Perfect Provence Rentals: 3,500€ & 10,000€

 

Scores of gorgeous homes in the South of France are available for rental at various times of the year. For the traveler, the perfect rental can make or break a trip, of course, but finding it can be tricky and time consuming. (Rental agents can be a huge help and you'll find a few recommended ones among my advertisers in the sidebar at left: JustFrance.com, Home-Hunts.com and Just-Provence.com.) But since the 2013 Provence travel planning season is fully upon us, I thought I might also share a special house with you here, every now and then. This week, it's two homes on the same property, rented separately. If you're interested in either, contact the owners directly. And if you mention ProvencePost.com when you book, they'll treat you to dinner in one of our favorite local restaurants, the Bistrot du Paradou. So read on, oh brave villa hunters! Summer's coming!

For the first time ever, Nick and Andrea Morris are planning to rent out their very unique, very beautiful home to one family or group at a time, by the week or longer, in July and August. Normally the five-bedroom property is rented room by room, B&B style. Luxurious, refined and private, La Maison du Paradou nestles at the foot of the Alpilles Mountains,  in the tiny village of Paradou, close to Maussane and Les Baux, not far from St. Remy. This 17th-century postal inn has been lovingly renovated;  each of the five bedrooms is luxuriously furnished with a bathroom en suite.  There are three sitting rooms as well as a multi-level double-vaulted grand salon...a very unique room with a wonderful ambiance. Throughout the house you'll see Nick and Andrea's collection of fine art, antiques and sculpture and find lots of quiet nooks and corners for privacy and quiet. Outdoors La Maison du Paradou offers elegant flowers and landscaping, a lovely pool surrounded by loungers and a large shaded dining table. The 10,000€ per week rental includes daily maid service and daily garden/pool maintenance. Outside of July and August, La Maison du Paradou will return to hotel-style lodging, with B&B room rates of 295€ per night. 

A smaller home on the property, this one called La Maison Bleue, is now being offered in the same manner, meaning you and your family or friends take the whole house. La Maison Bleue is completely separate from the main house, with its own entrance, garden and swimming pool.  There are three double bedrooms, all with en suite bathrooms, and a small but fully fitted kitchen opening out onto a private dining area. Summer rates for La Maison Bleue are 3,500€ per week, with twice weekly maid service and daily garden/pool maintenance. Rates off season are negotiable.

Don't forget to mention that you saw the house on ProvencePost.com because Nick and Andrea will spring for that dinner if you do. For more info on everything, click here. You can also email (reservations@maisonduparadou.com) or call them: +33 (0)4 90 54 65 46.  

Photos: (1, 2, 3) The five-bedroom Maison du Paradou is a renovated 17th-century ''relais de poste'' where a mail carrier and his horse could find food and lodging. The wisteria is--wait for it!--200 years old. (4) La Maison Bleue is completely separate; here's the pool. (5) Owners Nick and Andrea Morris. Many more photos are on the website here. (6) Paradou is a quiet village with one main street and it's a perfect base for visiting many of the most-popular sites in the region, including Les Baux, just a few minutes up the road. Les Baux photo by Philippe Clairo.

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