Beauty and adventure in Paris and the South of France

France | Jun 19 - Jul 1, 2024

Great outdoor spaces. Bright interior and beautiful views of the sea. Nice to have an elevator with private access to the apartment.

We were 4 people in a lofted room, with the king bed up a narrow set of stairs and the bathroom and sofa-bed on the lower level. The sofa bed was not very comfortable so we ended up putting the mattress on the floor. The air conditioning was not working properly, despite several phone calls to the front desk and a hotel clerk coming to try to adjust it. We slept with windows open and it was still warm in the room for most of the night. Finally, the carpet was wet outside the bathroom door when we first arrived, which the clerk said was due to the shower overflowing (from the previous occupants?).

Spacious and a great location. Comfortable beds. Wonderful covered terrace for dining al fresco. The only thing to note is the 5 flights of spiral stairs that are required to access the apartment. It was not a problem for us (we definitely got our exercise in each day) but is something to note for those with mobility issues.

Fannie was a knowledgeable and friendly guide. We enjoyed all the stops, especially the chocolates, jams and cheeses. Getting to pick our own dessert was also a treat.

End of June is the ideal time to visit the gardens. So many flowers blooming!

It was a long day with a lot packed in, but very fun to see all 3 castles. Each one was special and unique in its own right. The architecture and the gardens, along with the history of the region and each castle was interesting and enjoyable.

Huge place. The inside is impressive but the gardens need equal time to explore.

Amazing scenery and fun adventure! Romain was an excellent guide that showed us all around the region - from lavender fields and other agricultural areas to villages and beautiful architectural structures. He tailored the day to our interests, which was a fantastic way to explore. From coffee and pastries in one village to exploring the countryside to eating lunch while overlooking the beautiful valley, we loved every minute of it! This was our group's favorite thing we did in our 2 weeks in France.

We enjoyed walking around the village, eating and shopping.

The kayaking experience was definitely only for the super-adventurous. It was more of a kayaking lesson, complete with how to load/unload the kayaks from the trailer, carry the kayaks down a flight of stairs to the water, how to skirt yourself into the kayak and also proper paddling techniques. Our guide tried very hard to instruct us and encourage us to be calm in the choppy water. We did get to spend an hour or so on a beach area eating lunch and that was fun and relaxing, but by the time we were headed our onto the water again, it was even windier and so our guide agreed we should head back. Overall, it was a bit more work than what we 4 women had anticipated.

Interesting to learn the history of the catacombs

Fun to see where the ingredients come from. The group was a fun mix of people and we all learned a bit about cooking this special dish that originated in Marseille

Unfortunately it was a windy and cloudy day so the water was very rough getting out and especially coming back into the marina. We loved our guide, however, and we were confident in Marie’s abilities to safely get us around. She was great at telling us the history of the area and talking about the structures we were seeing. We got to snorkel while out in one of the calmer areas so that was a highlight.