Back in Nova Scotia after an amazing 15 night adventure in Provence. Our second time in France but first visit to Provence. With a car, we chose 4 different home bases, arriving May 26th and flying home on June 10th. One trip report for each of the four home bases. There is a lot of attention paid to food as it was so memorable. I’ll apologize in advance for being a little long winded. It’s just so hard deciding what not to share! I also kept detailed notes from the restaurants and hope to find time to post reviews.
Tues May 26th after flying into Marseille, we grabbed our rental car and headed to St. Remy de Provence. We arrived right around noon, and traffic was somewhat chaotic. We circled the ring road a few times trying to find Hotel de Soleil, located on a one way street just about the tourist centre. The fact that we were both a little tired (had not slept as much as usual on our transatlantic flight) made finding the hotel a bit of a challenge. However, we sorted it out, and once located Hotel de Soleil was a wonderful base in St. Remy. Private gated parking and only a short stroll from the ring road. Air conditioned, a pool, a clothes line available to dry laundry, chilled wine at 10 € a bottle and free use of tables and chairs for picnics, so at 64 € it was a nice find. Hotel Soleil was full the entire time we were there. We spent the first day having a nice lunch at Bar des Alpilles, wandering the town, an afternoon Pasti at Grand Café Rich ( Pasti for 1.60 € was a great deal), relaxing by the pool for a bit, and then a light dinner at Creperie Lou Planet.
Weds May 27th we awoke to a Mistral wind! Sun was shining but the dust and sand was flying. We skipped the hotel breakfast and had a pain chocolat from one of the many patisseries. One of the really nice things about St. Remy is that it is filled with small shops (Boulangeries, Butchers, markets etc). We braved the wind and spent the morning enjoying the St. Remy market. Tempted by all the food we bought Pate (1.60 €), a baguette (.80 €), a large hunk of aged cheese (failed to note the name for 8 €) and a bag of cherries (3 €). Then we hopped in our car and headed to Pont de Gard; such an amazing sight and feeling to finally be there. We’d done a lot of research in advance so we skipped the museum and headed to the site itself. Probably because of the wind, things were not too busy. No trouble finding parking. After wandering around, we found a bench on the Rive gauche (I think), and munched on our food looking at this 2,000 year old masterpiece. It was windy, but somewhat sheltered down by the river. After our food, we decided to make a trip into Nimes. Getting in was fairly easy as we simply followed the signs for Centre Ville and the Arena parking. When we walked to the arena we found that it was closed to the public in preparation for an upcoming bullfight. We wandered around Nimes for a while, and then tried to sort out how to get out of the city. We managed, but driving in the cities without a GPS proved to be a challenge for us. Maps worked great for the rural locations and getting from place to place. Back in St. Remy, after a Pasti at Grand Café Rich it was time to (what else), eat again! We made reservations at Bistro Decouverte (Michelin Guide recommended). The Menu Decouverte (3 courses) was a very reasonable 25 €, and with a nice bottle of wine, coffee, and a nice glass of Port, our entire meal cost 101 €.
Thursday May 28th: Not quite so windy, but still blowing. Brilliant sunshine and we decided on a day trip to Cassis. Not being the brightest people, we struggled to sort out the tolls on the Autoroute. None of my Canadian credit cards (including a Visa with the Pin number chip) worked. And we still had not accumulated all that many coins. We finally realized that the best choice of toll lines were the ones with only a green arrow, avoiding anything with the italic “t” logo as this is the automated system. Perhaps because we were spending so much time sorting out the tolls we missed the turn we wanted for Cassis. But armed with a map we got off the autoroute and made our way up over the hills and down into Cassis. We found parking in a parkade just up from the Port and wandered down. As it was just after 12:00 we decided on an early lunch (that way I could have a little wine knowing we would spend the rest of the day wandering around the port and on a boat trip to the Calanaques). We had a nice lunch at Restaurant Romano (great view location and by Cassis Standards fairly reasonable). Soupe Poisson, Grilled Dorado and a Chocolate Mouse, and a nice Cassis white wine. We opted for a table in the sun (later regretted that as it got VERY hot). After our meal we took a boat trip to visit 3 Calanaques. Interesting…living on the ocean where we’re used to long sand beaches, seeing all these people sprawled out on rocks seemed a little bizarre, but we enjoyed the trip. We drove back to St Remy and had a bottle of Rose by the pool in the early evening sun. The pool area is very sheltered in a courtyard and it made for a restful time. Later that night we made a visit to Creperie Lou Planet, this time for salads and a carafe of red wine. A Red, White and Rose day!
