lacoste. There is some traffic on the D roads, but not much, and especially not in April or even May. This is a good time for biking and there are many people who come through this area on bike tours. The roads are twisty and to reach either village-- but highly scenic-- with some uphill as you approach the base of either village.
We did the walk from the house to both Bonnieux and Lacoste many times, and for the last half of our stay, we walked every week to meet our daughter for lunch at our favorite cafe during her midday break from school. There are shortcuts through the fields/woods that get you off the road, including a bonafide trail as you get closer to the village. (I actually have part of that hike included on my Slow Travel Luberon hiking notes here.) If you should end up renting this house, I could easily describe the walking route to you.
There is a bike rental place in Bonnieux, next to the "presse" at the base of the village.
The house has new owners from when we lived there. We rented the house for two weeks in the spring of 2006 and later visited the former owners in September 2006. I don't know what changes may have been made since then, but it is a fabulous location-- just not a short stroll to either village. Most of the services you'd want to take advantage of are in Bonnieux vs. Lacoste.
We spend every summer in Maussane-les-Alpilles which is a small village near St. Remy. The Alpilles region (where St. Remy is located) is a beautiful area and you will not be in short supply of a lovely little village to meander through. The area is different than the Luberon which has its own charm but the villages that are the Alpilles are spectacular. You will find a lot of English speakers in St. Remy on market day (Wednesday) but you will be among the locals in any other village you travel to and off market days in St. Remy itself.
Maybe I should look beyond the Luberon villages for our one-week stay. What other areas should I consider that would be equally as charming and easy to wander around? The previous posting mentioned the Alpilles region -- I've only been to the Luberon area, so I am not familiar with that area. Any opinions??? Thanks for the tips!
"What other areas should I consider that would be equally as charming and easy to wander around? The previous posting mentioned the Alpilles region -- I've only been to the Luberon area, so I am not familiar with that area. Any opinions???"
AlliH, I am confused now. Isn't St Rémy, in which you were originally interested, in the Alpilles?
I am confused too!! I will do some research on the Alpilles area. I had always been interested in the Luberon, but got sidetracked after hearing of a nice complex of houses near St. Remy. I guess I haven't completely settled upon the exact area to visit yet. My trip isn't until 2010, so I have time to look around.
Just to clarify St. Remy de Provence (St. Remy) is in the Alpilles region of Provence. Other nice towns to stay/visit in that area are Maussane-les-Alpilles, Les Baux, Arles, Eygalières, Saint Etienne du Grès(where Les Olivades fabric is located, Eyguières, Fontvieille, Paradou (visit Bistro du Paradou)...just to name a few.
One uproarious festival in St Rémy in May is the "transhumance", the shepherding parade, where thousands of sheep are herded from one side of France to another, passing through St Rémy. I have not seen the famous one in St Rémy, but I chanced upon a "real" transhumance in northern Lot once, in the village of Loubressac. A good half hour before the sheep arrived, their bells were heard all over the hill and valley. Children should love this. Here is the information on the Transhumance. Hmm, they give the month and the hours, but they don't give the date(s).
This webpage gives a description and pics of the 2008 transhumance parade in St Rémy.
I will do some research on the Alpilles area. I had always been interested in the Luberon, but got sidetracked after hearing of a nice complex of houses near St. Remy. I guess I haven't completely settled upon the exact area to visit yet. My trip isn't until 2010, so I have time to look around.
