This article was written for Annabel & Grace, which is now part of Rest Less.
We were lucky to be there in mid July: slap bang in lavender season! Many people plan their trip around this local treasure, following the official “Lavender Route”, but we were just extremely lucky. The fields we drove past ran through all the shades of lavender, from pale mauve to deep, bright purple, and the scent was incredible. The sky above was brightest blue and the ground a rocky ochre, and the intoxicating colours and the beauty of the landscape is one of those memories which will never leave me.
30 years ago we were on a limited budget so we weren’t able to take full advantage of the amazing local foodie culture in the same way that I plan to on a return visit, but one of the few splurges I really pushed for were a couple of perfume factory tours. Grasse calls itself the ‘Perfume Capital’ and there are numerous factories there offering tours. We also visited the Marius Fabre factory in Salon-de-Provence and the L’Occitane factory in Manosque. Plus, I figured if I was going to be spending all summer sleeping in a camper van then I’d need some good quality lotions and potions to remain feeling civilised enough for the rare outing to a cafe or restaurant. One of the best tips I can pass on is that the optimum time to eat out in Provence is lunchtime – if you arrive promptly at midday you might feel a bit un-chi-chi, but you will get a table and a chance at the often reasonably priced plat du jour.
If, like me, you like to stay somewhere with a bit of history to it, and an easy, impressive headline, then The Chateau de Mazan looks like a great choice. Cue headline: It was once home to the Marquis de Sade! These days it’s still a grand, imposing, 18th century chateau, but not a stuffy one, and its 30 rooms are charmingly unpretentious. And Mazan is a perfectly Provençal village. Rooms start from around £95 a night.
If you dream in bird’s-eye-views then Le Vieux Castillon is probably going to be your favourite on this list. It’s a a beautiful golden stone villa surrounded by olive and cypress trees with an incredible view over a quintessentially Provençal landscape. There are 30 individually designed rooms and three suites and a highly rated restaurant. Rooms start from just under £200 a night.
If you want a peaceful base for visiting Avignon and Arles, then Le Bastide de Boulbon looks perfect. This renovated mansion in a charming, medieval village is surrounded by rose gardens and mature trees. There are ten contemporary bedrooms with smart all-marble bathrooms and a small, but tempting, pool. Rooms start from £155 per night.
Le Mas des Carassins
looks like the perfect Provençal farmhouse conversion, with its exposed stone walls and surrounding lavender and lemon trees: but it’s actually on the outskirts of St-Rémy de Provence, within walking distance of the centre of town. Secluded and relaxed, our Guru says this is the kind of place where nothing is too much trouble. Rooms start from around £85 per night.
If you’re looking forward to seeing the Canyon du Verdon, then La Bouscatière, which is dramatically positioned, clinging to the top of a cliff, close tot the canyon’s entrance, might be for you. It’s a reasonably priced, 18th century built house in pretty Moustiers-Sainte-Marie, with five bedrooms decorated with whitewashed walls, terracotta floor tiles, exposed beams and Persian carpets. Charming and traditional for around £80 a night.
Practical details
Provence’s lavender season runs from mid June to August. On Saturdays in lavender season Eurostar operates a service direct from London to Avignon, but even on a weekday in the dead of winter there are good TGV train connections from Paris to Lyon, Avignon and Aix-en-Provence.
If you want to travel by air you can fly to Marseilles from Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Edinburgh or Bristol, or, if you’re interested in northern Provence, you can fly in to Nice-Côte-d’Azur from Heathrow or Gatwick. There’s a small and friendly airport in Avignon, which connects with Southampton and Birmingham, or you can travel to Nîmes from Luton or Liverpool.
You probably do need to have a car in Provence. Public transport is available, but it’s frustratingly irregular. Some people will say a bike will do you just as well, it just depends on how much you enjoy sitting in the saddle. It’s certainly a great way to see plenty of beautiful countryside though.
The simple answer to the question of Provence’s climate is that it’s ‘Mediterranean’ and dry. The corner of France around Avignon, Aix en Provence and Marseilles is the driest in the country. Come July and August the maximum temperatures average 24° – 28°, and the coldest month, January, expects about 7° – 10° in the warmest part of the day. The rains start to fall in September and October is the wettest month with rainfall most days.
The Hotel Guru has done your hotel research for you. We’ve commissioned a collection of leading travel writers and journalists to offer their recommendations on where to stay, found out all the important and minute details about each property, and then cross referenced that with guides we respect. So if having a hot tub is important to you you can search by that, likewise pet-friendly properties and hotels with a great wine list.