The Gîte

Again a wonderful experience!

Comfortable house with four bedrooms, traditional decoration, walking distance to wonderful Bonnieux and spectacular Lacoste, smack in the middle of truffle, wine and lavender country.

Perfect for all ages and for dogs !

The house is child- and user-friendly and comfortably furnished. It is an unpretentious and easy house to live in, with good space and great views from the windows. The kitchen lacked adequate work-spaces and the whole place is slightly worn, but altogether in a homely, friendly and comfortable way and was perfectly clean. Bedrooms have good strong showers ensuite but no toilets ensuite. Abundant crockery and comfortable sitting inside (though not for more than four adults at a time: the rest would have to make do on upright chairs). Outside is abundantly provided with chairs and tables. Views towards Bonnieux and Mt Ventoux are *outstanding*, bird life is great (we had a resident nightingale) and the grounds are spacy and private with good trees, safe and great for youngsters, with Bonnieux within easy reach. Heating was inadequate for our unfortunately cool week in May, and some wall heaters didn't work. A woodburner was a hassle to use, so we didn't use it. There was a shortage of dressing tables and hanging space in bedrooms (wardrobes were filled with bedding). Communications with the owner were impeded by language and elicited a certain sharpness when I complained (belatedly) about the 150 euros advertised as needed for towels and sheets: a bit much for one week when there were only two of us, and not using the pool. He explained that the charge included cleaning. My fault, perhaps, for not objecting before signing the contract. His agents at first proposed we leave by 9 a.m. but we successfully challenged that. None of this spoiled our stay. We fell in love with the property and would happily return, though we might try first to negotiate over the cleaning charge.

The house has spectacular views and is a very walkable distance to the centre of Bonnieux We have already recommended it to friends

We had a great family holiday and especially enjoyed the large grounds looking out to Bonnieux in one direction, Lacoste the other and in between a stretching view across the hills of the Luberon. The driveway is shared with an adjacent house but once you are around the back in the garden you have absolute privacy. There is another house beyond a row of tall pines but we did not hear them. With young children they probably heard us unfortunately. We appreciated the fenced pool, swings and boule - we felt safe letting them roam around the enclosed and shady garden. There is a good high chair if you need one and a cot in one of the bedrooms, it seems well equipped for toddlers and babies with a playhouse and sandpit outside. Through a gate in the garden, a narrow footpath runs up to Bonnieux. It is a 20 minute walk which our boys (4 and 7) could manage, especially with the promise of a pain chocolat at the end. The 10 x 4 pool was clean with steps down to the shallow end and the deep end often in shade. Next to the pool there is a separate garden house with single bed and bathroom. There is a deep shaded terrace for outdoor dining and a nice outdoor sofa to relax on in the evening. Inside there is an L-shaped open plan sitting room with comfortable chairs and sofa. The TV is French only. There is great wifi. There are some lovely books on Provence and the Luberon to read (in French) and a few French board games in the cupboard as well as a nice chess set. The kitchen is small and lacks workspace but is well equipped and functional. Upstairs are three bedrooms, two with ensuite sinks and showers and a larger bathroom with a bath and shower attachment. The only downsides were: The pool furniture could do with a bit of an upgrade perhaps - the parasol stand was cracked and a couple of the recliners broken. The winter bedding in the cupboards left little space for clothes to be stored in the bedrooms. There is a slow leak in the kitchen tap which needed wiping down frequently to prevent a puddle. White goods are on the way out: while we were there the washing machine stopped working and was speedily replaced with a nice new one; the dishwasher was not able to get any of the multiple tiny glasses in the cupboard really clean. The upstairs toilet won't stop running when flushed. There are a few mosquitos despite gauze. Overall it was a great holiday and we'd love to return some day, thank you!

One week at Colombelle - a great place to stay. Ww were three adults - loved the big house with plenty of bathrooms, a kitchen that was easy to cook in, only thing we missed was music as we could not get the CD player to work.Loved the pool - very warm, the variety of outdoor spaces to sit at for different times of the day, gorgeous views. Would stay again

this was a great choice for three women friends