Last month Mom and I crossed the pond for our second annual Euro-tour. After our amazing experience in Beaune last year, we decided to further indulge our inner francophiles and explore more in France. First stop was St. Remy de Provence in southern France.
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| Fresh off the plane and first sip of rosé at 8am NY time |
We made St. Remy our home base for a full five days. We spent the first 2 nights at Mas des Tourterelles, then moved to Mas des Carassins for a change of scenery. While I loved both hotels for difference reasons, we especially enjoyed the daily breakfast spreads and ending our days poolside with rosé at Carassins, although it was a little further from the center of town and more of a hotel vibe vs. B&B.
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| Our morning view from the Vine Room at Tourterelles |
I loved the vintage, shabby chic vibe of our room at Tourterelles
A similar vibe at Mas de Carassins.
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| Our view of the Alpilles Mountains from our room at Carassins |
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| The breakfast table at Mas des Tourterelles |
We enjoyed a cooking class (more on that later), day trips to Chateauneuf du Pape, Les Baux de Provence, Villeneuve Les Avignon, Isle Sur La Sorgue, and a full day guided tour through the hill towns of the Luberon.
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| Quiet mornings in St. Remy |
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| We took daily morning walks through town including this beautiful old cemetery |
The highlight of our day trip to Les Baux, the magical Carriéres des Lumiéres exhibit featuring the painters of the Renaissance.
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| Being so close to the Mediterranean, we enjoyed fresh seafood, simply grilled and perfect! |
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| The definition of “French Blue” |
We would pick up wine and cheese in town to enjoy back at our hotel before dinner. No shortage of good chèvre!
Despite hitting 2 days of that infamous “Le Mistral” we were still able to enjoy cocktail hour by the pool.
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| Strawberries in France are on a whole different level! |
We took another morning drive to Villeneuve les Avignon to check out the Saturday flea market.
I love planning and organizing trips but I found it particularly difficult to narrow down our itinerary for this region within France. There was seemingly so much to see and do, I wanted that insiders’ guide and local secrets that you don’t get in a Rick Steves book. I was so happy to find Julie of The Provence Post. She was so extremely helpful, pointing us in the right direction with hotel suggestions, restaurants, day-trips, and daily activities (she coordinated our cooking class and guided Luberon tour). Beyond her thoughtful emails and insider info, she was a gem in person. We had the pleasure of having her join us for our cooking class, and even ended up running in to her around town later in the weekend, during which she introduced us to the local wine merchant, it’s like we were locals by the time we left! If you are planning a trip to Provence or Southern France I would HIGHLY recommend working with Julie. She is capable of planning any trip perfectly catered to your personal taste and desires!
Stay tuned for more of our travel adventures!
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