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Provence & the French Riviera

Best and worst accommodations:

Best: Hotel Cezanne in Aix
Why: Everything is modern, great location...just as your guidebook says.

Paul Lightner in Novato, CA USA 07/03/2008

Best: Mas Perreal in St. Saturnin
Why: The rooms were just lovely and the breakfasts were worth getting up for. The hosts were also very nice and helpful.

Victoria Van Wie in Cypress, Tx USA 06/22/2008

Best: Hotel Musee, Arles and Hostellerie Le Beffroi, Vaison-La-Romaine
Why: Both of these hotels have beautiful courtyard, garden spaces which was one of the reasons we chose to stay here. Unfortunately it rained so hard every night during our vacation it was too wet to enjoy the outside spaces for breakfast! Highly recommend both hotels. Le Beffroi has incredible old world charm in a beautiful setting.Both hotels had good staff and were helpful.

Anne Schiedel in Basel, Switzerland 06/08/2008

Best: Hotel le Calendal
Why: The staff is very friendly, helpful and fluent in English.

Karen in San Diego, CA USA 06/03/2008

Best: Hotel de Musee - Arles
Why: We had a wonderful stay. Claude and Laurence were very helpful and extremely friendly. The courtyards are delightful and a great place to unwind and sip a glass of wine. We would definately stay again.

Lisa Valle in Sycamore, IL USA 05/26/2008

Best: Grand Hotel Negre Coste in Aix en Provence
Why: We slept soundly in good beds amid quaint provencal decor. Looking out the windows onto the avenue's gorgeous plane trees was a relaxing treat.

Worst: Hotel de Blauvac in Avignon
Why: Bedbugs. Yep, they left us with multiple, itchy welts. The mattress must also be 13th century from the time of the popes. When the staff had a screaming match, we wrote this one off.

Lane Dolly in Falls Church, VA USA 05/25/2008

Best: Hotel de Cloisters
Why: Friendly staff, beautiful room, but the breakfast was really plain. We ate somewhere else the next morning.

Kate Buechler in Winnipeg, MB Canada 05/22/2008

Best: Chambres Clerissy in Moustiers Sainte Marie
Why: The rooms were large and stylish while the price was exceptionally reasonable. Sophie was very helpful and lent us a hiking book for this beautiful area.

Kitty in Centennial, CO USA 05/19/2008

Best: Mas du Petit Grava (B&B) outside Arles
Why: The hosts, Jim and Ike, make you feel like part of the family. The Mas (farmhouse) is full of character and charm and is very warm and welcoming. The bed was incredibly comfortable, Ike makes a great breakfast, Jim will share his van Gogh expertise without prompting (in a good way), and when the mistral winds hit they lit a fire in the fireplace. In over 30 European trips in the past 5 years, I can think of only 1 other place where we felt as welcome as at Mas du Petit Grava

Melanie Bernhardt in Amsterdam, Netherlands 03/19/2008

Best: Bastide de la Brague
Why: Amazing meals even at 4 times the twenty euro price;Franck and his charming three-generation family are the Best;we were sad to leave

Betsy Romano in Bloomfield Township, MI USA 03/10/2008

Best: Bastide de la Brague
Why: Amazing meals even at 4 times the twenty euro price;Franck and his charming three-generation family are the Best;we were sad to leave

Betsy Romano in Bloomfield Township, MI USA 03/10/2008

Best: Hotel Blauvac, Avignon
Why: Not fantastic but better than the Danieli where I also stayed. Friendly owner and very small room. Nice decorative touches in this historic building.

Worst: Danieli Avignon
Why: Not really bad but I preferred the Blauvac. This hotel has endless corridors with steps that I continually tripped over. Nice large room and bath but I'd hate to think how you would get out in case of fire. Nice breakfast though, and good location.

Maryanne NJ USA 03/06/2008

Best: Hotel Blauvac, Avignon
Why: Not fantastic but better than the Danieli where I also stayed. Friendly owner and very small room. Nice decorative touches in this historic building.

Maryanne NJ USA 03/06/2008

Best: Hotel d'Alibert- Caunes-Minervois
Why: We had made advance reservations for lodging here on Bastille Day, but when we got there, the owner, Frederic d'Alibert gave our room reservation away to another party that checked in earlier that us on Bastille Day. By the time we checked in, it was 8:30 p.m. He tried his best to accommodate us by providing a make-shift mattress like bed on the floor as there were no rooms available at all on Bastille Day. It was not our fault at all. Also, there was no soap given at all. Luckily we had our own. We could not ask for soap at 1:30 a.m. upon our return from Bastille Day celebrations. He was nice enough not to charge us the full-rate for 3 people and only charged for 2 people. He apologized for the confusion and said that it has been very difficult for him to run this family owned hotel this year as his father recently passed away and a client passed away in his restaurant last year.

