A Travel and vacations forum. TravelBanter

If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Go Back   Home » TravelBanter forum » Travel Regions » Europe
Site Map Home Authors List Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read Web Partners

Last minute rest/shopping tips for Provence?˝



 
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old November 1st, 2003, 11:58 AM
Cecilie Thorning Jacobsen
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Last minute rest/shopping tips for Provence?˝

Dear rec.travel.europe ;-)
My husband, our reasonably well-behaved 1-yr old daughter and I are leaving
for Provence tomorrow and would like your best restaurant/shopping tips.

Our Itenary is: tomorrow arrive at Nice airport app. 14:00 - pick up car and
head for Saint Remy our base for the week.
In no particular order from Monday to and including Friday: Saint Remy,
Arles, Nimes, Avignon, Aigues Mortes, Orange, Gordes and surroundings.
Saturday November 8th - clear up house and head for flight at Nice airport
app. 13:00.

We'll focus mainly on Roman ruins, beautiful cold autumn landscape, great
food and some shopping on markets and whereever we pass by.

Our plan is to head out as soon as our daughter wakes up, see XX, have lunch
at a good restaurant, see some more XX and head home in time for normal
dinner/bedtime around 18:00. Playing/coffeebreaks thrown in as necessary.

1. Should we make phone reservations in advance when we bring our daughter?
We'll bring her own HandySitt, plate/cup/spoon/fork anyhow

2. What will you recommend for lunch (spending limit 125Euro/meal for all
incl. ˝ bottle wine& soft drinks)

3. any particular shopping recommendations - best markets, particular shops
and addresses for textile, childrens clothes/toys/books, local food
specialities and Santons?

TIA
Cecilie Thorning Jacobsen


  #2  
Old November 1st, 2003, 12:44 PM
Bernard T. Higonnet
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Last minute rest/shopping tips for Provence?˝

Cecilie Thorning Jacobsen wrote:

Dear rec.travel.europe ;-)
My husband, our reasonably well-behaved 1-yr old daughter and I are
leaving for Provence tomorrow and would like your best restaurant/shopping
tips.

Our Itenary is: tomorrow arrive at Nice airport app. 14:00 - pick up car
and head for Saint Remy our base for the week.
In no particular order from Monday to and including Friday: Saint Remy,
Arles, Nimes, Avignon, Aigues Mortes, Orange, Gordes and surroundings.
Saturday November 8th - clear up house and head for flight at Nice airport
app. 13:00.

We'll focus mainly on Roman ruins, beautiful cold autumn landscape, great
food and some shopping on markets and whereever we pass by.

Our plan is to head out as soon as our daughter wakes up, see XX, have
lunch at a good restaurant, see some more XX and head home in time for
normal dinner/bedtime around 18:00. Playing/coffeebreaks thrown in as
necessary.


Sounds very dynamic, but St. Rémy is ideally located for this.

1. Should we make phone reservations in advance when we bring our
daughter?


No, not because of your daughter. At the risk of appearing snide, children
are welcome in French hotels and restaurants. At this time of year the
hordes are gone.

2. What will you recommend for lunch (spending limit 125Euro/meal for all
incl. ˝ bottle wine& soft drinks)


This is a large sum - your choices are vast. Get a red Michelin guide.

3. any particular shopping recommendations - best markets, particular
shops and addresses for textile, childrens clothes/toys/books, local food
specialities and Santons?


Santons mostly located around Aubagne I think, though sold almost
everywhere.

Bernard Higonnet
  #3  
Old November 1st, 2003, 01:53 PM
Cecilie Thorning Jacobsen
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Last minute rest/shopping tips for Provence?˝

Dear Bernard and everyone else ;-)
We know the "hordes" are gone - timing a trip to the outskirts of/outside
the tourist season is one of several thing that can make travelling with a
child easier.

