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Review 1743: Owner, Chez Westfield (#30388)

www.vrbo.com

Recommended
Review by Linda from NC

5bed/4.5bath house in Ansouis, Provence

When

September 10 - 24, 2005, Two weeks

Location

Chez Westfield is located on the main street of tiny Ansouis, directly across from the tabac and the Bar des Sports. The first few mornings we were awakened quite early by a truck delivering papers to the tabac. We decided to close the windows and turn on the air conditioner in our bedroom and we didn't hear any traffic after that. It was fun to watch all the "action" in our little village from our house.

Ansouis is well located to tour the Luberon region and we enjoyed staying in a part of Provence we had only visited on day trips.

Nearby Amenities

The boulangerie is thirty seconds from the kitchen door "if you walk very slowly", according to the owner. One would have to crawl to take thirty seconds! The house has an American coffee maker, but the Bar across the street opens early for coffee. The boulangerie carries some basic staples. We did our major shopping at the Hyper U in Pertuis, ten minutes away.

There's a wonderful restaurant, La Closerie, a block down the street. The Bar serves sandwiches, etc for lunch. There are many restaurants in Lourmarin, about ten minutes away.

The House/Apartment

The house was built in the 1850s. It has been renovated to a high standard.

The kitchen, breakfast room, powder room and living room/dining room are on the ground floor. There are three bedrooms on the first floor - two queen and one king/twin - all with en suite bathrooms. There are two small queen bedrooms on the second floor which share a very small bathroom in the stairwell. There's a small sitting area on this floor as well.

Garden

There's a small enclosed patio which is under what used to be hay lofts. It's reached from the living room. Additionally, there's a rooftop terrace that we used for drying our clothes that's accessed from the top floor. The house does not have a pool.

Furnishings/Cleanliness/Living Areas

The furniture is in good condition and very tastefully selected for the house. Lots of personal touches throughout. It doesn't give the impression of rental proprety but of someone's private home. There was adequate seating in the living room and dining room. We found the house clean when we arrived.

Bedrooms/Bathrooms

The beds were comfortable and the rooms attractively furnished. The bathroom in the stairwell was tiny, but our friend who used it didn't complain.

Kitchen

The kitchen was great! It was equipped with all the cookware and dishes needed to prepare and serve a full meal. The dishwasher was efficient and there's a washing machine (two hour cycle) in the kitchen.

Problems or Bonuses

No real surprises. We had expected five full bathrooms (which we didn't need) but appreciated the powder room on the ground floor.

Agency and Representatives (and price)

We booked the house directly with the owner after seeing it listed on VRBO. We signed the contract 13 months in advance and were given a discount for taking it for two weeks. Anne-Marie, who lives across the street and speaks English, was our onsite contact. She was so helpful! She made reservations for us, gave us directions, gave us fresh towels (there's no automatic housekeeping between weeks but it can be arranged for a fee), and was so pleasant whenever we had a question.

Do you recommend this vacation rental to others?

I would highly recommend this property. The only reservation I have is in recommending it to someone who might want a lot of night time activity in a village. La Closerie is open at night (closed on Wednesday and Thursday). After a day of touring, we were all happy to stay at home most evenings. We would definitely stay there again.

Things to do in this area

We used the Winns' Luberon Guidebook for most of our daytripping and really enjoyed the itineraries. We especially enjoyed the Lourmarin market on Fridays.

This review is the opinion of a Slow Travel member and not of slowtrav.com.

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