OUR FAMILY HOLIDAY IN PROVENCE
09
Jul
2015
No matter how much research is done, there is always nervous anticipation when one arrives at a new hotel not visited before and more so at a house or villa not previously experienced.
Our little house in Boussac, is not big enough to accommodate the whole family. As a result, we have in the past, rented a house near Lacoste in Provence which is big enough for the whole family. Unfortunately, the owners of this villa informed us at the last minute that they were unable to rent it out this year! This gave us very little time to find another house. After searching, we found a house on the outskirts of Gordes. Unfortunately, the nervous anticipation turned into grim reality when we arrived. There were significant damp/mould issues in some of the downstairs bedrooms and there were literally 80+ stairs and down to the pool. The kitchen was very small and dark. We love cooking and preparing local produce while in France and large cheerful kitchen is essential. These issues, coupled with the fact that my granddaughter suffers from asthma meant that this house was simply not an option.
Fortunately, the rental company found us a charming, rambling house on five acres, close to Gordes. This beautiful old house had extremely thick walls, huge bedrooms and bathrooms and the most beautiful gardens and trees. The pale blue French windows and shutters were surrounded by pale pink, pigmented walls and the northern side of the house was completely covered in Boston Ivy. The interiors were both sophisticated and laid back. Huge artworks and photography hung on the walls, and there was an unusual eclectic collection of lamps, furniture and objet d’art throughout. A big pool and a tennis completed the picture.
We love visiting Provence. The men enjoy their cycling and the girls and children love visiting different markets each day. The pool kept the little girls very happy and as the heat wave built up, evening swims became the norm. I hope you enjoy my photos of our experience below.
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| One whole wall was covered in these interesting black and white photographs of houses or barns. My lens could not fit in the whole wall of photographs!! |
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| This huge artwork hung in one of the bedrooms. |
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| Annabelle hydrangeas |
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| Late evening walks after the heat of the day. This photo taken just after 9.00pm |
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| My visit to Apt and this studio were the highlight of my holiday. To read about my visit and the Aptware, read here |
The collection of B&W photographs are by Bernd and Hiller Becher, a German husband and wife team who have constructed their remarkable career by undertaking "objective" photography of similar manmade structures all over Europe, including coking ovens, steel smelters, and radio towers. Their work is the photographer's equivalent of "scientific", seeking to document, rather than prettify. Yet, like a 19th century cabinet of curiosities, their individual photographs take on a remarkable beauty and fascination when placed side by side, perhaps akin to a display of preserved butterflies. The Becher's work has become highly valued by connoisseurs and collectors: you were very privileged to have enjoyed their amazing images on the walls of your holiday villa!
Hi Lee… Great to see you here! Sorry about your Paris experience.. it's just awful going through something like this and in Paris! There is definitely a risk in renting apartments/villas and thankfully ours turned out well in the end. Thanks so much for the visit and for commenting! xx
Wonderful Villa & gardens Jenny. I have always been lucky with our villa & apartment rentals in France & Italy however I Rented a truly dreadful apartment in Paris this year! I ended up leaving early & although the rental company tried to help there is not a lot that can be done about filthy furniture & badly maintained fixtures. I won't bore you with the details but I will be extra careful in future! So glad yours worked out in the end.
So pleased you shared the post. I am really happy to share any information she may need! Cheers Loi!
Hi Sophia! Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving a comment. We adored this house and our time in Provence. But reality checks in now that I am back home and listening to the icy winds outside! xx
Hello Heather! Thanks so much for following and stopping by! Having looked through hundreds of rentals I totally get what you are saying. The interiors are mostly soo horrendous! We adored this house and loved every minute of being in Provence Lucky lucky you!! xx
I came back to enjoy your photos again. My friend is going to Provence, and I shared with her your post on the pottery from Apt. She rents the same house each year, and Apt is not far. Cheers
L
PS – Yes, working on a couple Maine posts 🙂
Beautiful photos of one of my favourite places to visit Jenny. What a stylish and interesting house this is…a real find. Enjoy the rest of your trip!
Hello there Jenny! I found your beautiful post thanks to Stacey's recommendation and just wanted to say how much I enjoyed it. Because I live in Provence, I will admit that I can be slightly snobby about home rentals – especially as the interior decor is often so frightening – but this was a true find for your family. Thank you for sharing it with us…
Thank you Stacey for stopping by and so pleased you enjoyed the photos. I would love to return there one day as it was truly blissful!