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Review 3188: Owner, #89193

www.vrbo.com

Recommended
Review by Judi from GA

2bed/2bath house in Lourmarin, Provence

One of the upstairs bedrooms, photo by Rich Steck

When

May / June 2007, 10 days

Location

This villa was the perfect location. Right in the heart of Lourmarin, which is on the south side of the Luberon mountains.

Nearby Amenities

Every morning we could walk out of the door and be steps away from cafes, restaurants, shops -- everything we needed for the 10 days there.

The House/Apartment

The house was built in 1660 and lots of old-world charm yet beautifully restored by the owners. But it is four stories. You walk into the main level which includes the eat-in kitchen, dining room, living room and large terrace. The house actually has three bedrooms, but the owners keep one closed for storage. Two bedrooms have king beds and one has two singles, so depending on who it's being rented to, the owner will arrange the space accordingly. We were two couples, so the owner closed the bedroom on the second floor and opened up the bedrooms on the third and four floors, which was perfect for two couples. Each had its own full bath. The fourth floor also had a separate second living room/library that was very sunny. It had spiral stairs that went up to the rooftop terrace.

Garden

Because it's an in-town house, there is no pool or garden, but there is a wonderful terrace off the living room. We fell in love with the this terrace; it was a special place - large, cool and filled with over-sized pots filled with tangerine-laden trees. There is also a rooftop terrace. The owner also has a small garden about five minutes walk which you can use.

Furnishings/Cleanliness/Living Areas

The furniture, including a table, chairs and sideboard, reflected the style of the entire interior -- stylish, sophisticated Provence -- a mixture of antiques and traditional furniture. Everything is done in soft taupes and grays, accented with reds and lavenders. The dining room was lined with built-in bookcases showcasing Provence books, magazines and antiques.

Bedrooms/Bathrooms

The bedrooms and baths were spacious and beautifully decorated. Wonderful linens on big comfortable beds -- lots of closet space too.

Kitchen

The kitchen, while smallish, had everything we needed to feel at home, including pots, pans, dishes, silver and the fresh fruit and pastries the owner, Patricia, had left for our visit.

Problems or Bonuses

If you're not in good health, it's probably not a good idea to rent something with four floors. But we liked the idea of all those floors -- we didn't feel cramped up. And the furnishings were so exquisite we ended up eating in a number of times just so we could sit on the terrace outside.

Do you recommend this vacation rental to others?

This villa is such a gem we almost hate to tell everyone about it. We'd like to keep it as our secret but it's too special not to share.

Things to do in this area

Lourmarin is a wonderful village -- lots of cafes and restaurants, plus shops and galleries, so it was easy for us to spend the day browsing, hiking and sightseeing and the evenings eating either at a local restaurant or at home on our terrace. Aix en Provence is short drive away and there are some wonderful towns nearby like Cucuron and Ansouris. And while we were there -- the end of May -- the town held its annual wine festival at the wine co-op which we enjoyed so much -- well how could you not enjoy free wine all night!

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

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