Provence farmhouse accommodation
| country: | France |
| location: | La Rochegiron, Provence |
| price: | From €600 - €1200 per week per accommodation (sleeps 4) or from €700 - €1300 per week per accommodation (sleeps 5) Refundable deposit €350. Final clean €30. Heating €40 in winter. Linen hire €15 per person. |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
description
This beautifully restored 17th century farmhouse is in a superb rural setting. The views from the property are outstanding; it is surrounded by lavender fields and dramatic foothills of the Lure Mountains.
The house is in a private hamlet consisting of the French owners’ cottage, the farmhouse and a converted windmill. The properties share the pool but the owners are only there some of the time. The pool (10m x 5m) is fenced off and there are loungers on the pool terrace for relaxing and enjoying the wonderful views. There is also a ping-pong table, boules, swings, a multi-gym machine, a sand pit, and bike hire is available. This is a good area for cycling in the quiet country lanes.
The farmhouse has a lovely interior courtyard with a gas barbecue and an attractive dining area. There are also two other terraces for outdoor dining. The interiors are charming and full use has been made of beautiful local materials creating a colourful and cheerful atmosphere. There are stone walls, exposed beamed ceilings and traditional Provençal furniture. The farmhouse is divided into two parts connected by an external stairway, each part sleeping 4-5 people. This is a delightful property and is ideal for families holidaying together but wishing to retain some independence.
If you enjoy walking, you could plan your day around lunch in Banon! The sleepy village of Saumane is also 4km. It has a restaurant, with simple home cooking, and a friendly café-bar with large shady terrace. Forcalquier, about 25km, is a pleasant town with an extensive street market on Mondays, a large supermarket and a good choice of restaurants and small shops.
This is an ‘undiscovered’ part of Provence and there are many old villages to explore. A good example is Simaine-la-Rotunde, a beautiful spiralling medieval village with winding streets and a covered market place. Another village nearby is Le Contadour where Jean Giono, the French author and pacifist, set up a summer commune in the 1930s to celebrate peace, ecology and the return to nature. Another possible day trip might be to one of three large lakes: the Lac Serre Ponçon, Lac Sainte Croix and Lac d’Esparron. These all have beached areas for swimming and most watersports are available.
Other activities available in the area include hang-gliding and hot-air ballooning.
The house is in a private hamlet consisting of the French owners’ cottage, the farmhouse and a converted windmill. The properties share the pool but the owners are only there some of the time. The pool (10m x 5m) is fenced off and there are loungers on the pool terrace for relaxing and enjoying the wonderful views. There is also a ping-pong table, boules, swings, a multi-gym machine, a sand pit, and bike hire is available. This is a good area for cycling in the quiet country lanes.
The farmhouse has a lovely interior courtyard with a gas barbecue and an attractive dining area. There are also two other terraces for outdoor dining. The interiors are charming and full use has been made of beautiful local materials creating a colourful and cheerful atmosphere. There are stone walls, exposed beamed ceilings and traditional Provençal furniture. The farmhouse is divided into two parts connected by an external stairway, each part sleeping 4-5 people. This is a delightful property and is ideal for families holidaying together but wishing to retain some independence.
special things to do and see here
The property is situated just outside La Rochegiron, 4km from the beautiful fortified village of Banon, which has good food shops and a superb bookshop, Le Bleuet, well worth a visit. There is a street market on Tuesday mornings. Banon has a couple of very good inexpensive restaurants and we particularly like le Café des Voyageurs with its excellent set menu of about €13. If you enjoy walking, you could plan your day around lunch in Banon! The sleepy village of Saumane is also 4km. It has a restaurant, with simple home cooking, and a friendly café-bar with large shady terrace. Forcalquier, about 25km, is a pleasant town with an extensive street market on Mondays, a large supermarket and a good choice of restaurants and small shops.
This is an ‘undiscovered’ part of Provence and there are many old villages to explore. A good example is Simaine-la-Rotunde, a beautiful spiralling medieval village with winding streets and a covered market place. Another village nearby is Le Contadour where Jean Giono, the French author and pacifist, set up a summer commune in the 1930s to celebrate peace, ecology and the return to nature. Another possible day trip might be to one of three large lakes: the Lac Serre Ponçon, Lac Sainte Croix and Lac d’Esparron. These all have beached areas for swimming and most watersports are available.