We have a Guide Michelin but as you say the choice is vast in and below the
125Euro pricerange - that's why we'd love a more personal
recommandation/description ;-)
Where would you take a 1-year old while still adhering to an ambition of
trying out the best of the regional/national cooking?
BTW less than 125Euro per meal would also do fine, but we're willing to
splurge for lunch if the quality/price ratio is good ;-)

When we were in Paris a couple of years back we toured the recommendations
on Jacks homepage - they were dead on regarding the type and quality of food
we're looking for.
I'll see if he has recommandations for Provence.

all the best
Cecilie Thorning Jacobsen

"Bernard T. Higonnet" wrote in message
...
Cecilie Thorning Jacobsen wrote:

Dear rec.travel.europe ;-)
My husband, our reasonably well-behaved 1-yr old daughter and I are
leaving for Provence tomorrow and would like your best

restaurant/shopping
tips.

Our Itenary is: tomorrow arrive at Nice airport app. 14:00 - pick up car
and head for Saint Remy our base for the week.
In no particular order from Monday to and including Friday: Saint Remy,
Arles, Nimes, Avignon, Aigues Mortes, Orange, Gordes and surroundings.
Saturday November 8th - clear up house and head for flight at Nice

airport
app. 13:00.

We'll focus mainly on Roman ruins, beautiful cold autumn landscape,

great
food and some shopping on markets and whereever we pass by.

Our plan is to head out as soon as our daughter wakes up, see XX, have
lunch at a good restaurant, see some more XX and head home in time for
normal dinner/bedtime around 18:00. Playing/coffeebreaks thrown in as
necessary.


Sounds very dynamic, but St. Rémy is ideally located for this.

1. Should we make phone reservations in advance when we bring our
daughter?


No, not because of your daughter. At the risk of appearing snide, children
are welcome in French hotels and restaurants. At this time of year the
hordes are gone.

2. What will you recommend for lunch (spending limit 125Euro/meal for

all
incl. ˝ bottle wine& soft drinks)


This is a large sum - your choices are vast. Get a red Michelin guide.

3. any particular shopping recommendations - best markets, particular
shops and addresses for textile, childrens clothes/toys/books, local

food
specialities and Santons?


Santons mostly located around Aubagne I think, though sold almost
everywhere.

Bernard Higonnet



  #4  
Old November 1st, 2003, 02:29 PM
Gerrit 't Hart
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Last minute rest/shopping tips for Provence?˝


"Cecilie Thorning Jacobsen" wrote in message
...
Dear rec.travel.europe ;-)
My husband, our reasonably well-behaved 1-yr old daughter and I are

leaving
for Provence tomorrow and would like your best restaurant/shopping tips.

Our Itenary is: tomorrow arrive at Nice airport app. 14:00 - pick up car

and
head for Saint Remy our base for the week.
In no particular order from Monday to and including Friday: Saint Remy,
Arles, Nimes, Avignon, Aigues Mortes, Orange, Gordes and surroundings.
Saturday November 8th - clear up house and head for flight at Nice airport
app. 13:00.

We'll focus mainly on Roman ruins, beautiful cold autumn landscape, great
food and some shopping on markets and whereever we pass by.

Our plan is to head out as soon as our daughter wakes up, see XX, have

lunch
at a good restaurant, see some more XX and head home in time for normal
dinner/bedtime around 18:00. Playing/coffeebreaks thrown in as necessary.

1. Should we make phone reservations in advance when we bring our

daughter?
We'll bring her own HandySitt, plate/cup/spoon/fork anyhow

2. What will you recommend for lunch (spending limit 125Euro/meal for all
incl. ˝ bottle wine& soft drinks)

3. any particular shopping recommendations - best markets, particular

shops
and addresses for textile, childrens clothes/toys/books, local food
specialities and Santons?

TIA
Cecilie Thorning Jacobsen


Cecile
We saw some Santons made and sold in Le(s?) Baux de Provence, which is in
your area and well worth a visit now that the hordes are gone.
Gerrit



  #5  
Old November 1st, 2003, 03:43 PM
Ken Sternberg
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Last minute rest/shopping tips for Provence?˝

By all means by a Red Michelin guide today. I've always found its
recommendations on the mark, especially for reasonable, non-star rated
restaurants. This is a great time of year to be in France because the
weather is good and the crowds are minimal. I suggest you not make too
rigid a plan each day and just scout out some of the attractions
around each place you're in. And don't forget to taste those wines,
especially Bandol.
  #6  
Old November 1st, 2003, 04:17 PM
Mason Barge
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Last minute rest/shopping tips for Provence?˝

On Sat, 1 Nov 2003 11:58:05 +0100, "Cecilie Thorning Jacobsen"
wrote:

Dear rec.travel.europe ;-)
My husband, our reasonably well-behaved 1-yr old daughter and I are leaving
for Provence tomorrow and would like your best restaurant/shopping tips.

