Are you looking for a place with beautiful views, excellent food, and fabulous wines? Then consider Gigondas in the southern Rhône Valley. This region has been producing excellent wines for over 2,000 years, from when it was part of the Roman Empire. The Romans liked the wines from Gigondas so …

Relaxing in Provence Sometimes it takes me a while to get round to doing something and this week I finally decided I would go and try out the Spa at Montbrun Les Bains. I say finally as our lovely neighbour had mentioned it to me three (3) years ago, just …

By Michel The village of Puyméras is located just a seven (7) km northeast of Vaison-la-Romaine, so it is convenient for lunch after the Tuesday morning market and from our house in Sablet. Puyméras is a pretty, small village, at the northern tip of the Vaucluse near the border of …

We rarely go to our home in Sablet without taking a day trip to Roussillon, a village in the Luberon about 35 miles southeast of Sablet. We never tire of seeing this colourful village, tinted by 17 different colours of ochre that were mined here; this makes Roussillon unique compared to other towns …

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 …

Hilltop Crestet Crestet can be described as what I like to call Burgunesque, a word I made up for places that remind me of the rural charm of Burgundy that I first fell in love with. This village is not in Burgundy but in the gorgeous Provençal countryside with a …

The Gift of a Town Perched on a hillside with its back to the Mistral wind, Ansouis is a gem of a village in the Luberon that definitely earns its status as one of the Les Plus Beaux Villages de France. With its tiny laneways, houses built into ancient ramparts, …

Suspended across from the mighty Mont Ventoux is a village that can only be described as jaw-droppingly stunning, as it is surrounded by breathtaking Alpine scenery and filled with rustic charm. Brantes has been on my list for years to visit, as it was described as a place of total …

Eygalières Alpilles Village Present Day Located on the northeastern edge of the Parc Naturel Régional des Alpilles, the hamlet of Eygalières has an official population of about 1,900 residents. However, in the summertime when second homeowners and short-stay visitors descend upon the village, the population swells well beyond the formal …

When you leave a place for several months, however much you love it, even somewhere as special as Lourmarin, you wonder. Wondering if it is as magical as the images you have so firmly imprinted in your mind. Wondering whether you’ll feel the same when you return. And then you do …