Friday May 29th…Off to Luberon. The drive from St. Remy through the wonderful archways of Plane trees, sadly ends around Cavillon, and this is not such a nice place to drive. We had no trouble navigating, but traffic was heavy and it took us about an hour before we hit the nice scenery of the Luberon. Our first stop was Rousillon. Having visited the Tuscan Hill towns, our first impressions of Rousillon was not so great. Parking was easy, and it was a pleasant enough town, but the vibe was (for lack of a better word) different. We never really got a feel for the place, or its history. As it was just around noon, we decided to head to Lacoste, where we just made it to the Bar/restaurant de France in time for lunch service on their amazing view terrace. One of the nicest view terraces we’ve experienced. They were very busy (almost everyone there was French). The food was simple and good. The Smoked Duck Leg was excellent, the entrées and deserts okay. But at 15 € for 3 courses with this view, it’s easy to understand why they were busy. We made it back to St. Remy in time from some Olive Oil testing (loaded up on our favorites), had a nice swim in the pool and according to my notes skipped dinner!
Saturday May 30th: we bought picnic supplies in St. Remy (quiche, sausage roll, 1 melon, 2 cans of orange soda..all came to less than 10€) and headed off to Les Baux. We took a circle route, going to Les Baux on D99 to D 23. Nice scenic approach. We drove as close to the main entrance as possible and lucked out on a parking space near the top of the hill in the pay lot. We really enjoyed our time wandering around the castle grounds. The weather was warm, very little wind, but broken clouds kept it cool enough. On a hot sunny day or when the winds blow, it might be quite different. On the far side of the plateau we spotted a little sign that said “picnique” and found a single picnic table right by the side of the cliffs, down 3-4 stairs. It was like having a private view terrace. We lingered for quite a while looking down on the valley and enjoying our food. The site itself is loaded with history and the audio guide that is free with the admission fee has lots of detail. We listened to quite a bit of it, but eventually turned it off and just wandered. On the way back to the parking lot we visited a few shops and I bought a nice ceramic wine pitcher. Les Baux is a special place, and I would highly recommend a visit.
We returned to St. Remy via D 27 to D 5. The drive through les Alpilles was stunning. For us, we found driving around les Alpilles to be more scenic then Luberon (we did more of both in later days). Clearly just a personal observation, but on the way back to St. Remy I felt the beginning of a potential love affair with les Alpilles.
That afternoon, as we were enjoying a Pasti at Café Rich, a wedding party rolled out of the church. The guests were all dressed in white, and the bride wore a black wedding dress. Lucky my wife speaks fluent French. We almost assumed this was the local tradition, but the shocked expressions and rapid conversation soon confirmed that this was an unusual event! Drawn by the courtyard at the Hotel de Soleil we made a late afternoon stop at a local butcher and bought a lovely pate, then picked up a baguette at the boulangerie, and a nice slice of cheese and a small bag of cherries at the local market. All told dinner was less than 6 € and it was wonderful!
Sunday May 31st we saw our first sign of heavy clouds. With rain threatening we decided on a drive down the Ste. Maries in les Carmague. The drive was VERY busy. Scenic but traffic was almost bumper to bumper and we quickly realized that stopping at the look offs came with a price (it was almost impossible to get back onto the main road). We followed the traffic down to Ste. Maries, circled the town 3 times looking for a parking space and finally gave up, and headed for Aigues Mortes. By then it was raining. At Aigues Mortes we followed the signs for free parking…only to discover that it was market day and the free parking was the market! We did find pay parking near the city wall, threw on our rain gear and headed into the old city. We had lunch in a big square (outside but under large canvass tents. Food was ok, but we were a little cold). The rain stopped and we did some shopping. We took a few side roads on the way back, but all and all our first visit to Les Carmague was just OK (good news is we had an amazing return trip later on). Back in St. Remy for our last night, we had our ritual Pasti at Café Rich and then had a nice dinner at Bistro des Alpilles.
