GÎTE DU VALLA BLANC

The road to the Holiday cottage is not on any tourist map. You arrive here either by chance or because you've been looking, and in either case, you think you've done the right thing.

The farmhouse has been here for a long time. The walls keep cool even on days when the sun beats down hard on the vines and olive trees. Marie-Andrée and Claude, the owners, a retired couple who have lived here all their lives, have fitted everything out with the care of people who know what it means to live in a place. They live on site, available when you need them, discreet when you don't. The shady garden and its gravelled terrace serve as a dining room, a reading room, a place to meet in the late afternoon with a glass of Vinsobres or Rasteau. All around, vegetation, trees and hills. No roads, no visible neighbors. Just the cicadas, the wind in the oaks and, at night, a starry sky the like of which is nowhere to be seen. Hiking and bike rides are possible in the vicinity of the Holiday cottage. You can also do nothing in particular. Reading, playing cards until late. The Baronnies Provençales is a region you're still discovering. The villages smell of lime trees in June (Buis-les-Baronnies is the capital) and olives in November (a speciality of Nyons) - Nyons is less than 20min away, and the Thursday morning Market is a local event. Nyons AOC olives (the only ones in France). Vaison-la-Romaine: 15min drive and two thousand years of history. The archaeological site can be visited without crowds in the morning. The medieval upper town perched on a rocky outcrop is well worth a visit for lunch. - Le Ventoux: the mountain is imposing to the south. You can climb it by bike if you're one of them, drive along it in your car, or simply watch it change color according to the time of day. - Dentelles de Montmirail: the jagged limestone ridges that rise up between the vineyards of Gigondas and Beaumes-de-Venise. A ridge trail for walkers, a glass of Muscat for everyone.

The Holiday cottage adjoins the owners' home. It is located on a working farm taken over by Marie-Andrée and Claude's son-in-law, who continues to grow organic vines and olive trees. Kids, especially, are advised to keep an eye on the steep embankments around the property, as well as on the unsecured outbuildings (possible access to roofs, danger).

First floor: entrance via kitchen, dining room with study area and TV lounge, storeroom/laundry room, shower room (Italian shower) and separate toilet. First floor: two bedrooms with double beds (1x140) (1x140) and two other bedrooms with single beds (2x90) (2x90), shower room and separate toilet. Terrace with garden furniture below the Holiday cottage, nicely shaded and planted with trees. Access via a sloping path. Parking on the property in the farmyard in front of the Holiday cottage. Weak telephone network (SFR not available), internet and wifi connection.