Provence Recap

How we spent a week exploring Provencial villages with our children.

We left St. Tropez and drove to an area in Provence called Rognes, where we were spending the week. Our rental home (or in this case, our Bastide), was another Le Collectionist booking. It’s an old country home that is strikingly beautiful and overflowing with charm. Seeing photos of this house online is actually what inspired the whole trip to France! I could just picture myself there having coffee on that gravel courtyard…

Each of the main Provencial villages is pretty spread out from one another. I’m talking an hour-ish each way, so we did all of our exploring by day and then spent the evenings back at home.

We’d pick up groceries daily from this fabulous little area called Les Commerces de la Bastide. Oh how I wish we had something like this in Charleston. Picture an unassuming little courtyard, yet it’s full of these amazing gourmet food stores all in one place. A butcher, a cheese and wine shop, an Italian grocer, a sweet little general food mart, a french pharmacie, a chocolatier, a pastry shop, a produce farm stand, a wood-fired pizza cart, and more. One stop and you’ve got all the best food you could ever want.

So this was our daily stop. We’d pick up a new cheese of the day, charcuterie, a fresh baguette, the juiciest strawberries you’ve ever seen along with vanilla bean chantilly for dessert, and a bottle of wine. Bliss.

Now let’s get into the different villages we visited…

Aix-en-provence

Aix is actually a city and it was the closest destination to our house. We went there two days because we loved it so much. It’s quiet but still buzzing with energy. It has a great mix of high end luxury boutiques and small market vendors, wonderful food, and stunning architecture.

If you go, you’ve got to try Le Ramus. While they have a full french menu, the burger was the standout to us! So good we went there twice! The outdoor seating area is adorable.

This is also where I scored at Hermes! I bought a belt and a pair of sneakers, then was given the opportunity to purchase a Picotin bag, which I’ve had on my list for a long time.

L’Isle sur la Sorgue

This beautiful town is known for its antique shops! The Sorgue River runs through it—you can spot big historic waterwheels throughout. It was so hot while we were there, so we stopped to put our feet in the water just like the family you can see in the photo below. It was freezing and so refreshing!

We also visited Collegial Notre Dame des Anges, a noteworthy church built in the 12th century.

There are lots of outdoor restaurants on the streets to grab a bite and tons of ice cream shops! It’s such a cute spot.

Gordes

Gordes is a hilltop village that is a sight to see! There’s not a ton to do in Gordes, but the views alone are worth the visit.

There, we ate one of my top favorite meals of life (yes, of my life) at Clover Restaurant. You might recall this restaurant from Emily in Paris, when Gabriel and Emily were in Provence.

I had a lobster ravioli and then we ended with the best churros EVER.

We also toured the inside Chateau de Gordes, a 1000 year old fortress in the center of town.

Just a few km down the hills, there’s an ancient monastery named Abbaye Notre-Dame de Sénanque. We didn’t go inside because Patrick had fallen asleep in the car and honestly we were all pretty exhausted from a busy day, but I would have loved to! The lavender field outside filled the air with the most lovely fragrance.

Saint-Rémy

We went to this adorable village on a busy market morning, so it was absolutely packed, but such fun. I only wish we would have had more time to spend there.

I bought this great embroidered jacket that I can’t wait to wear. I picked up the bangles I have on in the photo below at a market in Aix.

Château d'Estoublon

While this is not a town, it is a 300-hectare estate between vines and olive trees. Our travel advisor, Emily West, mentioned that it’s her can’t-miss tour, so I knew we had to make it happen. You can visit the estate for lunch and tours, and it’s also available for booking weddings and events. It’s not far from Saint-Remy, so we did both spots on the same day.

We ate a beautiful lunch outside at their restaurant, where we got our first taste of the amazing wines and olive oils that are harvested on the property. The setting was beyond gorgeous. The chocolate mousse — yep, still dreaming about that one. You can see the chateau’s olive oil at the bottom.

After lunch, we had a tour and tasting booked. It started on the golf cart as we toured the vast property out there and saw the gardens, olive groves, and vineyards.

We ended with a wine and olive oil tasting. They even had sparkling juices and macarons for the kids.

Some extra thoughts…

Another huge favorite was visiting Pascale Mestre’s beautiful pottery studio. I purchased so many treasures that I have now received back at home. They make me so happy and are the perfect reminder of our time as a family in Provence.

Another fun thing we did on our last day was visit a huge zoo called Zoo Barben. It was definitely better than any zoo we’ve ever been to in the US! I was impressed by how much room they give each group of animals. Elephants, giraffes, every wild cat you can think of, hippos, and way more. Be prepared to do a ton of walking!

All in all, it was the most wonderful week. If I’m honest, I think we were a little worn out from our flash frenzy in Paris and then a week of crowds and beach clubs in St. Tropez, so Provence was the absolute best reprieve. In total, we did 2 nights in Paris, 7 nights in St. Tropez, and 7 nights in Provence. If I could do the full trip over again, I’d probably do it in this format below. (Figured this might help if you’re planning a similar trip!)

3 - 4 nights in Paris

4 - 5 nights on the coast, visiting Nice, St. Tropez, and Eze (rather than staying in St. Tropez only. I could have seen it all in 1-2 days)

5 - 6 nights in Provence

Ending with a few extra photos of our week. I will hold these memories dearly in my heart!

When we came back to the states, we stayed a night at the TWA Hotel! I don’t think I ever even mentioned that on Instagram. We got into our room around midnight and left at 6am, so it was short lived but very cool!