We are hoping to spend 6 weeks in Provence this July-August. We have 5 children ages 1-11. We would like to be in a classic village or near enough to walk or ride bikes daily to shop, stroll, eat... yet, with all the kids we need some yard to play in. We aren't even that interested in day trips, so it has to be interesting enough to play/explore for 6 weeks. Of course we want the kids to have a chance to interact with local French-speaking kids. Any suggestions that fit?
By the way, is it common to have a maid, cook, or nanny hired as part of a house rental here? We would love a local French woman to be part of our daily lives, helping around the house and with the kids. How can I best find such a person?
Thanks so much, Tricia
Changed title to clarify - marta
This message has been edited. Last edited by: Marta,
Wow! 6 weeks in Provence. It sounds wonderful. The hard part will be choosing since there are so many great villages.
I did a search on the board and did not find any previous threads about hiring help. I'm hoping that some of our members will have some advise on how to find help.
I agree that Lourmarin is a good option although I'm not certain if there are rentals in town with a yard and big enough for a family of 5. It is flat and there is a lot to do in the area including going to the beach at Cassis. I also searched on 'kids provence' and found several interesting threads discussing where to stay and what to do.
I think Marta is right that it will be more challenging to find a house in (or adjacent to) to a good sized village that will be big enough for your family and also has a large enough garden to occupy your kids. In July and August I also highly recommend that you find a place with a swimming pool. This too is more difficult to find in an medieval village.
But, the good news is that there are lots and lots of rentals in Provence. You could start off by looking at our classified ads and also our vacation rental reviews.
One place that occurs to me is this place in St. Remy, where our moderator Judy rented a couple of years ago. I had a chance to visit her there and got to tour two of the houses in the complex. There are houses of different sizes (including one or two that would work for your family), and a shared pool. And you could walk to St. Remy and take advantage of all it has to offer. Hopefully Judy will speak up about her thoughts on this.
As far as hiring a French woman to help during your six weeks, I have two thoughts. If you rent a house through an agency, this would be a reasonable request to ask many agencies to help with, especially a more upper-end agency. (Sometimes upper end rentals come with some amount of household help.) Or the owner in St. Remy might be able to help if you rented one of his houses. You could also e-mail to the tourist office in whatever village you decide to base in and perhaps they could post a little sign somewhere or know of someone.
Another resource you might want to contact is Paolo at www.theluberon.com; he sometimes posts here and is one of our classified advertisers. Paolo has a number of beautiful properties in the Luberon, some larger, and one might work for your family. Since he lives in the Luberon he might also be able to help organize some help for you during your stay.
Kathy
This message has been edited. Last edited by: teaberry,
Tricia - as Kaydee mentioned, we stayed at the vacation rental outside of St. Remy; here is my review .
The unit we stayed in is definitely large enough for your family, and the property has a wonderful large swimming pool. And although St. Remy is not in the Luberon, it is a fair sized town with all the services you would need. And the 15-20 minute walk into the town is along a canal and down a shaded path that offers opportunities for letting off steam without the worry of automobile traffic.
The one drawback I can think of is lack of a large garden where your children could play adjacent to any of the rental units. There is a small grassy area and private patios with a patio table and chairs for each unit, but not a lot of open space.
The owner is wonderful to work with, friendly and helpful, and our adult group had a fabulous time there. If you are at all interested I strongly recommend contacting the owner as soon as possible, especially as you are hoping to stay for an extended period.
Judy
Posts: 3924 | Location: Berkeley, CA | Registered: 22 March 2005
Thank you so much for your thoughts and helpful advice. There is just so much groundwork to do it is overwhelming. I can see it is impossible to pick "the perfect village," as they all have their individual attributes. I am afraid that renting one of the restored farm houses that are aplenty will leave us too isolated from the local people. Are these houses on the village outskirts typically within relatively easy walking or biking range (with kids) to market center? Is it fairly easy to find bikes to rent?