Our Itenary is: tomorrow arrive at Nice airport app. 14:00 - pick up car and
head for Saint Remy our base for the week.
In no particular order from Monday to and including Friday: Saint Remy,
Arles, Nimes, Avignon, Aigues Mortes, Orange, Gordes and surroundings.
Saturday November 8th - clear up house and head for flight at Nice airport
app. 13:00.


I would advise Aix rather than Orange, since you will get a reasonably
similar Roman theater in Arles. You are going to get enough Roman
arches and theaters without Orange, and there are many more
interesting towns IMO. The shopping in Aix is good, also -- really, I
don't see how you could not at least see it and say you had been to
Provence.

One of my favorite places in your general area is Fontaine de
Vaucluse -- it is spectacularly beautiful. You park and have a
pleasant walk down the river a bit, then come to the source of the
Sorgue River, a pool that comes up a tube or spring 1000 feet deep.
There is an old water-powered paper mill and several interesting
little museums. On the subject of doing something a little different,
you might also consider driving up to Les Baux, which is right down
the road from St. Remy, for a couple of hours. Rousillon is a pretty
town you would likely enjoy.

L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue has a very famous and IMO very overrated
antique/flea market area. I would say skip it altogether, except I
got a great warm-duck salad there. My budget is a bit lower than
yours and I never had anything less that fabulous food, btw, just
picking restaurants by looking at them when lunchtime rolled around.

I bought a full set of santons and love them. Two places I would
recommend for them. Aix has an outdoor market with a wide selection
of santon makers and is probably the best shopping. Aubagne is a
pleasant little town with a lot of workshops for santons and other
ceramics (you can also see a museum of the French Foreign Legion there
if that would interest you, which I'm guessing it would not -- I went
while my wife shopped).






We'll focus mainly on Roman ruins, beautiful cold autumn landscape, great
food and some shopping on markets and whereever we pass by.

Our plan is to head out as soon as our daughter wakes up, see XX, have lunch
at a good restaurant, see some more XX and head home in time for normal
dinner/bedtime around 18:00. Playing/coffeebreaks thrown in as necessary.

1. Should we make phone reservations in advance when we bring our daughter?
We'll bring her own HandySitt, plate/cup/spoon/fork anyhow

2. What will you recommend for lunch (spending limit 125Euro/meal for all
incl. ˝ bottle wine& soft drinks)

3. any particular shopping recommendations - best markets, particular shops
and addresses for textile, childrens clothes/toys/books, local food
specialities and Santons?

TIA
Cecilie Thorning Jacobsen


Mason Barge

"If this is coffee, please bring me some tea. If this is tea, please bring me some coffee."
-- Abraham Lincoln
  #7  
Old November 2nd, 2003, 07:35 AM
Gerrit 't Hart
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Last minute rest/shopping tips for Provence?˝


"Mason Barge" wrote in message
...

I would advise Aix rather than Orange, since you will get a reasonably
similar Roman theater in Arles. You are going to get enough Roman
arches and theaters without Orange, and there are many more
interesting towns IMO. The shopping in Aix is good, also -- really, I
don't see how you could not at least see it and say you had been to
Provence.

The theatre in Orange has an almost completely original back wall! The one
in Arles hasn't. Consequently the accoustics in Orange are fabulous!
Don't miss Orange.
Gerrit


 




Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
why no last minute deals? [email protected] Air travel 23 April 5th, 2004 12:56 AM
SYDNEY / PERTH / MELBOURNE - PHOTO TIPS Michele F. Australia & New Zealand 5 December 29th, 2003 06:27 AM


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 10:34 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.6.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004-2024 TravelBanter.
The comments are property of their posters.