Monday June 1st: Our departure day from St. Remy also turned out to be the day of La fete de transhumance…an event where the local sheep farmers drive 3,000 sheep around the streets of St. Remy before taking them off to the hills to graze for the summer. The village was packed with people, and the parade of sheep (twice around the ring road) was a sight to behold. We joined the locals stepping out into the road, and the masses of people formed the coral that kept the sheep and goats contained. It was quite possible to reach out and touch the sheep and they raced by. A great local memory before we headed off to Hyeres by the sea.
Final thoughts on St. Remy as a base: Highly recommended. Once the ring road and a couple of one way streets are sorted out, it’s very easy to leave and return daily from side trips. When in the village, absolutely everything is walkable. There is an incredible array of café’s, bars, restaurants and shops. It also felt very French. Most of the people we encountered were local or French tourists. I had no problem communicating with my very limited French, but you felt part of the culture and not so much like a tourist (if that makes any sense). The staff at the hotel, Café Rich, the patisseries, local shops and restaurants were SOOOOO nice to us. Even though we still had 9 days remaining in our visit to Provence, I felt a few tears welling in my eyes as we drove beneath the endless sea of Plane trees on our way to the autoroute. If I haven’t bored you to death, stay tune for part two of our trip report…a visit to Hyeres on the Mediterranean for 3 days…
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Thank You Tim, very good trip report, really enjoyed it. I am planning on visiting St Remy in August, is there free parking area?
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If you luck into street parking. Locals coming to the market just parked further out on one of the roads leading into the ring road. There is a reasonable pay lot behind the Tourist information centre.
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Tim,
Great Report! It was almost like being there, and I only have to wait another 85 days 31 minutes until we depart for Les Alpilles.
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How nice to re-live our memories of St.Remy..and the surrounding areas!!
I was so jealous that I wasn%26#39;t there.
I understand what you meant about Rousillon.We ended up at a restaurant..very cute..that overlooked the hills...probably the best part of our day there.
Certainly enjoyed the weekly markets...and have a great pair of casual(comfy) shoes from the St.Remy market as a reminder.
When we were in Les Baux, someone had fallen down a couple of steps in front of a store( it was 1/2 way to the top).....picture this,an ambulance driving through the cobblestone streets!!!! The shop keepers had to run out and wind up their awnings...I don%26#39;t know how the ambulance ever got through.
Great memories...until your next trip !!
Sharon
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Excellnt report!
Im actually flying there tomorrow, and was wondering whether Roussillon was worth it or not, and now i think I shall skip it.
Cant wait to read the rest! (hopefully before tomorrow aternoon!)
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Love your trip report . . . I adore St Remy so I was with you every step of the way. I also adored Hotel du Soleil.
However I would say Roussillon is worth taking a bit of time over, there are lovely walks around it. Hard to find a %26#39;quiet%26#39; time there at the moment but I would recommend before 10am as the best.
So where%26#39;s the next instalment, eh, eh?
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Having just returned from a week in St. Remy, I loved your trip report. Memories are a great part of any trip. The cherries were fat and red on the trees and I notice you, too, indulged in those beauties. I hope you managed some strawberries (fraise) too as I have never tasted sweeter fruit as in Provence. Thanks for a great report.
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Hi Sapphire...yes we did get a wonderful taste of the strawberries...included in part two of my trip report under the Hyeres forum...you%26#39;re right...wow...We actually spent 15 days in Provence (St. Remy 6, Hyeres, 3, Arles 4, and Aix-enProvence 2) I have 3 other trip reports under each of these forums. Anyway, glad you enjoyed the read. St. Remy is special...Cheers
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So do we get a report from you as well Sapphire? Cmon, you can do it.
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Great report!!!
The Alpilles are so gorgeous, no wonder they attract a lot of people! Did you know that Princess Caroline used to live in St Rémy (I believe she still owns a property there) and that the Princes of Monaco also bear the title of %26quot;Seigneurs des Baux%26quot;?
La Fête de la Transhumance always takes place at the end of May, we saw it too the last time we drove through St Rémy on our way to Les Baux...
The drive to Camargue was very busy probably because it was a French bank holiday (1st June this year was %26#39;Lundi de Pentecôte%26#39;).
Glad you had such a good time, I%26#39;m off to read your other reports now!
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