While it can be a challenge to find a house in a village big enough for a family of 7, it can be done. When I travel with my kids, I just make sure there is a park of some sort in the village, that eliminates the need for a yard. If you bring a soccer ball along, your kids will be sure to meet other kids who will kick it around with them. You mighttiry and do and internet search for a villa that includes housekeeping. I don't usually hire a cook or housekeeper. I wish I could and with 5 kids can understand why you would want to. I am not sure how common it is but I am confident there are some that do and I am sure it is available...for a price. Your best bet might be asking about such services from whatever agency you rent your house through.
Posts: 86 | Location: San Diego, California, USA | Registered: 02 January 2009
Tricia, I have been thinking more about your question and poking around a little bit. I didn't mean to dampen your enthusiasm, and I realize I also brought up St. Remy instead of focusing on the Luberon, which you'd asked about.
I would definitely focus on a larger village that has some amenities for daily life: a weekly market, a grocery of some sort, a couple of eating places etc. And for your family, based on what you've said, you want a park and some other community center services. A larger village will also have special activities in the summer (fetes, little circuses etc.) which your family will enjoy.
A few villages do have pools, for example St. Saturnin-les-Apt, which could be a very good base for you to consider. This is a nice sized village with a village center and amenities... and some wonderful history and places to explore.
For young kids to ride bikes, you might also want to think about villages that are "flat" vs. "perched." Lourmarin is a lovely village that is more level vs. Bonnieux that is built on a hill. Goult is on a hill, but is fairly flat in the village itself.
Here is a really good resource to learn more about the different villages. (This lists all the villages in the Vaucluse-- broader than the Luberon-- but you could use a Luberon map to help you.) You might focus on villages with more than 1000 people since you want to be somewhere more active.
The first time we visited Provence, our daughter was 8 and we stayed in Saignon. We absolutely loved it and it was a very comfortable place for our daughter to explore on her own. Saignon has a population just over 1000 and a boulangerie, a small general store and a couple of places to eat. The town of Apt is a few minutes away, and the Saturday market is wonderful. Whether you would enjoy staying put in Saignon for six weeks... I don't know. It's a quiet village, but we think it's wonderful. (I think surely you would want to see a bit more of Provence... there is so much for families to enjoy!) But I found this house in Saignon that may at least give you some ideas-- there are actually quite a few rentals there. And I did see some village rentals on The Luberon site that might work for you.
I don't know what your budget is-- could you give us any idea? Options range from simple, rustic gites to luxurious villas, some rented by owner and others through agencies. Most everything will be more expensive in the summer.
Kathy
This message has been edited. Last edited by: kaydee,
I think finding an appropriate house may be easier than finding an appropriate nanny !
Kathy has some good ideas concerning villages on which to focus - Goult or St. Saturnin or Joucas would work north of the Luberon and Lourmarin and Cucuron south. Trying to find a place big enough within walking distance of a village narrows down the choices, but still doable. I can think of a one or two nearby that would be perfect.
Consider sending an email to the Tourist Office in Apt, pretty specifically laying out your requirements. They are very helpful and have visited first-hand a good list of rentals.
As for renting bikes, this is easily doable - we often have guests who rent from Bike Park Colorado - quite reasonable price-wise and the pick up and deliver.
One resource which might help on the nany front is a company called To Do Today. They are basically incvolved in property management, but might also be able to help you out on this front.
That said, we are thinking perhaps a better option might be to bring our family of 7 to Avignon rather than the smaller villages. It would seem to have more options for housing and activities. Any thoughts on Avignon?
Tricia, your title says you are looking for a Luberon village. Not by a long stretch can Avignon be called a village. Of such large-size Provence towns, personally I find Arles, Aix, St Rémy to have a higher charm index than Avignon. Especially Arles. The suggestion of Lourmarin seems to be best, in that - your kids can run around - not much traffic within the village - the village has good boulangeries, general stores, restaurants, even a lovely chateau. You are not obliged to drive the second you get out of your house.Other Luberon villages with similar assets are: - Goult - St Saturnin - Bonnieux.
