O! FRANCE
www.ofrance.ca
Trip Planning, France, Group Tours
Up close and personal week in Provence for small groups
Location: Provence
Imagine a heavenly, relaxing week in Provence, with a luxurious country estate near Avignon or an 18th Century restored mas in Uzès as your home away from home.
Days filled visiting colourful markets in quaint villages, exploring the ruins of an ancient castle - or tucked up with a good book and a glass of wine on the sun-dappled terrace of a beautiful home you are invited to make your own. Leisurely lunches savoured in restaurants perched on hillsides or cantilevered over streams. And gourmet, multi-course dinners with specially selected wines.
A private, chauffeur-driven Mercedes minibus ensures worry-free travel to fabulous destinations. And small groups of 8 to 12 promise an intimate, convivial and very personal experience.
Your hosts are Helene Buisson and Jim Walker. Helene and Jim have been exploring all that Provence has to offer for more than 20 years and import splendid wines from the area.
Three wonderful O!France weeks in 2010!
A Women's Week in Provence - August 27- September 4
A Slow Week in Provence - September 4 - September 11
A New Week in Provence - September 11 - September 18
Week 1 - A Women's Week in Provence
August 27 to September 4, 2010
In the distance, seen from the road that winds from the village of Arpaillargues eastward to Uzès, across brilliant fields of flowers and emerald-green vineyards, Mas des Pâtres, our home for the week, looms as an authentic emblem of old Provence. Located less than a kilometre from the centre of the medieval town of Uzès, a prosperous and eminently photogenic Provençal town northwest of Avignon, this beautifully restored mas has stunning views. The atmosphere is informal and the pace is leisurely with one destination each day followed by poolside aperitifs and dinners enjoyed al fresco on the terrace overlooking gorgeous sunsets or in the warm dining room of the mas.
The itinerary includes:
-
As with all O!France weeks, the Sunday Market in beautiful Isle-sur-la-Sorgue.
-
Nîmes, with its 2000 years of history, amazing Roman legacy, and great shopping!
-
Arles, which so inspired Van Gogh that he produced over 300 paintings there, followed by a visit to the charming Les Olivades factory outlet.
-
St. Quentin la Poterie, a potters village since the 14th century and Pont du Gard, the most impressive aqueduct constructed by the Romans, today a Unesco World Heritage sight.
- Saint-Rémy de Provence on market day (one of the best markets in Provence) with a tour of an olive oil mill in Maussane.
- A day in Uzès, our home town. The first Duchy in France, Uzès has a lively cultural life and a beautiful pedestrian downtown.
This tour is limited to 8 guests and the cost is $2600 - $2800 CAD per person, double occupancy, depending on the room. All rooms have twin beds. Two share a bathroom, one has an ensuite, and the fourth bedroom is a little suite of its own up an old curving staircase. Unfortunately, we cannot offer single rooms during this week as a full complement of 8 guests is required to reserve the house.
Price includes:
- Transfers to and from Avignon TGV station
- Daily transportation to destination in a luxury Mercedes minibus with driver
- 7 nights accommodation at Mas des Pâtres
- Welcome champagne and hors d'oeuvres and casual dinner (Provençal cold cuts, pâtés, salads, cheese and fruit) with wine on first night
- Breakfasts, aperitifs with hors d'oeuvres and dinners with wine (lots of wine!) 5 nights
- Special Market Dinner
- Admission to the all attractions
- Gratuities
- Special trip packets with details, tips, recommendations, maps
- Souvenir album
Not included:
- Airfare and travel to Avignon TGV station. TGV trains leave from CDG Airport and from Gare de Lyon in Paris. Most guests like to start or end their week in Provence with a few days in Paris.
- Lunches
- Telephone calls
Week 2 - A Slow Week in Provence
September 4 to September 11, 2010
Our classic itinerary: Five wonderful days designed to give you a taste of Provence, from the postcard-worthy hilltop villages of Peter Mayle's Lubéron to the imposing Palace of the Popes in Avignon. Wonderful Provençal markets, leisurely lunches in charming cafés and lots of time to browse in the towns and explore narrow village streets. We have slowed the pace, allowing for a later start to the day and ensuring you have plenty of time to relax back at the house before enjoying a gourmet dinner with specially selected wines.
We will be staying at the Bastide Saint-Albergaty, a spacious and elegant home located in the heart of Provence near Avignon. The house is filled with paintings, antiques and books, but has the relaxed convivial feel of a family home.
The itinerary has been designed to give you overview five distinct areas of Provence, all within an hour's drive from our lovely home:
Our week will include:
- As with all O!France weeks, the Sunday Market in beautiful Isle-sur-la-Sorgue.
-
Nîmes, with its 2000 years of history, amazing Roman legacy, and great shopping!
-
Avignon, the beautiful medieval walled city with its famous Pont d'Avignon and Pope's Palace.
- The hilltop village of Gordes, designated one of the most beautiful villages in France.
- Orange, with its Roman theatre, described as the most impressive in Europe.
- Les Baux de Provence, a village nestled atop a rocky plateau, preceded by a visit to the Cathédrale d'Images, a unique experience in the old bauxite quarries of les Baux.