Other activities available in the area include hang-gliding and hot-air ballooning.
rooms, food and facilities
L’Olivier (sleeps 5): This is on the ground floor. There is a spacious, open-plan living room and kitchen; this is prettily furnished with a dining area with large refectory table, comfortable seating and a television. The kitchen area is well equipped and has a 4-ring hob, built-in oven, microwave, dishwasher and electric coffee maker. There are two bedrooms, one with a double bed, 140cm, and the other with a double bed, 140cm, and a single bed, 90cm. A cot is available upon request. There is a shower and separate W.C.
L’Amandier (sleeps 4): This is on the first floor. Again, there is an open-plan living room and kitchen, prettily furnished with a dining area, comfortable seating and a television. Please note that the ceiling is low at one end of the room, and the lowest beam is only 140cm. The kitchen has a 4-ring hob, oven, microwave, dishwasher and electric coffee maker. There are two bedrooms, one with a double bed, 140cm, and the other with a narrow double bed, 120cm, and a wide single bed, 1m. There is an attractive shower room and separate W.C.
L’Amandier (sleeps 4): This is on the first floor. Again, there is an open-plan living room and kitchen, prettily furnished with a dining area, comfortable seating and a television. Please note that the ceiling is low at one end of the room, and the lowest beam is only 140cm. The kitchen has a 4-ring hob, oven, microwave, dishwasher and electric coffee maker. There are two bedrooms, one with a double bed, 140cm, and the other with a narrow double bed, 120cm, and a wide single bed, 1m. There is an attractive shower room and separate W.C.
how to find us
La Rochegiron is northeast of Apt and northwest of Manosque. The nearest airports are Marseille, Avignon & Nice. From Marseille or Aix-en-Provence take the A51, turn onto the N10, then the D950. how this holiday makes a difference
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Holidays in France are largely about enjoying the culture of another country and both we and the hospitable French owners promote this in every way we can. The mill has been in the owners’ family for generations and they are very knowledgeable about the area’s history, traditions, culture and wildlife. They are keen for the rural community to thrive and enjoy sharing their local knowledge. In the summer there are local fêtes and musical soirées in the village and our tenants are invited to participate.
The property has recently been carefully renovated by traditional craftsmen using locally sourced materials such as stone, Provençal tiles and wrought iron. The interior is tastefully furnished with reclaimed and restored furniture from local brocantes or flea markets and antique fairs. Visitors are able to enjoy a stunning, unspoilt environment and appreciate the traditional rural way of life at the same time as supporting the local economy. A femme de ménage from the village is employed at the weekends to clean the property. The owners provide detailed information about the local shops, markets and restaurants in nearby villages as they are keen for visitors to sample the delicious locally produced food such as goats cheese, honey, olives and truffles. All this, along with renting the property, injects money into the local economy and supports life in rural France. Similarly they promote the local craftsmen who make santons or ornamental figures of characters in the village, and also the cultivators of herbs such as lavender, thyme etc. The water at the property comes from a spring and there is a UV system to purify it without any chemical additives. The owners have installed a large tank to catch rainwater and this is used to water the trees and plants. The swimming pool is covered every evening to reduce evaporation and minimise topping up with water. Paper, plastic and glass are recycled and the owners ask tenants to take their sorted rubbish to a nearby collection point. Although a car is necessary to get to the property some of the best ways to enjoy the area are on foot or by bike or on horseback as there are way-marked paths and cycle ways which pass right next to the property; the owners have mountain bikes available for hire and there is a horse riding centre close by. We support a range of charities and projects in France and worldwide which provide aid to vulnerable communities and habitats, e.g. ASSOHUMA, a French charity which organises trips taking humanitarian and medical aid to women in Afghanistan and families in remote Sénégal; Shared Interest, a co-operative lending society which provides funding for Third World producers. Our office is in Devon is in a redundant agricultural building which we re-built using reclaimed, traditional materials. We support the Devon Wildlife Trust and we have nest boxes and feeding stations in the office grounds to encourage the birds. Our water for the office comes from a spring and is pumped by a water-powered ram. We do not produce a paper brochure; our bookings and enquiries are handled by email and all our office paper and printing cartridges are re-cycled. Our shredded documents go on the compost heap. |
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