By Caroline Longstaffe: Shopping in Lourmarin As we’ve spent increasing amounts of time in Lourmarin we’ve come to know more of the people in the village, all of whom have been warm and welcoming.  Like us, many of them are not originally from the area but similarly captivated by its’ enchantment have …

By Caroline Longstaffe: When Philippe Franc, the owner of La Maison FRANC first came to live in Pertuis, near Lourmarin, his neighbor welcomed him with a gift, a lavender wand or Coeur de Lavande. It was a defining moment and the first step in a story which led to the opening …

Nestled among rolling vineyards between the historic city of Aix-en-Provence (14km) and the stunning Luberon Valley (21km) you will find Château La Coste. Purchased by Irish real estate developer Paddy McKillen in 2002, the ordinary has been transformed into the extraordinary. Château La Coste is now a stunning domain set within 600 hectares, dedicated not just …

It’s raining today in Provence and after nearly a month of clear, blue skies and gentle, warm autumnal days, temperatures have plummeted signalling the beginnings of winter. Nowhere, even Lourmarin, is idyllic in the rain, or is it? Perhaps enticed by the recently hung lights across the streets of the village …

Contributor blog post by Caroline Longstaffe: Recently someone who only had four days to spend in Provence asked me if I had to choose between a visit to Aix-en-Provence or Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, which would it be. Preferably I’d find the time for both but as stunning a city as Aix is, …

Contributor blog post by Caroline Longstaffe: Many people dream of owning a winery; a romantic illusion of strolling through carefully tended vines sharing your vintages within the shadows of a sprawling château, which for me would have to be in Provence. Of course, dreams like this seldom come true, such …

Contributor blog post by Caroline Longstaffe: When you leave a place for several months, however much you love it, even somewhere as special as Lourmarin, you find yourself wondering. Wondering if it is really is as magical as the images you have so firmly imprinted in your mind. Wondering whether you’ll …

Contributor blog post by Caroline Longstaffe Don’t you ever wonder when you ask your friends how they are and they always say ‘wonderful’? Really, always wonderful, no-one’s life is wonderful all of the time, is it? I know I’m a sharer, I write a blog after all and admittedly I mostly write about …

Contributor blog post by Caroline Longstaffe: Back in March I wrote about the excitement of returning somewhere special, to Lourmarin, quoting from Daphne du Maurier’s ‘Rebecca’ “Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again.” I also mentioned that I had an appointment with a real estate agent…. A great deal has happened since then, but …

Contributor blog post by Caroline Longstaffe: It’s December in Provence, snow has already sprinkled its magic across the villages and as the nights draw in and daylights fades each day, a bitter chill drapes itself like a frozen mantle across the dark golden, sprawling vineyards. By early December in Provence …