Worst:
Why: Caunes-Minervois is a very quaint and small town with very narrow streets. It is very quiet at night and big cars will not make it that easily. The garage that Hotel d'Alibert provides has only room for 7-8 cars, but all the cars are parked like a jigsaw puzzle- no order, so if you park in there, you may not be able to move out easily. The road to get in the garage is very narrow with no street name to identify it. It was a quite a task to look for it. It is located in the back of the hotel, but not obvious to you as the streets have no signs available.

k.m. in san francisco, ca USA 11/21/2007

Best: L'ecole buissonniere Buisson
Why: John and Monique make this feel like "home." We stayed here based on the guidebook and recommendations from this board and found everything they said was true. Almost everyone there was a Rick Steves' fan. John is wonderful about sharing maps and directions, and "John's Tour" to Nyons (where we enjoyed a wonderful Thursday market)and beyond was my favorite of the trip. They are great at recommending excellent local restaurants and making reservations for you - we ate somewhere different every night and never had a bad meal.

Martha in New Smyrna Beach, FL USA 10/20/2007

Best: Arles--Hotel Regence
Why: I think I would have to say this was the best hotel of our multi-country trip. It was a great value at only 50 euros for a double, and it was the prettiest room we stayed in as well. The staff (or owners?) were extremely helpful and spoke English well. The mattresses weren't the most comfortable, but when are hotel mattresses that great anyway?

Worst: Roussillon--Chez Madam Cherel's
Why: I don't know if I would say this was the worst, I just want to send up some red flags. First, RS notes that she "lets rooms that are just this side of a hostel." What that means is that the doors don't lock! The room we had had really low, slanting ceilings, which was a huge problem since we are tall (DH is 6'6" and I am 6'0"). "Chatty and sincere Cherel" also (I'm sure with good intentions) told us each morning our plans for the day were not good and suggested alternatives. It felt like we were reporting to our mother. She seemed to get along well with the other guests, however, so I'm not sure why we didn't mesh. Perhaps the biggest drawback, however, was the lack of hot water. For a house with room for 9 guests, there should have been more hot water. We were the 3rd and 4th guests to shower both mornings we stayed there, and we never had hot showers. It was the cheapest accomodation we could find, but I wouldn't say it was a good value.

Becca in Torrance, CA USA 10/16/2007

Best: L'ecole buissonniere, Villedieu
Why: Friendliest hosts ever encountered.

Don Harris in Bryn Mawr, PA USA 10/09/2007

Best: Le Calendal
Why: The charm, style and convenience of the hotel makes you forget about any drawbacks you might encounter. Staff is young, but very savvy. Loved the internet access in the lobby.

Aimee in Oakland, CA USA 08/26/2007

Best: Le Calendal in Arles
Why: It was exactly what we were looking for: plenty of Provencal charm in its exterior facade and interior decor.,lovely staff, central and picturesque location across from the Classic Theater and the Amphitheater, clean, clean rooms,super renovated bathroom,and to top it off little perks such as laundry services at low prices, an iron and ironing board just outside the room and free internet. These people know how to run a hotel!

Worst: La Negre Coste in Aix en Provence
Why: It was, without doubt, the grimiest, smelliest, must run-down three-star hotel we experienced in our 21-day, eleven -hotel vacation. Two hours after checking in , we checked out and were still charged a full-night stay. Our daughter was freaking out because on top of the I-don't-want to -touch -anything phobia the place inspired inspired, the smell of disinfectant or possibly insecticide was so pervasive, she actually felt she couldn't breathe . It seems to me this hotel had its heyday thirty-some years ago and has done very little since.

Luz Valdes in Roslyn, NY USA 08/25/2007

Best: Hostellerie de Commandeurs, Joucas
Why: Reasonable price, great food, clean rooms and wonderful location. Felt like we were part of Provence while visiting. Sophie was a fabulous hostess.