Tricia, I too would have hestitations about Avignon, mainly because I have fixed in my mind the image of your family romping in the garden, kids riding bikes up to the boulangerie, and all of you enjoying the simple pleasures of village life for several weeks. Avignon is a very interesting historic city, but it is a small city and quite busy in the summer due to a big festival. You would not find the same character (or breathtaking scenery) as staying in one of the Luberon villages that we've been talking about. But I don't know the residential neighborhoods or "suburbs" of Avignon, so it's possible you could find the perfect place. Be aware that in certain areas of Avignon you'll find apartment blocks, big shopping centers, fast food restaurants, traffic, etc.-- city stuff vs. what you'd find in village.
Avignon is about 45 minutes drive from the Luberon villages suggested above. For a relaxing vacation where kids can meet other kids and play in the park on their own, I think you would be better off in one of these larger villages or even a town like St. Remy.
I know you said you didn't want to do day trips, but even a day trip away from home once or twice a week will be a fun adventure for the family and a chance to experience a bit more of Provence. (Avignon would be a good destination for a day trip.)
I went through some of this same inner-debate when I was trying to pick a place in Provence for our family to live for six-and-a-half months a few years ago. This was very difficult because I didn't know the area well at all, and "Provence" covers such a wide area with many different environments (city, town, village, hamlet, countryside etc). It helped me to write down my criteria, which focused me on certain areas and eliminated others. Then we found the ideal house, and we ended up making what was the perfect decision for us. (We lived in the countryside, near Bonnieux.) But I think you couldn't go wrong in many parts of Provence.
It is apparently right in village, big enough for the 7 of us, and has a big terrace (which could be potentially dangerous for kids to play or could be a great run around space...)
Do you think Bonnieux is a great village to call home for 6-7 weeks, throwing in just a few side trips?
I know a few things about this property in Bonnieux. It is at the top of the village on the Rue de Republique, on the right just a bit before Henri Tomas' old boulangerie (for those who know the village). Christine's house which a few of us have rented is several doors further down the street, toward Lourmarin. It is one of maybe three apartments in a very large old village house. We have been in two of the other apartments-- actually went to one with a real estate agent. The other apartment is owned by Americans from New England who spend some time there every year, and their windows look down over this garden. The garden faces out over the Petit Luberon, and the views are great. The garden is a big part of the appeal.
From the outside the big house is rather dark. The narrow street (the main road to Lourmarin) runs right outside the door, and there will be traffic on the street, including occasional buses. The street is narrow and makes a 90 degree turn right by the house, so the traffic isn't speeding through. There are two nice cafes at the top of the village and a couple of interesting shops, and you can take stairs up to the old church, where there is a small grassy area.
I'm very partial to Bonnieux, but it is almost a second home to me. I think it's an ideal size and in 6 weeks or so, you will get to know people in the village.
I think that garden is great. My only reservation would be the location right there on the main street. It's not a section of the village where your children could play in the street. There are little pedestrian passageways that they will discover to make their way around the village without needing to use the road. There is hiking all around the village, if that interests you.
You could ask the owner to give you a few references, ideally American, and perhaps you could call and talk to some people who have stayed there. I have done that before and it really is helpful. I don't know anyone who has rented this place, but it is listed on several sites. I'd be interested to see more photos of the interior.
I don't know the property but I have spoken to the owner a couple of times and she seemed very nice, for what it's worth. She said she rents mainly to Americans and other English-speakers. I think Bonnieux is a really good base in the Luberon, it has good infrastructure for a hill-top village. Another one I would recommend if you want something a little quieter and less known is Goult.
Tricia- I'm jumping over from another thread -- we are a family of 5 looking for a similar rental in the spring of 2010. We also want to be near a town (preferably a short walk) but have some green space for play. I like the idea of Bonnieux or Gordes or Goult. They seem like nice sizes. However, I have looked at at least 50 houses online and haven't found just the right one yet...I'll post anything that looks like a good fit for you.
