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Review 1864: Owner, Mas de Brianconceu

www.gites-luberon.com

Recommended
Review by Doug Phillips from Canada who is a SlowTrav Contributor

apartment, sleeps up to 5, on a farm near Menerbes, Provence

When

September 10 - 23, 2005, 2 weeks

Location

Mas de Briançonceu is located near Menerbes, on the side of a terraced hill visible for a few kilometers as you approach the property. It is in a very rural location. The large apartment is part of a farmhouse shared by Josiane and Armand Deflaux family and their son, Cyril. The apartment is surrounded by vineyards, apricot, cherry and olive trees. There is an large fig tree a few steps from the porch. Every day, at the initial invitation of Josiane, I walked up the to the terraces and picked some grapes. Most mornings I also picked a few figs for breakfast. We also bought several bottles of the farm's Domaine des Cancelades wine. We liked the area very much.

Nearby Amenities

Driving anywhere is essential. We were approximately 5 minutes from Menerbes and Lacoste, 15 minutes from Bonnieux and about a 20-minute drive to the supermarket in Cavaillon.

The House/Apartment

The apartment is in a large stone farmhouse. There is only one rental apartment and it was very large for the two of us - 70 square meters. On one level was the kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, and a large living room area. There was a mezzanine or loft area with three more beds - I only went up there once. There are also great views of the Luberon mountains and valley.

Garden

There is no pool. One of the nice features of the apartment is the porch. We spent a very pleasant afternoon enjoying a leisurely lunch on the porch on a perfect day in September.

Furnishings/Cleanliness/Living Areas

The furniture was adequate. The dining room table would very easily sit six people. The leather couches & chairs were OK.

Bedrooms/Bathrooms

The bedroom and bathroom were fine. The bathroom contained a shower and a washer and dryer.

Kitchen

The kitchen was well-equipped with plenty of pots, pans and dishes - way more than we ever needed. There wasn't much counter space. We cooked several meals for the two of us.

Problems or Bonuses

A pleasant aspect of our stay at Mas de Briançonceu was getting to know "la famille Deflaux". The rental apartment is only one small aspect of the economic life at the property. We were there during the busy grape harvest. I spent part of one evening watching and learning as the grapes began the first stages of being turned into wine. The family was very friendly and accommodating. Armand and Cyril speak only French.

Agency and Representatives (and price)

We paid 850€ for 2 weeks in September 2005 - 420€ per week, plus 10€ for linen. There was a 45€ charge for final cleaning - or you can do it yourself like we did.

Do you recommend this vacation rental to others?

We would definitely stay here again and would recommend it to any of our friends who are going to be in the area. The apartment offers very good value. The only reservation I would offer is the remoteness of the location if you want to be closer to a town or village.

Things to do in this area

We began several days by heading to a nearby market in towns like Coustellet, L'Isle Sur La Sorgue, Lourmarin, or Apt. We were within a reasonable (one hour, more or less) driving distance to Aix, Arles, Avignon and St. Remy.

I have submitted reviews of the following restaurants : L'Amuse Bouche in St. Saturnin les Apt, Le Mas Tourteron in Les Imberts, La Vallee in Mausanne-les-Alpilles, Le Fournil in Bonnieix, Les Deux Garcons in Aix, Le 16 in Arles. There are many restaurants in the area.

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

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