Rental & Self-Catered Properties in ProvenceStay: Accommodation & Rentals in ProvenceThe Unexplorer

3 Steps to Finding a Vacation Home in Provence

When we travel, we usually shun hotels. Sure, there’s a lot to be said about room service and having someone make your bed every day, but with the advent of Airbnb, HomeAway, and other vacation rental websites, we’ve opened our eyes to a new way to live like locals.

 Why Vacation Homes Rock

A lot of the time, the homes you can rent are inhabited, at least part of the year, by their owners. So you get personal touches that make it feel less formal than a hotel: the kids’ artwork on the wall, more kitchen utensils than a generic condo would have, and the interesting variety of books on the shelves.

My favourite thing about renting a home is being in a neighbourhood. Instead of being surrounded by overpriced, crappy restaurants that cater to tourists, we’re in a community. We shop for groceries at the marché with the other town inhabitants, and we eat where they eat. People see our faces a few times, and they become more friendly with recognition.

You’ve also got the bonus of having a kitchen to cook in, cutting down on costs, and having room enough for the entire family.

#TravelTips Rentals in #Provence @unxplorer

Step 1: Start with Where You Want to Stay

On our recent 5-week trip to Provence, we didn’t even know where we wanted to stay. We zeroed into the area within an hour of Marseille and Nice and then started browsing the listings.

You’ll quickly see that the accommodations in bigger cities and/or on the ocean are smaller (usually apartments) and more costly. Because we had several family members visiting, we wanted something a bit bigger than a 1-bedroom apartment.

Quite honestly, it didn’t matter which town we chose. The house and its amenities were more important.

Step 2: Pick What You Want vs. What You Need

We knew we could get away with just three bedrooms, though more would be ideal. Being able to walk to a boulangerie and epicerie was equally important. After all, we were in France, and we wanted to stroll the brick-lined streets, munching on our baguette of the day!

We ended up with a major score: we rented this four-bedroom house (part of which was built in the 1400s) that had not one but two kitchens (one was outside, and we never used it). The rate of $169 a night is a good deal, but we were able to negotiate even lower because we were staying for five weeks.

Don’t be afraid to dicker. People would rather rent longer term and make less money than have to turn around their home every few days.

#TravelTips Rentals in #Provence @unxplorer

Step 3: Read the Fine Print

Renting a vacation home is a major event for me. I spend a ton of time looking at all the pictures and reading the descriptions and reviews. Reviews are a big part of my decision; I might see in the reviews that people had trouble finding parking or said they really couldn’t walk to stores.

It’s also a good idea to check the cancellation policy, especially if there’s a chance you might change plans on a long trip. We decided to end our trip with a week in a different town, but since the cancellation policy said we couldn’t get a refund, we lost a few hundred dollars (I did ask, but the owner refused to budge).

Final Tips

If you want a unique experience on your stay in Provence, I highly recommend renting a vacation home. You’ll feel more immersed in the local culture and might even spend less than you would with a hotel.

American sites like HomeAway and Airbnb are great places to start, but once we got there, we found out that you can also search sites like Gîtes de France (a gîte, from what I gathered, is a vacation home). And because France is still a bit behind North America in their Internet presence, you can also find a place when you get there, if you dig that whole seat-of-your-pants flying thing. When we arrived in Saorge, we saw many signs in windows for rentals that I never found online.

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Susan Guillory

When Susan Guillory isn't running her marketing company, she's traveling and writing about it on The Unexplorer. She's written several books (business, as well as travel) and has been published on Forbes, Mashable and other sites.

5 Comments

  1. September 12, 2015 at 12:33 pm — Reply

    Hi Susan, I fully agree with you about vacation rentals (as I run one myself and am a contributor to Perfectly Provence too) they are definitely the best way to experience a local area in my (not at all biased) opinion!! (Actually I’ve been staying in them long before I opened my own business, and way before all the online portals existed!) I just wanted to say that the strict cancellation policies are necessary for us small businesses. The money I earn from my “gite” is my income, it isn’t just pocket money, so if someone suddenly cancels I lose out big time. I’m not a hotel in a big town with passing traffic and likely to refill the room. In fact more likely than not I won’t get anyone else. But most owners will be open to a refund if they get a new booking, so it’s worth asking about that and remembering the side of the small business owner.

    • September 12, 2015 at 2:15 pm — Reply

      Hi Phoebe! Thanks for your comment. Certainly I appreciate vacation rental owners being small business owners too! I aspire to own some myself soon.

  2. Claire LeJeune
    September 13, 2015 at 12:09 pm — Reply

    Hey Suz, I just read your article about what to do when traveling and loved it! So many things to know that many people would never think of. Thanks, Claire

    • September 13, 2015 at 5:39 pm — Reply

      Thanks Claire, I agree Susan had a few great tips in her post. Thanks for reading. Please sign-up for our weekly newsletter for more great articles.

    • September 13, 2015 at 7:37 pm — Reply

      Hi Auntie! Thanks for reading. Glad you liked.

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