As gîtes or vacation rentals are most often let from Saturday to Saturday, Remi and I knew we had to find another alternative for our first evening in the Luberon, a Friday. Although I played with the idea of sleeping over in Loumarin, because I do love it for all of its cheesy charm and also as I had stumbled upon this rather amazing looking B&B, finally we decided that we just wanted to be close to our rental in Simiane-la-Rotonde to make the most of our Saturday.
As we were really rather desperate for quiet, I chose La Tuilerie, a renovated 18th century farmhouse situated on 4 hectares that was promised to be “encore très sauvage“. Ah, the country. Yes, please.
Our room was rather quirky, as it was practically underground in a vaulted room that did, nonetheless, let in a bevy of sunshine. The furniture, including an iron daybed, was comfortable and perfect for the space. *Note in the photo: on the table, the necessities of life, wine and coffee. Need I say more?*
The only hic? As it had been mentioned, the spacious and well-appointed bath was just next door but one is obliged to step just outside to reach it. While I frankly can’t imagine this scenario in winter, it did provide an opportunity to view an over-tipped bucket of stars in the middle of the night…
But I am getting ahead of myself. For the evening that we spent was just this side of wonderful. We were very late in arriving, business having grasped us in its claws until we beat it back with a stick! Perhaps it is our survival skills from some of our more exotic travels but we knew that it would probably be best to pick up something, anything for dinner as we didn’t know what we would find in the area that would still be open after 9pm. So I did a mad dash through a SuperU while Remi and our dear dog Ben waited in the car and was wildly proud of myself for picking up a roasted chicken, potatoes, and cheese all in about ten minutes flat (trust me, I had already packed the wine and an apéro as any self-respecting expat would). Once settled, we made good use of the rustic (and I do mean rustic) communal kitchen space, grabbed a candelabra, lit the candles and had the most leisurely dinner under a giant old oak tree as we gradually and giddily remembered what silence was. Gorgeous.
True to its name, the property is topped with terra-cotta tiles that bounce off the light as we discovered the next morning after sleeping…are you ready for it? Twelve hours! Thank goodness the owner was so welcoming and not only just let us be but insisted we take our time for breakfasting under the afore-mentioned wise oak.
As it was still piping hot, the pool overlooking a valley of vineyards and lavender did beckon but it was time to move on to our charming cabanon.
But as you can see, there were some seriously happy customers! At 50€ the night, I thought it a fitting price for an authentic farmhouse environment. As the website promises, there is also a larger apartment with a full kitchen that looked adorable. All three rentals have semi-private terraces.
La Tuilerie
In the Hameau of Dauban
04150 Banon
Tel.: +33 (0)4 92 73 32 75
Thank you everyone for your wonderful responses for my last post. I promise to tell you more about that amazing area but thought that you might like a last minute getaway idea for this Friday evening!
Have a wonderful, wonderful weekend…
