A perfect weekend
(my personal guide to a little bit of Provence and beyond…)
This, obviously, is the best guide because:
1/ All has been tested by me, uhuh.
2/ It’s super chic, but not super expensive.
3/ It’s the f$#&ing South of France!
Just to give you a little bit of context, my mother and her best friend had taken that road trip a few years ago, and one of their dreams was to share it with my sister and me. We didn’t want to spend too much, but still wanted to see the best things around, so we adopted a high/low kind of philosophy which you'll discover below.
Here is what we did, and what you should absolutely do!
Day 1 — Nice to Moustiers-Sainte-Marie.
Before you hit the road, stop at Chez Pipo and have the socca, Nice’s most wonderful street food. Get there early as it tends to get full!
Get in the car and head to Moustiers-Sainte-Marie. It’s a two hour trip. Once you arrive, take a walk around and check out the absolutely beautiful Faïence de Moustiers, a type of painted ceramics that I personally love, very old school and beautiful. I loved the ones from Bondil.
Where to sleep: La Bastide Du Paradou. This bed and breakfast is simple, the rooms are big, the breakfast is so lovely and depending on the season you can have it outside and eat figs directly from the trees. Say hi to Marc, the owner, who knows the region wonderfully well. From there, the walk to the village through the local vegetable gardens is really cute!
We had dinner at La Treille Muscate, which was SO delicious, probably one of our best meals. The owner is a bit dry but we were able to change the mood rather easily and had the most fantastic dinner for a very reasonable price. The desserts are fabulous. And BIG!
Day 2 — Moustiers-Sainte-Marie to Gordes
Before breakfast in Moustiers, take the walk up to the church which is nested between the two mountains. It’s an absolute must see. I went very early and was alone, and I felt like I was in an epic movie. The view of the valley is incredible. Consider this your workout for the day.
And you’ll need it, because of what comes next.
And by that I mean lunch. A five minute drive from the Moustiers center and you’re at the wonderful Bastide de Moustiers by Alain Ducasse, a revered French chef. It’s a hotel if you feel a bit fancier than us, but mainly, it’s a gastronomic stop. The decor is fabulously simple and the food is great. Full disclosure (it’s the goal with this guide!), the day we were there, the service was just okay (you could feel that the boss was away) but I’d still highly recommend.
After lunch, it’s time to go to Gordes, which is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen. We took the slow drive, via the following villages : Brunet—Oraison—Forcalquier—Mane—Cereste—Gordes. Take it and you’ll be driving through gigantic lavender fields, the ones you probably saw on Instagram. The season for them to be flowering is July—which also means that it’s high tourist season, but I think it’s worth it, it’s magical!
But if like us you’re there at low season, in May, you’ll see beautiful fields of poppy seeds. Amazing too!
Take a walk in Gordes, it’s tiny and lovely. Don’t forget to go the the Abbey de Senanque, it’s absolutely jaw dropping. And then, if you like l’apéritif like we do, make a stop at the Bastide De Gordes for a drink. Super extra pricy, so just a drink is fine depending on your finances. The terrasse is 100% worth it, and the hotel is really beautiful. We had a few tapas with our drinks and called it a day in terms of food. The breakfast + Ducasse had been way more than enough. Ah, the joy of traveling with your girlfriends and eating lighter!
That night, our accommodation wasn’t that great. It’s called the Jas De Gordes. The hotel itself is on a beautiful property with a pool, a nice garden, an incredible view and a really good breakfast. It’s the room that sucked, it was small and dark. Granted, we went for the cheapest ones and booked late so everything was full. I only put it here because it had a great advantage of being close to Gordes. It’s Gordes after all. And Gordes is NOT cheap.
Day 3 — Gordes to L’Isle Sur La Sorgue
Aaaaah amazing, amazing, amazing! Have you ever heard of L’isle Sur La Sorgue? It’s the heaven of Antiques. Every Sunday, there is a giant market on top of all the more established antique shops. Beauty! Excitement!!! The only thing I would say is be careful, as with anything that popular, there might be a few not-so-honest sellers out there. And if you’re looking at the stores, it isn't always cheap. But the market has wonderful objects for a fraction of the prices, and just walking around taking in so much culture and beauty is a treat. Lovely.
Where to sleep: Le Grand Hotel Henri. Not only is it beautiful, but it has a parking lot right in the middle of the city, literally a second away from where the action is. Not having to worry about parking on a market Sunday is a huge plus. The rooms are great and the terrasse is lovely. The service is more on the French side (no one will go the extra mile for you, very French unfortunately) but fine enough.
Lunch! Have the pesto soup at Olive Et Raisin. You can sit by the canal and watch the ducks go by. The food is very authentic and delicious. It’s so, so lovely.
Tea! Right next to the hotel is Patisserie Eugénie, please try some of their pastries. Aaah!
Dinner! We didn’t have dinner at the hotel, which only does gastronomic dinners, but we went to a perfect little bistro, Au Chineur. Again, the idea of a high low budget! I had the aïoli, healthy and lovely and truly so good. A lot of locals there and the team is amazing.
Day 4 — L'Isle Sur La Sorgue to Lourmarin
I had to catch my flight back in the afternoon, so we decided to take it slow and make a stop at Lourmarin, a lovely village surrounded by gorgeous vineyards. You can stop and visit the castle, which I would have done if I'd had more time.
Instead, we had the best sandwich ever at The Épicerie of Le Moulin. This hotel just opened and is aaaargh fabulous.
They have bicycles and an incredible terrasse and dining rooms. I can't wait to get back there to test the rooms.
And voilà! My full guide of one of the simplest, easiest, loveliest trips ever. There are so many more places to visit in these beautiful French regions...
But this might be the best start.