Worst: Hotel Villa Eden, Nice
Why: This was the biggest disappointment of our 16-day trip, and the book had been so good to us up until this point. The promised "faded and charming family-run ambience" in truth was nothing more than a flophouse staffed by a confused college student. I feel like we experienced the atmosphere of a rundown brothel. After spending comparable money the night before in Joucas and having a great experience, this was the utmost in disappointing. Stained and filthy carpets, stained bedspreads, dusty, dank drapes, and a shower that was about 18" wide. I have camped a lot in my life, and I wish we had done that instead. But it was 9pm when we arrived and we were too exhausted to start looking for a new hotel and pay three times more. I cannot stress enough that this place does not belong in the Rick Steves book and I implore him to send someone to revisit this hotel, or better yet, remove it from the book.

Heidi Hutchinson in Seattle, WA USA 08/23/2007

Best: Hotel Suisse, in Nice
Why: As you suggested, we upgraded to a room with a balcony and a view. It was well worth the extra money!

Sharon & Leo Marty in Olympia, WA USA 08/21/2007

Worst: Hotel Vieux Chateau, Aiguines, France
Why: Upon arrival, Fred said he had never confirmed my reservation, even though I had e-mail correspondence from him. He said there was another room available though at a slightly higher price, instaed of 95 euros it would be 107 euros. Ok fine so we stayed. We ate dinner at the restaurant at the hotel and spent 95 euros and by the end of the meal I had trapped 6 live bees under the glassware to keep them from stinging our two children. Then we tried to sleep but there was no A/C and they did not provide a fan - in JULY! We had to sleep with the windoe open and heard the town bell ring at the 1/2 and on the hour the entire night! We dragged our suitcases down the next morning to check out when the lady asked "Aren't you having breakfast?" Sounding like it was included we sat down and each ate a piece of baguette and a drink. Then we find when reviewing the bill upon check out a few minutes later that our room rate had been written over and now said 120 euros, we were charged 28 euros for the horrible breakfast and tax to a grand total of 164 euros. When we complained the woman at the desk lowered it to 111 euros, we paid and then left. Upon reveiwing our credit card bill when we returned home, the hotel charged our card for an additional $38 after we had left just using the credit card number.

Stacie Husmann in Paris, France 08/15/2007

Best: Hostellerie des Commandeurs
Why: Without Steve we never would have found this gem in the tiny hilltop village of Joucas! The rooms were absolutely immaculate. Not air-conditioned but evenings were lovely and cool. We dined under olive trees, overlooking the Luberon valley. Meals were fabulous, our hosts gracious. All at a most reasonable Provencal price. It was a great spot to call home while hiking or touring the incredible surrounding countryside.

Cindy in Beavercreek, Oh USA 08/09/2007

Best: Hotel Le clos des Aromes
Why: Lovely atmosphere, nice rooms, basic. Didn't find staff too friendly, restaurant seems to be the mail business.

We also stayed 2 nights at Hotel Laurence.Marie was wildly helpful and friendly.

Worst: Le Belle Meunuire in Nice
Why: pros: cheap, next to train station, friendly staff

cons: really noisy doors/hallways (at least on ground floor); ugly rooms;

Cindy in Shurtleff, wa USA 07/13/2007

Best: L'Ecole Bouissonniere Chambres
Why: A friendly country home-like experience, with charming comfortable rooms and interesting antique details. John provided detailed insightful itineraries for Cote du Rhone outings, and south to Pont du Gard, Les Baux, etc. We enjoyed the humor, good English, playful dog, nice garden breakfasts, and useful patio guest kitchen.

Jay & Audrey in Mountain View, CA USA 06/07/2007

Best: Hotel du Musee, Arle and Hotel le Beffroi, Vaison la Romain
Why: Both hotels were charming, bright, clean, friendly and helpful. I would definitiely stay there again. I enjoyed having places to sit outdoors in the garden.

Terry in Lafayette, CA USA 06/05/2007

Best: Chambres de la Cordiere, Lourmarin
Why: Large, excellent room (we needed a triple) with modern bath, lovely decor, helpful and interesting hostess, nice breakfast in a lovely old home. Great value!

Tod Weber in Cupertino, ca USA 05/28/2007

Best: Hotel de Lutece
Why: great location. comfortable. nice bath. great ceiling! However our 1st room was so cramped our double bed was against a wall, w/ a Tiny bath. We switched rooms. It's hard to believe both these rooms go for the same price.

Worst: Hotel Windsor in Nice
Why: It did NOT have a/c as stated on the email confirmation. They claim no hotels have air until May 15th. This was May 10th. It was quite warm. We expected a quiet garden retreat with air but got a cold (all white), sterile, very noisy, uncomfortable (hard bed) room. All this for €170 for the "deluxe" room. The hair dryer wasn't available for two days and the pool was somewhat dirty. We were very disappointed and left the hotel and Nice two days early. Is it legal in Europe to sell a room falsely like that?

