Our Family holiday in Provence
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 |