I'm glad the two of you are potentially joining forces to search for the perfect accommodation for your families. I feel sure that you will both find it!
I wanted to share a website I had bookmarked a while ago: Your Provence. This is an immobilier (real estate agency) located in Goult that also has a nice assortment of rentals. I don't know this agency and don't know anyone who has rented through them, but they have quite a few properties that seem to be village houses or a short walk to villages. There are quite a few listings in Goult.
Goult is a really nice village... quiet... on the opposite side of the valley from Bonnieux and well located. The village sits on a hill but is pretty flat and there isn't any through-traffic in the village center, as cars park in two big lots. There are some services like a boulangerie and a small shop/greengrocers... also a butcher and some restaurants/cafes. At the top of the village is an old chateau (which actually you can rent-- see here). And at the edge of the village is a windmill, which kids would definitely enjoy.
See more about Goult here. I don't think there is a community pool, but I know there is tennis and also petanque. We have hiked around here a fair amount.
I swear by Goult, and am renting a house there again the coming summer. It does not have a community pool, but, hmm, can one make do with a windmill instead? For a small village, Goult is wonderfully self-sufficient. It has a couple of good restaurants, good butchers, a small but improbably well-stocked general store, not to mention a fiendish boulangerie.
Beauty-wise, I think Goult, Bonnieux, Lacoste, Menerbes, Lourmarin and Ansouis are par. But in terms of the quantity and quality of commerce (restaurants, bakeries, cafés, non-supermarkets)), I give Goult a slight edge over even Bonnieux and Lourmarin.
Did I say non-supermarket? Paolo, I am talking like you! I read your sentence: "Goult ... is not on the itineraries of the non-slowtrav summer visitors" I-don't-know-how-many times. Et oui et oui et oui.
I bookmarked these sites last year when we planned to to travel with friends. Our plans changed but kept the bookmarks "in case". Both have pools and a garden. I'm not sure about fencing around the pools which may be of concern.
Guess it wasn't meant to be...Agnes, owner of the home in Bonnieux I was asking about, has since replied that she will not be renting it this year since she wants to sell it. Kaydee, thanks so much for all your input on the place.
Alli: Glad to hear you are on the ball for 2010. I have hours and hours logged into this search (including both village selection and house rentals - both still unresolved!) and didn't predict it would be so difficult to find a home within or located within walking distance to a market village.
I'm really afraid it isn't going to work out for us being able to find a place, or perhaps we're going to have to settle going somewhere bigger than we originally wanted.
Thanks, Fletch, for the links to the two properties in Goult--nice places.
With our five kids ages 1,3,5,10,11 we really want to keep the trip as simple as possible and stay in one rental the entire time. We're thinking day trips once a week or so. It sounds like in Goult we would literally be visiting the same cafe or boulangerie every day for 6-7 weeks. Even just a few more businesses would be nice. Is it possible for a village to actually be "too small" for us?
The search continues... thank you so much everyone for all your wonderful help!!!
I think the problem is you want the 6 peak weeks of summer, and even though this year has been slow due to some economic crisis out there in the real world, most houses are going to have at least a week booked in that period by now. Perhaps consider a two-house stay?
In most Luberon villages you are going to be going to the same boulangerie/cafe every day. Gordes, Bonnieux and Lourmarin are a little bigger, and after that there are towns like Isle sur la Sorgue, Cavaillon and Apt (neither of which is fantastically beautiful), St Remy beyond the Luberon, and cities like Avignon and Aix (which are cities so you won't find the sort of house you want within walking distance of the centre).
Tricia, Paolo's suggestion that you consider a two-house stay is a good one. Although this does mean packing up and moving location, it also gives you the variety you seem to be looking for-- and the chance to sample two different locations.
