Provencal Bistro Classic We stumbled across the Bistrot du Paradou quite by hazard, on one of our drives around the Alpilles villages. It turns out that we were quite naive with regards to this restaurant’s gastronomic reputation and its loyal fan base. We now understand just how lucky we were …

My wife and I live part of the year in St-Rémy-de-Provence and we love all the great local wines. They come in any colour you like—red, white, and pink—and range from inexpensive quaffers to bottles you’d be proud to serve to anyone. Our Top Provencal Wines Over time we’ve visited …

Contributor blog post by Aixcentric: There seems to have been a deluge of work by Picasso recently, in Marseille, in Aix, in Les Baux, in Cannes, but the small exhibition at Aix’s Pavillon Vendome, ‘Villers Picasso – Coup de Soleil’ really is worth investigating. André Villers was just 22 and …

“Every Day My Cooking Has to be Great”  Bon rapport qualité-prix. It means “good value for money” and it’s one of my favorite French expressions because…who doesn’t love a great value? So I was delighted to learn that Emmanuel Billaud, the chef at Le Clos Saint Roch in Maussane-les-Alpilles, was …

Contributor blog post by Aixcentric: Picasso’s work has been chosen to be the co-subject of the summer show at Aix’s Musée Granet. ‘Picasso/Picabia’ begins on at the Musée Granet in Aix-en-Provence on June 9th and runs through to 23rd September.  It promises to be an intriguing juxtaposition of two very different artists working in …

Just below the famous hilltop fortress of Les Baux sits the boutique luxury hotel Benvengudo.  The name means “welcome” in the local language and it couldn’t be more appropriate. Walking into the manicured grounds of Benvengudo is like stepping back in time, to a more simple and gracious era.  The …

When Ginger and Nutmeg first ventured to Provence they felt prepared for the adventure. After all, it was not their first trip to France, they had previously biked in the region, and they had read Peter Mayle’s books – so they were confident in their basic understanding of the region. …

Domaine Dalmeran is nestled against the Alpilles a short distance from Saint Etienne du Grès and a few kilometres from St Remy de Provence. Despite its proximity to these villages the isolated vineyard, is an “island” of vines invisible from the road — the Via Domitia – an ancient Roman road …

My birthday falls on the same date every year, and I had certainly dropped enough hints that maybe my hubby should plan something to acknowledge the day. Instead, at 12:45 pm we were headed towards Arles without any sort of agenda other than I suggested a visit to Abbey de …

Provence is paradise…until you attempt to get cell coverage or WiFi access in some Provencal villages. One could blame the thick walls built with stones from Roman foundations, or the at times violent weather. However, the reality is that cellular network coverage is limited in some areas. Apparently, I should …