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Review 4390: Henrietta Taylor, Villa Agapanthe

www.henriettataylor.com

Recommended
Review by K-Mack from OR

3bed/2.5bath house in St. Saturnin les Apt, Provence

View from above St. Saturnin, photo by Karen MacKnight

When

Nov. 13-20, 2009, 8 days

Location

The cottage is located approximately 350 meters downhill from the center of St. Saturnin les Apt (pop. 2,000), a quiet hilltop village conveniently located in the Vaucluse area of Provence. The house was far from the road and felt very private. There were a lot of olive trees around the house.

Nearby Amenities

The village center was a convenient, five-minute walk from the cottage, and we could basically get everything we needed there. There are two boulangeries, a small grocery, and a butcher shop. There are also a few restaurants in walking distance, though they didn't seem to be open while we were there (mid-November). The nearest big grocery store was in Apt, a five-minute drive from the cottage.

The House/Apartment

The house was updated and cozy. It warmed up quickly when we turned on the heat during the couple of chilly nights we had. There are three bedrooms, two bathrooms, washer and dryer, fireplace, ample dining room area, and a wonderful sun room. There was a lot of storage space.

Garden

In addition to a lovely sun room, there is a private patio for outdoor sitting/dining, and a private pool on the property as well. It was closed up for the winter while we were there, but I imagine it's a nice respite from the heat for summer visitors.

Furnishings/Cleanliness/Living Areas

All furniture was in fine shape and very comfortable. The house was clean and there were ample supplies for everything we needed.

Bedrooms/Bathrooms

The bedrooms were comfortable, clean, and had nice, big windows to let in natural light. There were two toilets in the house, a bathtub, and a separate shower. The bathrooms were spacious, clean, and everything functioned well.

Kitchen

The kitchen was great, with everything we needed to cook several meals while we were there. Plenty of room for two people to work in.

Problems or Bonuses

We had no surprises. It was nice to be able to walk into town for the things we needed, and to be off the beaten tourist path. November was very quiet in the area, and the weather was gorgeous (65 degrees and sun every day we were there) ... a wonderful time to travel. We had a great time exploring the other local towns without dealing with crowds, and we never had any challenges parking at the sites we visited.

Agency and Representatives (and price)

Henrietta was great -- very helpful and funny and warm. She's a native English speaker so communication was no problem for us. We paid €600 for our week there, and we felt it was a good value for our money.

Do you recommend this vacation rental to others?

I would highly recommend this rental to others. It would be a lovely family retreat, off the beaten path a bit, and with a pool in the summer, it would be a great place to bring kids. Everything is conveniently located, the house is well-appointed and comfortable, and the it's kept well-supplied with DVDs and books for kids and adults alike.

Things to do in this area

There's a great walk through the village up to the ruins of a castle and an restored windmill. The views from the top are lovely. Outside St. Saturnin our favorite sites were the markets at Isle sur la Sorgue and St. Remy, the Pont Julien, Pont du Gard, and the village of Saignon. We also did a great hike behind Gordes that took us to Abbaye Notre-Dame de Sénanque. We enjoyed yummy pastries and bread from both of the boulangeries in town.

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

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