- A tour through the famous Châteauneuf du Pape vineyards where you might see the pickers hard at work as September is harvest time.
- A visit and tasting at a Robert Parker noted Côtes du Rhône winery.
This tour is limited to 12 guests and the cost is $3100 - $3300 CAD per person, double occupancy*, depending on the room. All rooms are beautifully furnished and have large floor to ceiling French windows overlooking the grounds.
Price includes:
- Transfers to and from Avignon TGV station
- Daily transportation to destination in a luxury Mercedes minibus with driver
- 7 nights accommodation at Bastide Saint-Albergaty
- Welcome champagne and hors d'oeuvres and casual dinner (Provençal cold cuts, pâtés, salads, cheese and fruit) with wine on first night
- Breakfasts, aperitifs with hors d'oeuvres and multi-course dinners with wine (lots of wine!) 5 nights
- Special Market Dinner on Thursday
- Admission to major attractions
- Daily housekeeping service
- Gratuities (driver and housekeeper)
- Special trip packets with details, tips, recommendations, maps
- Souvenir album
Not included:
- Airfare and travel to Avignon TGV station. TGV trains leave from CDG Airport and from Gare de Lyon in Paris. Most guests like to start or end their week in Provence with a few days in Paris
- Lunches
- Telephone calls
*Two of the five rooms have beds that can be divided into twin beds for singles willing to share, and there are two smaller rooms suitable for one person. These smaller rooms however are not available singly. They must be booked together with a larger room (one with twin beds and one with a queen bed) and the occupants of both rooms share a bathroom. This is great for three friends travelling together.
Week 3 - A New Week in Provence
September 11 to September 18, 2010
A brand new O!France itinerary: Did you know that the Comtat Venaissin (now called the Haut Vaucluse) became a Papal Territory in 1274? Papal control persisted until 1791, when an unauthorised plebiscite was held and the inhabitants voted for annexation by France. Discover this beautiful part of Provence while enjoying our renowned O!France hospitality.
Leisurely pace (one destination each day) so you can browse, explore and linger. Aperitif hour is on the vine-covered terrace and gourmet dinners are served with specially selected wines each night in the convivial dining room of the Bastide Saint Albergaty, a spacious an elegant home located in the heart of Provence near Avignon and our home for the week.
Our week will include:
- As with all O!France weeks, the Sunday Market in beautiful Isle-sur-la-Sorgue.
- Carpentras, site of the oldest synagogue in France, built in the 14th Century.
- The hilltop village of Bonnieux as well as Lourmarin, designated one of the most beautiful villages in France.
- Vaison-la-Romaine, the jewel of Roman Provence, with its New Town, Medieval Town, and the archealogical site of an ancient Roman colony.
- Aix-en-Provence, the capital of Provence in the 15th Century, today known as the Florence of Provence. A city of art and culture, Aix was the inspiration to many of the greatest writers and painters.
- A sensory tour in the Cave de Cairanne, a Côtes du Rhône wine village.
Price includes:
- Transfers to and from Avignon TGV station
- Daily transportation to destination in a luxury Mercedes minibus with driver
- 7 nights accommodation at Bastide Saint-Albergaty
- Welcome champagne and hors d'oeuvres and casual dinner (Provençal cold cuts, pâtés, salads, cheese and fruit) with wine on first night
- Breakfasts, aperitifs with hors d'oeuvres and multi-course dinners with wine (lots of wine!) 5 nights
- Admission to main attractions
- Daily housekeeping service
- Gratuities (driver and housekeeper)
- Special trip packets with details, tips, recommendations, maps
- Souvenir album
Not included:
- Airfare and travel to Avignon TGV station. TGV trains leave from CDG Airport and from Gare de Lyon in Paris. Most guests like to start or end their week in Provence with a few days in Paris
- Lunches
- Telephone calls
This tour is limited to 12 guests and the cost is $3100-$3300 CAD per person, double occupancy*, depending on the room. All rooms are beautifully furnished and have large floor to ceiling French windows overlooking the grounds.
*Two of the five rooms have beds that can be divided into twin beds for singles willing to share, and there are two smaller rooms suitable for one person. These smaller rooms however are not available singly. they must be booked together with a larger room (one with twin beds and one with a queen bed) and the occupants of both rooms share a bathroom. This is great for three friends travelling together.
You will be a delighted O! FRANCE guest
If you want to:
- Want to experience, and not just visit Provence
- Enjoy settling into your own luxurious home for a week
- Are interested in history, architecture, art, culture
- Admit being an avowed foodie (lots of local specialties - lamb, goat cheeses, eggplant, olives, etc.)
- Love wine (we import wines from Southern France and have many stories and discoveries to share)
- Take pleasure in walking around and exploring on your own
- Like sharing experiences with a small like-minded group
- Prefer being casual and relaxed (no dress-up affairs!)
- Are enthusiastic, curious, sociable, flexible and own good walking shoes, as the visits will be on foot through winding streets in old towns where the cobblestones are showing the patina of history (i.e. the terrain is not always even!).
Listing #3928, on Slow Travel since 11/4/2009
Alert Administrator (for problems with this listing)
Back to Top
|
|
