The Art of Savoring Provence; Balancing Active Exploration & Leisure

The Coliseum in the center of Arles

 Provence, in The South of France...  bathed in sunshine and steeped in history, beckons travelers with its lavender fields, charming villages, and vibrant culture. But crafting the perfect itinerary can be a challenge. Do you cram in every sight, or surrender to the languorous pace of the Provençal life? Our goal is always to design our itineraries to achieve a harmonious balance between active exploration and leisurely downtime during your vacation, focusing on the following destinations, and of course leisurely time at our amazing Villa:

The Touring and Active Exploration

• Gordes: A famous hilltop village known for its quaintness, charm, and honey-colored stone houses sitting atop a majestic rocky hilltop over 2100 feet in elevation, offering a view of the landmarks of its past, a majestic protective castle, a massive church with its defensive appearance, 
• Arles: an ancient city sitting on the majestic Rhone River, dating back to 800 BC, boasting incredible Roman ruins and a  home to Van Gogh. where he painted over 300 of his masterpieces from the surrounding landscapes
• Les Baux-de-Provence: Another truly ancient,  village  perched on a rocky outcrop, dating back to 6000BC offering breathtaking views and a medieval castle.
• Carrières de Lumières: A massive underground marble, granite and limestone quarry transformed into a spectacular 3 dimensional cinematic light show venue. If you're familiar with the Van Gogh exhibits that have captivated audiences across America the last few years, well this where it began, and it's 10 times more amazing than anything you have ever  seen in The US!
• Venasque: what we call our home-base Village... A charming stone-built hilltop village nestled amidst vineyards, Cherry orchards, and olive groves.  
• Mont Ventoux: A challenging mountain in The Alps made famous by the amazing Tour de France Bicycle Race!  This massive mountain is where we'll stage our Le Provencal Classique Road Rally! Ventoux is legendary mountain nicknamed the "Giant of Provence".  We'll take a break at Ventoux's Summit for a wonderful luncheon at a really unique eatery!
• The Pont du Garde: A majestic 2000 year old Roman aqueduct bridge. If you think the Eiffel Tower is breathtaking, wait till you see & walk across the Pont du Garde!
• Abbaye Notre-Dame de Sénanque: A serene Cistercian abbey renowned for its lavender fields. You've seen pictures of this your whole life!
• Roussillon: Another beautiful Provencal Village known for its ochre colored cliffs and colorful houses made from these colorful pigments
• Château Pesquie: we'll Tour this wonderful Wine Estate, have a Guided Tasting by one of their wine-makers, and we've arranged for an amazing picnic in a grove of 300 year old Plane Trees on the Estate next to The Château. (what the French call "A Chic Peek-Neek"
• The Provence Lavender Fields: no trip to Provence would be complete without a tour of its iconic purple tapestry!  We've timed your Tour to (hopefully) catch the Lavender Fields at the height of their bloom, and of course, before the harvest!  (Mother Nature controls this delicate timing)

And while all of these pursuits are going to be outstanding...  as we mentioned earlier, our goal is to balance these touring activities with leisure time at the Villa!  After all, relaxation & leisure are really what Provence is all about! 

The Relaxing Leisure Opportunities

• We think you'll find that Mornings at The Villa are a perfect time for a cup of coffee and some quiet reflection, or a stroll through the terraced gardens surrounding the Villa. The Villa's hilltop setting and gardens filled with statues & water features, provides an incredibly serene backdrop to catch both the sunrises & sunsets!
• Many of our guests like to enjoy a refreshing dip in the heated pool to start their mornings before Breakfast
• You'll find that Breakfasts at the Villa are among the most casual of times... We set up Breakfast as a Buffet in the kitchen... and as you get your coffee, juice and breakfast foods, you'll have your choice of a handful of places to relax and enjoy your first meal of the day; Inside, there's the formal Dining Room, and then there's the Solarium... the Dining room is a beautiful, large and little bit more formal setting, where as the Solarium is a massive, casual recreational "Great Room" with Post & Beam construction and walls of retractable glass on three sides... when we open all these glass walls, the Solarium transitions into a large breezy Pavilion...  Outside, you'll have many choices: The table under the vine covered loggia just outside the kitchen doors... The large bank of sofas on The Terrace outside the Solarium... The dining table outside the Summer Kitchen at the Pool Bar... or even the loungers around the pool.
• During the days when we're out Touring, we try to get back to the Villa at a reasonable time in the afternoon so that you can enjoy a couple hours of leisure time around the Villa and at the pool before dinner (you'll be enjoying the incredible "light of Provence"  on the longest days of the year!)
• We of course have the Wine, Champagne, Prosecco and Beer Bars set up, as well as Appetizers for our daily Happy Hours Parties... usually we set up Happy Hours either in the Solarium or down at the pool
• We typically, weather permitting, have our Dinners served by the Chefs, on the large Table outside the kitchen doors under the Vine covered loggia alongside the gardens...
• We think you'll find that the festive atmosphere of our evening dinner parties and our traditional after dinner cordials, just naturally transition into casual socializing around the various outdoor leisure areas throughout the evenings... most evenings turn into parties!
• The Estate and grounds throughout the property are very large and expansive, and we think you'll find there's lots of areas to wander into if you prefer some quiet time away from others
• We're sure you've heard us talk about Soiree Blanche (the white party)... and as some of you probably remember our Festival del Bianco Celebration in Tuscany, this is in a similar vein, albeit with a truly French Twist!  Bring a White outfit to wear! It doesn't need to be fancy, it just needs to be White!
• And lastly, this leads us into Wednesday, (your free day)... So being pretty active throughout the week, we give you Wednesday, as a free day to be totally at your leisure, to do whatever you may feel like doing... You can sleep in a little longer... and have a leisurely breakfast... perhaps take a drive over to Avignon for a leisurely lunch and tour The Palace of The Popes, or head down to St Remy for the outdoor market and do some boutique shopping.... St Remy has great Boutiques!

Again, after several decades of planning these group tours, we find this delicate balance of active touring with sufficient leisure & down time lead to the best vacations!  We hope you're getting excited about France!  We are!   We're going to have a great time!  Viva La France! 

this is Loren Allred, and she will blow you away!