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.

We really appreciated the communication with the owners during a tricky time for travel in Europe in the run-up to our rental period. The house exceeded our expectations. Functioned really well. Great house keeper. Stunning views. Superb location with easy access to all Luberon's sights, not least the best town, Bonnieux.

We came here exhausted, immensely stressed, and depleted, but tranquility forced itself upon us as soon as we passed through the wrought iron gates. The house reminded us of a smaller version of the one Russell Crowe inhabits in Ridley Scott’s film “A Good Year.” But make no mistake this is a spacious place. The garden offers a large pool, a lot of space to play if you are with children (or not), and endless opportunities to just be and relax. Whether you prefer a place in the sun or shade there are several spots to make your own. In the evening our favorite place was in front of the house with an mesmerizing view of Bonnieux, slightly illuminated, drawing itself against the palette of falling light. The photos cannot do it justice, you will need to be here with a glass of wine or two to truly enjoy its beauty. The house is no shed either and with an extra pool house you have enough space to safely store away your mother or father-in-law. But really there is ample room for children and parents to coexist peacefully without one unnerving the other. During our three week stay we enjoyed spending the evenings here and cooking by and for ourselves: you will hardly find a more scenic place to enjoy your food. However, Bonnieux is just a short, 2-3 minute drive away (the brave might even walk) and their are restaurants for every budget. The village has an excellent bakery to send off your husband, wife, or kids to in the morning and also offers information about forthcoming events: there is a market every week. There is a well equipped grocery store and wine cave, a post office for all that extra shopping that will not fit into your suitcase, two beautiful churches (one up, one down hill) an antics shop, and a plethora of wineries in vicinity to make the cab fare not to expansive. In the heart of the Provence, Bonnieux will be your starting to explore and discover this beautiful landscape, with Colombelle as your harbour to retreat and recharge TO GET TO THE POINT: There are only a few places like this—we full heartedly recommend this one. ENJOY at your own PACE, MISS OUT at your own EXPENSE.

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!