Marguerite Milland in Newport Bch, Ca USA 05/16/2007

Best: Le Calendal
Why: Convenient to all sights, adorable environment, helpful staff. a wonderful small hotel; felt comfortable to come & go without pressure. internet access was nice!

Conyee Lim in San Diego, CA USA 12/07/2006

Best: Hotel Darse, Villefranche-sur-mer
Why: Reasonable and wonderful views with private balconies. We had room 35, which was 3rd floor. Be prepared for many stairs. No elevator. Spacious (in Europe) and lots of light. Receptionists were very friendly. They offered to hold luggage if needed and taxi was reliable. Went in Oct06 and they had free wifi (lobby area only)

Callie in NY, NY USA 10/24/2006

Worst: Hotel Relax, Marseille
Why: We stayed here the beginning of October 2006. We stayed for 4 nights. However on our last night we come in and are told they changed rooms. We were put in a much smaller room 2 flights up. In addition they had literally touched and moved all our belongings - personal items - everything to our new room without our permission. Even the maid doesn't move things when she cleans a room. We confronted the desk person, the owner's son and he was rude. We talked to the owner later on saying that he gets many readers of Rick Steve's books as customers and we have never had anyone touch and move our private belongings. he was more apologetic. However we felt very uncomfortable and upset about this. We decided to pay with cash and not even give the proprietor any personal information. We would not stay here again.

Meredith in San Francisco, CA USA 10/24/2006

Best: Hotel Suisse (Nice)
Why: Great location with an outstanding view of the beach, only a few steps from the old town. Hotel is a very good value for the area.

George Kemptner in Laguna Niguel, CA USA 10/24/2006

Best: Le Calendal (Arles) and Auberge Presbytere (Saignon-not in Rick's book)
Why: Le Calendal was just as Rick described. Auberge Presbytere is a little hotel in a very small, picturesque Luberon hill town (Siagnon). They have reasonable rates, a lovely location on the town's very small square, and an amazing restaurant. We had a fantastic dinner and then all we had to do was walk upstairs and crash.

Christy in Seattle, WA USA 10/13/2006

Best: Fiancee du Pirate in Villefranche sur Mer
Why: While the hotel was a monumental climb above Villefranche, it was a perfect location for exploring the neighboring towns by car. It also has a beautiful setting, and is nicely run by new owners Laurence and Eric.

Ron in DeWitt, MI USA 10/13/2006

Best: Hotel St Christophe, Aix-en Provence
Why: Helpful staff, incredible location, large room and bathroom for European hotel. Will definitely stay here again when in Aix.

Joann Volinski in Pacifica, Ca USA 09/24/2006

Best: Hotel La Calendal
Why: Perfect! Step outside and the Colleseum is in your face! The staff was very helpful, especially Yona (?) who seemed to work weekends. We had all our laundry (two loads) done for 16 Euro. Our hotel in Venice recommended a laundry that would have charged that much for two items! Arles is beautiful.

Marsha Hudson in Seattle, WA USA 08/04/2006

Best: Hotel Mercure in Nice
Why: The location was right where you want to be in Nice. Looks right at the beach, and is close to the wonderful flower and produce markets on Cours Saleya. We never ate breakfast there, cafes were close that offered the same thing for E4.80 rather than the E12 at the hotel. The help at the hotel WAS. We left our copy of Provence and the French Riviera 2006 in their bar area, as the front desk person said she had used Rick's Paris guide (left by another guest) when she went and found it very helpful, even though it was in English. Got a chuckle from this!

Jeanette Rockers in Denver, CO USA 07/25/2006

Best: Hotel les Nevons in Isle-sur-la-Sorgue
Why: Our family of 4 stayed here 5 nights in June 2006 and it was very comfortable. We had a huge quad room in the new wing with a balcony, that we enjoyed immensely, on the river side. We had a car and they offer free parking for hotel guests. This was a perfect place from which to explore the hill towns of the Luberon. It was a few minutes walk to the wonderful Sunday market in town, which we were glad that we did not have to drive to and worry about parking as it appeared parking would have been a problem. From here, we also visited Vaison La Romaine and the Cotes du Rhone Villages. Mireille and staff were most welcoming and the internet access in the lobby was very convenient. We also enjoyed the rooftop pool.

