Issue 9: Four incredible vacation rentals in Provence

There is still time to book your dream rental.

Good morning, Existentialists! 

Yesterday was a lively day on Instagram with many of you reaching out to me to discuss summer travel plans. I said it there and I will say again: this summer is going to be BUSY. Things are already getting quite booked up. But don’t panic. Be open to new strategies with your planning and act decisively. Decision paralysis is the number one cause of someone else booking your dream place. : ) Get in there and book something with a great cancellation policy, and then keep shopping if you must. If a favorite hotel or city is booked up, consider a new town or region altogether. To that end, I share with you places in France that have been on my radar.

The first is this sweet little 3-bedroom cottage in the French market town L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue. The Sunday market in this town is spectacular. Cheeses, couscous, paella, breads and pastries, nuts and olives, not to mention bric-a-brac and a big stretch of permanent stalls and stores filled with antiques and vintage.  With a perfect 5-star rating and a location on the river and just 500 meters from the action, I think this would be perfect for an antiques lover or a foodie who wants to book over the weekend and into the following week so you can cook and eat for days entirely on your market haul. (I am seeing this for $3400 for a week in June just to help you feel out the price.) This town is well-located near other charmers in Provence. One of those towns is Arles, and HERE is a newsletter all about it. It would make a wonderful day trip from L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue and is connected by train. To see my video of a day at the market, click HERE.

Saignon, France.

Next we have THIS incredible 2-bedroom listing in Saignon, France, which is just an hour by car from Avignon. I am begging you to click the link because you really need to see all of the photos. This place is a stunner. You could easily attach this to a Paris trip. Once you finish your Paris visit, you just take the train to Avignon and pick up your rental car right at the Avignon train station. If anyone books this and stays, please let me know. Reviews are great, though I do see a note that streets in the town are narrow, so rent a compact car. 

I am a huge fan of the Hotel Crillion-le-Brave. If you can stay there, you absolutely should. But when I stayed there, I spied a house just down the hill that looked like it shared the same view and also had its own pool. Sure enough, I found it HERE. This 3-bedroom house would be an interesting option if you wanted a longer stay in this area but needed to keep to a budget. You could book the restaurant and the spa at Hotel Crillon-le-Brave but enjoy your own pool during the day. Alternatively, maybe you have a special trip you are planning and you want to take the entire family plus grandparents on a dream trip to Provence. You could put the grands in the hotel and you, partner, and all your kids could stay here. It’s an interesting option and a reminder to shop for AirBnBs around places with notable hotels. Like attracts like, and enterprising people will offer great AirBnBs close to beautiful hotels to compete at a better price. A fun note for cycling enthusiasts: This area, Mt Ventoux, is popular with competitive cyclists. Hotel Crillon-le-Brave can even arrange a cycling day with a Tour de France coach. I’m seeing early spring availability and also the last week of September for ~$2900.

Bonnieux

Lastly, how about THIS house with incredible views and a pool in Bonnieux? This stunner still has some availability in April, May, late September ($3640 for 7 nights last week of the month) and all of October as of writing this 30 January 2023. Please, someone book it and invite me. 

Thank you new subscribers. So many of you have joined in just the last week. I am very grateful to everyone reading this.

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That’s it for now. Happy travel planning! Next time you hear from me I will be in Venice. Please follow along on Instagram stories as I show you everything I love about Venice in Winter.