Provence and Cote D'Azur
After our 5 days of climbing around mont blanc and aosta we were due for some relaxation. I had travelled to Provence 16 years earlier with some friends and it was a destination high on my list to return to, as well as a first visit for significant other. Interestingly the lavender season seemed to pair quite well with the mountaineering season. We had initially planned on starting the leisure portion of this trip in Cogne, at the hotel Bellevue. However the whole valley was badly affected by flooding so we had to change our plans. We decided to split our drive in half, and instead stay in the French alps. La Boitte had availability in their restaurant and hotel and was in the right location so we booked it. The drive up through la thule, over the petit saint Bernard pass was very impressive. It was nice to get a look at a lot of the classic French ski terrain. The hotel had exceptional service, quite a nice sauna and steam room along with charming alpine décor. The food was solid, although we both thought the recent downgrade from 3* to 2* was warranted, especially the unimaginative desert. The breakfast the following day was exceptional, not a huge buffet but delicious finely prepared everything and a extremely charming host. I would like to return here someday in the winter.
The following day we headed to Provence, another pleasant drive through some interesting geology. We stopped in at Valensole to see the vast lavender fields. We stayed at a lovely bed a breakfast, Le Mas Les Eydins, run by a high profile chef and his wife wanting a simpler more hands on model. They have a lovely courtyard. Dinner was excellent, with the chef himself joining in for the service. We missed the outdoor seating as the mistral winds were quite strong that night. Located a short ways outside Bonnieux it was a nice base for the region. After another fabulous breakfast we toured around the Luberon villages. We stopped in Roussillon, Menerbres, Lourmarin, where we had a great salad nicoise at café gaby, and bonnieux. The market was on in Roussillion, with a nice selection of spices, olives, soaps, and some less nice trinkets/clothes. We had dinner at la bastide. Although the food was quite solid, service was somewhat poor/slow and we were missing les Eydins, it was also a shame that we didn’t dine outside. We awoke quite early for photography the following morning, shooting some of the nearby lavender, as well as the Gordes sunrise and senarque abbey, somewhat conventional looking photos but it was pretty nevertheless and nice to walk around Gordes without the crowds. Rousillion to me remains my favourite, the red ochre buildings fits well with the weather and feel of the destination.
En route to our next destination, Les Beaux we had a quick walk around St Remy de provence. What I remembered as charming shops seems to have deteriorated somewhat, although it remains a pretty stop. As does Les Beaux, the seemingly eternal sunshine, dry weather and barren rock formations are quite evocative of the region. We were somewhat letdown by the Baumaniere experience, despite a very good vegetarian menu, service as inconsistent and the patio was far too crowded. After skipping breakfast we got some shopping done in Aix-en-provence and headed for Eze.
Chateau Eza was a beautifully situation small hotel with excellent service and medieval seeming rooms. The garden and village are very impressive as well. Probably one of our best hotel room views. A similarly great view for dinner was had albeit with slow service. After 1 night here we were home with some typically Canadian flight delay adventures.
Overall it was a well deserved bit of relaxation and sun after our previous adventures. The landscapes and small towns of provence are somewhat of a must see for travellers, so we were going to visit at some point. I think as a destination it would have been a let down as a standalone trip, feeling somewhat overtouristed. Its hard to recall how much it has changed in 16 years, especially as I was so young, and not an experienced traveler during my first visit, but I won’t say I’d have regrets if we didn’t return for another 16 years.