Janet in Maple Grove, MN USA 07/24/2006

Best: Chambres Le Pigeonnier
Why: Corinne, and her husband Gilles, are the most gracious and engaging hosts. The lodging was conviently located and immaculate, and the petit dejeuner prepared by Corinne was delicious with her own preserves.

Steve Wahle in San Anselmo, CA USA 07/09/2006

Best: Hotel le Beffroi
Why: Lovely view, comfortable rooms, charming spot, nice people, friendly kitty

Lori USA 06/25/2006

Best: Le Cedre in Beaune
Why: the hotel was beautiful, the city was quaint and the people were nice

Worst: AVIGNON!!! LE COLBERT
Why: see above

karen lockhart in montrose, AL USA 06/18/2006

Best: Hotel Colbert
Why: Wonderful budget hotel. Patrice, the manager, is thoughtful and caring and the ambiance of this small hotel is lovely. Price is excellent (60 euros per night for a single as I recall). The breakfast room and patio area are very attractive and comfortable. The location is quiet. We spent 6 days in Avignon and loved returning to our room each evening.

Kathy Grant in Osceola, WI USA 06/15/2006

Worst: Hotel La Rade in Cassis
Why: I was incredibly disapppointed by my stay here May 26-28 for a variety of reasons. I cannot believe that it was recommended by Rick Steves ' book (which was one of the main reasons we chose it). Here are the main issues we had with this hotel:

1. Rudeness of Staff- The front desk girl "Coralie" is incredibly rude and unhelpful. From the moment we got there, she seemed to take great pleasure in saying "no" to every request we had (detailed more below), no matter how reasonable. She warmed up slightly during the stay to my boyfriend - I guess because he was a man- but other than when she had to tell me no, she avoided eye contact with me the whole stay.

2. No Parking- Although touting "free parking" as one of the hotel perks, there are only 6 spaces in front of the hotel and no one monitors to see that hotel guests are the ones parked there. Any one could park there and consequently they were always full, all the time. (If you know Cassis at all, then you know that parking is a HUGE hassle). We had the most expensive room in the place and had to park 15 mins. awy, up a hill on another street and contintually feed the meter. The hotel does have a few garage parking spaces that they rent for 13 euros a day but the avg. person would think (like we did) that why pay for a space when there are free parking places?? Of course, Coralie told us that none of the 13 euro spaces were available.

3. No Minibar- One would think that a 3 star hotel in a hot resort area would have a mini-bar in the room, even if there is a charge to rent one. Well, not here. Even though there was a form in the room that you could fill out in case you needed to have something in your room fixed and specifically listed a "Minibar", we were told that it was "not possible" to have a minibar and that "why on earth would you think we would have Minibars?"?(direct quotes - i am not joking!)

4. Malfunctioning Air Conditioning- It continually dripped water all night which we learned to our dismay when the next morning we found all of our guidebooks (which we had left on the floor) completely waterlogged and unusable.

Needless to say- we had a horrible time and will never return.

FYI- although I am an American I have lived in France, speak French and generally like the French. This not a case of being anti-French. This is the case of being a very poorly run and maintained hotel.

Shari Stack in Houston, TX USA 05/30/2006

Best: Hotel du Musee' in Arles
Why: Public areas are so pleasant.

Skell in Goens, Wa USA 05/23/2006

Best: L'Ermitage, near Vaison la Romaine
Why: The hospitality of Nick Jones, the wonderful view that looked like an ad for Provence and the water colored, charming, large room all made us wish we could stay longer. Also it has a pool, good after a long day of touring. We also liked the Hotel du Musee in Arles very much, we had a large room that over looked the courtyard and out bathroom was in a peaked little round tower. The owners were extremely warm and helpful and parking was always an event - we'd drive up honk someone would come running out, we'd jump out and they'd jump in and take it to the garage before the drivers behind got upset. It got to be a joke. We met a lot of fellow travelers in the courtyard there.

Worst: Hotel la Provencal Villefranche
Why: Was exactly as Rick said, sadly in need of an interior decorator. The staff were friendly and it was clean. The biggest drawback was having to walk uphill after dinner at the end of the day since all the restaurants and things to do are downhill. In general I just don't think we are Riviera people, although we had a fun day in Monacco. Next time I think I would stay inland and visit or skip it all together.

