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Review 3320: Drawbridge to Europe, Pernes les Fountaine (#1883)

www.drawbridgetoeurope.com

Recommended
Review by KayS from MD

4bed/2bath house in Pernes-les-Fontaines, Provence

When

July 2007, one week

Location

We loved our week in Pernes les Fountaine. The town home we rented was fantastic and exceeded our expectations. It is on a tiny street within the walled city of Pernes. One can walk anywhere in town (and count all the fountains!). It's a great location for day trips to the famous towns of Provence. We love the area.

Nearby Amenities

One can walk anywhere within the town to local markets, restaurants, pastry shops, hardware store, etc. A SuperMarche (big supermarket) is a five minute drive.

The House/Apartment

An old, but restored townhouse with all the modern amenities. There were seven us (six adults, one three year-old) and there was room to spare and plenty of bathrooms.

Garden

A lovely, but small garden, with a plunge pool, which was perfect for my three-year old grandson. We spent a great deal of time in the garden sipping local wine!

Furnishings/Cleanliness/Living Areas

Furniture was comfortable in and good shape. The townhouse was clean and sparkling. Plenty of chairs and seating space. It was a tight fit for seven us in the kitchen, but it worked! And, we often ate in the garden. The rooms on the first level (living/dining, kitchen) are not large, but the bedrooms on the upper levels are very spacious.

Bedrooms/Bathrooms

Beds were great and the bedrooms were spacious and very pleasantly decorated.

Four brand new bathrooms:
ground level: half bath with sink and toilet
second level: one bath with sink, toilet, and fabulous shower in one bedroom. Second bedroom on this level had bathroom with claw foot tub and sink but no toilet.
fourth level: sink, toilet and shower

Kitchen

Very well-equipped kitchen. Plenty of pots, pans, dishes. We cooked full meals and had a ball doing so.

Problems or Bonuses

A caution for anyone with disabilities. This is a four-level town home and bedrooms are all upstairs. If one cannot do stairs (lots of them), this is not the place for you. Parking is a five minute walk but you can unload luggage in front. Neither was a problem for us and just added to the charm of the home.

The biggest plus is the owner who lives in the town home next door. She is a transplant from San Francisco and a delight. She is loaded with suggestions and even helped us lure Michelin chef Robert away from his restaurant for one night (Au Fils du Temps) to prepare a fabulous meal for 14, which we ate in the garden. Talk about a night to remember!

Agency and Representatives (and price)

Drawbridge was great to work with. The American owner, who lives next door, met us when we arrived. I am not positive but I think the price was around $3,000 for a week in July.

Do you recommend this vacation rental to others?

I would definitely stay in this town home again and would recommend it to anyone . . . unless, as I pointed out before, they cannot do stairs. We all loved it and, one day, hope to return.

Things to do in this area

Day trips every day: Arles, Aix, Gigondas, Chateauneuf du Pape, Orange, the gorgeous villages in Luberon (Menerbes, Bonnieu), Roussillion. Avignon is an easy 30 minutes drive. We actually stayed in Avignon several days before we took possession of 'our' town home.

This is a fabulous area for lovers of red wine. We highly recommend a visit to Gigondas and Chateuaneuf du Paper to taste their luscious wine. Then bring some back to the townhouse to enjoy with dinner.

We highly recommend the restaurant around the corner from the townhouse, "Au Fils du Temps". It has a Michelin star and Chef Robert is fantastic. He did a dinner for 14 for us at the townhouse one night. It was memorable! We also went to his restaurant on our last evening in Pernes.

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

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