Otherwise, I also wondered if you wanted a "town" instead of a "village," since it seems like you want some variety of shops and eating places. I love the town of Apt, but I'm not sure you will find the "garden" you're looking for within easy walking distance of town center. L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue may offer more options for rentals-- it is just beyond the edge of the Luberon.
For me, a big part of the pleasure of staying in a smaller village is experiencing daily village life-- getting to know the boulanger and forming relationships at the cafe and your favorite restaurant and maybe even getting to know some neighbors.
Joucas - lovely little village. Quiet. A bit light on commerce.
Menerbes - absolutely stunning hilltop village. Never miss it when we have friends in from out of town. Cafes, bakery, groceries, restaurants (though not the best in the area). Touristy, but not in the same league as Gordes or Roussillon.
Take care though for rentals in Menerbes - if you are not right up in the village, walking or biking up there will be a potential issue.
Joucas is a beautiful village in a great situation, but it is very small and very quiet. I think there is a good hotel/restaurant there and I googled and it looks like there is a small grocery (epicerie).
Menerbes is larger, about the same as Bonnieux, Goult or Lourmarin and you would find about the same level of services there as in these other villages.
I've always found the ProvenceWeb website a very good resource to learn more about the villages. The list shows the population and then there's a nice overview with a few photos. I've included a link to the villages in the Vaucluse-- to see similar information for villages in the Alpilles, look at "Bouches du Rhone."
Tricia, thanks for letting us know that our advice is helping!
Kevin Widrow, who has posted on this thread, lives in St. Saturnin and hopefully he will let you know about what shops and services are available in the village.
We like this village a lot and I could imagine staying here and being very happy for several weeks. There is a public swimming pool too. If you are looking for something more active, then Apt is just a few miles away.
You might learn more from this post from my blog from the summer of 2007-- lots of photos from St. Saturnin, including the weekly market.
I don't know anything about Maillane, sorry. (But I do think Maussane is a special place.)
Concerning St. Sat - we've been here for a pretty extended slow trav stay (6 years) and haven't regretted it !
First off, I have to say that if you are looking for a touristy place with lots of shops, it's not for you.
What you will find is a more or less unspoiled hilltop village. A couple of bakeries (one which is IMHO the best in the area) an excellent butcher a small grocery store with all the essentials. There are 3 cafés and 4 restaurants and three older ladies perched on the same bench every day keeping an eye on things.
The oldest parts of the village are actually high up near the castle ruins from where you have one of the best views around. The ruins are quite atmospheric.
There's a small, but nice little market with all the essentials every Tuesday. What I find kind of telling is that even in the dead of the winter, the market is still going strong (a bit diminished, but with all the essentials). By contrast, if you check out the market in Gordes this time of year, it's a sad remnant of it's crowded, bustling, tourist-mobbed on-season self.
The place linked below isn't in the Luberon- it's at the foot of Mont Ventoux. I thought of you because -Bedoin is a good sized lively village -The house is about 1 km walk from the village -The yard is big -The pool is huge and there is an alarm that can be activated to protect children -It's only 45 minutes from the Luberon and the immeditate area has many charms and is just beautiful - lots of tempting daytrips -It has three bedrooms - 1 king sized bedroom, and two bedrooms with twin beds. Add a crib, and you've got it made -The price is very reasonable
Downside: -I'm fairly sure it wouldn't be available for that long, for a continuous stay -The stairs are pretty steep, might be treacherous for tiny kids
I agree that you might have trouble finding what you are looking for, for the desirable July and August time period, in the Luberon. We much prefer June and September, but that may not work with your kids' school schedules.
This is a GREAT idea for your family. It will be just wonderful. I hope you find a place for the whole trip- if not, look ahead for another year and get an early start. Or consider making a move during your stay.
Bedoin is a lovely village. we often stopped there when spending a night or two at Crillon-La-Brave, Now that my husband is dead I doubt I'll be there again.
Posts: 1277 | Location: cambridge,ma.usa | Registered: 27 January 2003
