Maison Olive lying alongside Menerbes, Luberon in Provence
In the heart of the Luberon Valley in Provence, with its back to the infamous Mistral and nestled amongst tall cypress trees and verdant pastures, lies the Bastide Les Amis, alongside one of France’s most picturesque ‘perched’ villages, Menerbes.    The Bastide has a beautifully decorated and immaculately furnished villa, Maison Olive, which is available for rental the whole year round including part of the year with its sister Maison Blanc.
  
The property is a 150m stroll along the Rue St Esteve, a narrow road leading from the medieval village of Menerbes. The village has a bakery, butchery, mini-market and three restaurants. A cliff-top bar affords spectacular views of the Luberon Valley towards Mont Ventoux.
Menerbes, made famous by Peter Mayle’s A Year in Provence, is situated 17km from the A4 Autoroute between transport hubs, Marseilles (90km away) and Avignon (39km). The locals proudly call the area the Golden Triangle – lying between the Grand and Petit Luberon and the Ventoux mountain ranges. Major tourist and market towns in the area include Gordes (12km), Roussillion (10km), Bonnieux (8km), Lacoste (6km), Louramin (14km), Apt (25km), Oppède-le-vieux (5km), St Rémy-de-Provence (35km) and Isle-sur-la-Sorgue (22km), Avignon (39km) and Aix-en-Provence (60km).
  
Maison Olive has been furnished in traditional Provencal style but with an emphasis on the wood hues so prevalent in the area.
There is a large living/dining area that opens out onto a back patio and pretty side garden. The furniture and fittings have every comfort.
Immaculately restored, it has three bedrooms and two-and-a-half bathrooms, including an en-suite on the main bedroom that is situated upstairs.
It contains all the mod cons: Plasma TV with satellite channels, wi-fi Internet, microwave oven, and appliances including a SMeg stove, fridge, washing machine, dishwasher and clothes dryer.
Outside the main living area huge oak and cherry trees dominate the lower garden level, which is an ideal place to power up the barbeque or relax with a cocktail and enjoy the views over the valley. The rest of the garden is shared with the owners, offering full use of the large swimming pool and facilities complete with sun lounges and barbeque. On the third and the top levels of the property, you’ll find a grove of olive and fruit trees – the perfect retreat for a lazy afternoon away from it all.
The villa will comfortably accommodate six people. There is ample off-street parking for four cars in the shared parking area, with the front door only 25m from the car park.
  
Rates quoted are for a week – Saturday 4pm to Saturday 10am: 2 Jan 2010 – 27 March and 2 October – 8 January 2011 : $2,000; 1 May – 3 July: $2,500; 3 July – 2 October: rented only with 2 bedroom, 4 level Maison Blanc for $5,500 (contact us for information on Maison Blanc - some photos below).
  
A 25% deposit is required to secure a booking with the balance paid 10 weeks prior to occupancy.
To request a booking, click here. |