Marian in Brooklyn, NY USA 05/21/2006

Best: Hotel Clemenceau
Why: great little hotel - nice location, near a fantastic patisserie :)

Keely in Sparks, NV USA 05/19/2006

Best: Hotel Excelsior in Nice
Why: This was most definitely the nicest hotel I stayed in during my visit to France. Although it was a bit of a hike from the train station, it was worth it. Beautiful little hotel with the friendliest staff of my entire visit. The breakfast was also one of the best. The bathroom was marble and sparkling. Although the room was small, it was very clean and beautifully decorated. While staying there, I met two other Americans who approached me with the Rick Steves guidebook. They thought I was French! We talked, and I ended up spending the day driving to Monaco with them instead of wrestling with the train. Everywhere I went, I discovered Rick Steves' tourists who were invariably friendly.

Worst: Hotel le Splendid -- Avignon
Why: I was walking in the dark, rolling my luggage, trying to find the hotel which turned out to be down a very dark alley. Although the owner was friendly, I did not find "cheery rooms with good beds, ceiling fans. . ." My room was a claustrophobic closet with no fan, a rock-hard bed, and the bathroom sloped downwards so that I thought I would fall out through the balcony. I woke up with my back in spasms. I met two Aussie women who recommended their hotel, Aliza, and I paid off Splendid and moved to Aliza. Although it cost me an extra day's rental, it was worth it. Aliza was on the main strip near a movie theatre and I felt much safer. The room was HUGE and very charming and had a lovely view of the trees on the street. It made my stay in Avignon so much more pleasant. I think someone from your staff needs to revisit this place without prior notice.

carolyn wolfe in Boise, Id USA 05/09/2006

Best: Mas de Manon, St. Remy
Why: Staying with Marie-Odile and Claude was one of the highlights of our trip to Provence in March 2006. The location was a superb base for exploring western Provence. The owners are VERY welcoming; the breakfast and the room were lovely-- a great value, all in all. Although they have sold this B&B, and will be moving in December, they are looking for a new B&B location in Provence. Wherever they go, they are more than worth putting on your accommodation list. We hope we'll be able to visit them again.

Jo Hinsdale & John Robandt in Salt Lake City, UT USA 04/16/2006

Best: Le Calendral Arles
Why: This was right by the colliseum. The breakfast & lunches were great, the rooms were great, the courtyard was nice, and there was free internet access. A great deal for the price.

Worst: Hotel Le Manior Aix-en-Provence
Why: I got smoked out of Hotel Le Manoir. I had a third story room. The staff by the main desk use an area off the desk for smoking; this area opens to a courtyard. The smoke goes out the courtyard and up into your window if you open it. The rest of the smoke goes into the lobby.

It seemed that all of the young folks in Aix-en-Provence stand in the narrow streets and smoke. As I have a real allergy to tobacco smoke, I won't recommend the town or this hotel to anyone in a similar situation.

Russ Newell in Fairbanks, AK USA 04/11/2006

Best: Hotel Regence in Arles
Why: Not far from the train station and has plenty of parking spaces nearby. Spotless and VERY comfortable. The room I have is small. But it looks out to the river. The owner is one of the nicest persons I met on the trip. Always happy to answer the questions, make recommendations, and help. For budget travelers and the quality of the rooms, the price can't be beat (high season Ds 45 euros, off season 40.)

C Huang in Seattle, WA USA 04/05/2006

Best: Les Trois Figuiers/Sous L'Olivier
Why: We have stayed at Les Trois Figuiers, which is a French country home very near I'lsle sur la Sorgue, 3 times over the past 5 years. Rick has it listed in his book as Les Trois Figuiers, which is has been named, but the owners, Roland and Isabelle have expanded and their grown son has returned with his wife and have taken over the new rooms and they are now called Sous L'Olivier. It is actually just one property. They have 8 rooms available. We have stayed at no finer a place in France than this home. They have guests from all over Europe stay regulary with them. The rooms are spotless, and very comfortable. The very beautiful grounds look onto the Luberon mountains and have 2 swimming pools to enjoy. Breakfast is large and served outside in their backyard under the large tree with lavender and hydrangeas blooming in June! Homemade jams are included. Dinner is a real treat. Don't miss it. For 27€ each you get a 3 course dinner + a cheese course and all the wine you can drink! Dinner usually starts around 7:30 and goes until 10:30 and later! Tea and Coffee is served at the end of dinner. The table is always set beautifully and it's real fun talking with all the guests at one table.

This home is located in a very central spot. We have seen all of Provence on day trips from here over the years. Their new web site is www.chambresdhotesprovence.com

Lorrie in Cincinnati, Oh USA 02/19/2006