aplumpton Posted February 12, 2009 Share Posted February 12, 2009 <p>Having spent two great 5 week vacations (part work, part vacation) in Southern France in recent years, we are hoping to extend that pleasure this year or next for a several month stay in one or more Medieval villages in either the Perpignan, Carcasonne, Monpelier or Avignon regions.</p> <p>Sort of glad that we didn't do that this year, as the high winds in Southwestern France and Spain have been not too conducive to a winter-spring stay (The Tremontane and the Mistral often make Southern France "equivalent" to my North East North America in winter).</p> <p>Does anyone have experience of long term rentals in these regions, and of particularly friendly and interesting villages? My research on the internet has so far shown up only the more expensive shorter term rentals. While 500 Euros or so a week is fine for a small village villa when touring, something more reasonable would be great for a two or three month, or longer, stay. I will be taking my work with me, so I will look for high speed internet (maybe not available in the more remote villages) or something like Wi-Fi.</p> <p>Another option is exchanging houses, but not everyone wants to come to the Quebec Winter Carnival or to ski our local mountains. So I am looking for reasonable accomodation, around 1000 Euros per month, and hopefully even less.</p> <p>Photographic opportunities are not the issue, of course (there are almost too many). But if you have any ideas or experience renting long periods, I would be most grateful to hear of that and any links you may wish to share. Ciao.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jay_hector Posted February 12, 2009 Share Posted February 12, 2009 <p>I have a friend, Nick Vyse, from a vintage BMW 2002 website that owns/runs this place in Southern France . . .</p> <p>http://www.le-foulon.com/locality-serene-quiet.asp</p> <p>Insist on a few laps at the wheel of his M2 BMW 2002 on the local mountain roads if you stay there. My bmw2002faq name is f1reverb.</p> <b>Signature URL deleted by moderator. Not allowed by photo.net Terms of Use.</b> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aplumpton Posted February 12, 2009 Author Share Posted February 12, 2009 <p>Jay, nice photo on the magazine cover. Thank you for the reference. Mr. Vyse's inn seems very nice for visits of a few days, but wildly expensive for 2 seeking a villa for several months. But thanks for your thoughts. Would love to have a 2002, even a regular one, but have to do with a summer-only 325e (1986) which smokes along, has a great 5 speed transmission, handles nicely and costs very little in its old age.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jay_hector Posted February 12, 2009 Share Posted February 12, 2009 <p>You still might benefit by talking to him, as he knows the area and might know of something up your alley, especially for a fellow BMW enthusiast. </p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulh Posted February 13, 2009 Share Posted February 13, 2009 <p>You could also look into staying at one of the many Gites - some of these are reasonably well appointed and the gite quite roomy. They'd be cheap enough that you could stay in an area for a week or so, explore the general area, then move on a bit & find another gite.</p> <p>I've found the whole of the SW France to be quite beautiful - best just to pick some small roads on a map, the smaller the better, and see where they lead. My favourite areas are right in the SW corner, particularly in the Basque region.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordon_lukesh1 Posted February 13, 2009 Share Posted February 13, 2009 <p>We stayed in a small hotel in Beaulieu-sur-Mer, east of Nice. We were headed to Toulouse for a conference but had been quite stressed with work, so we went near Nice, up to Eze (stay there if you want to blow your IRA!), into Monaco. One day we left mid-morning and drove up the infamous "Princess Grace Highway" with turns so tight I had to stop the car. Drove into Italy and found a beach resort, soon to close because it was September. I finished two of their last beers while my girlfriend had a double expresso. Drove back on the Grand Corniche and down into Beaulieu on the Grace road (this is where she died, perhaps after a stroke). We noted as we left Monaco there were quite a few police out and thought maybe Ranier was in town.<br> We walked in the lobby (actually a Best Western!) and the entire staff were camped in front of the TV.<br> It was 9/11 and with the time change just one of the towers had collapsed. The staff were incredibly nice, not the stereotype that many have of the French. I called my brother and tried my sister who lived on upper Manhattan. I called old friends who had family in NYC - all were safe.<br> We forced ourselves to walk down to the water and have seafood. The conference did happen in Toulouse but we were two of six Americans who got there. We flew to Paris, a true white knuckle flight, and found the people there also very friendly, as they always are.<br> I would go back to the area in a second. The Picasso Museum in Antibes (I think) is stunning.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
www.philwinterphotography. Posted February 13, 2009 Share Posted February 13, 2009 <p>I have two suggestions for you in the Nice area. The first is the walled city of Eze, just east of Nice. You can ride a city bus there and back. The second is the castle at Entrevaux. Entrevaux is a little further away to the north west. You can ride a narrow-gage train there from the train station in Nice. Monaco is good, too. And there is a lot of good photography in Nice itself. You can Google these places to determine they are something of interest to you. BTW, Eze is really neat.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aplumpton Posted February 13, 2009 Author Share Posted February 13, 2009 <p>Gents, thanks for your ideas to date. They are similar to my own feelings of southern France, that previous visits have restrained us to only a month or 5 weeks. I will cerainly Google the places mentioned. One option is to rent our home and spend 3 to 6 months there, while working part time by laptop for my usual client. Another possibility may be a house exchange, which friends have said works out quite well in France.</p> <p>It is hard otherwise to find villa, gite or other self-catering accommodation in small Medieval villages (close to the important cities) at reasonable cost. By reasonable, I guess I mean at or under 1000 Euros a month. We stayed a week at at a clean, hospitable and fine old 15th C mini-castle, opposite St-Cirq-la-Popie on the Lot river, for 250 Euros a week in September 2007, but this quite a bit north of Toulouse, south of Sarlat, and east of Cahors. </p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david_henderson Posted February 13, 2009 Share Posted February 13, 2009 <p>If cost is a major concern then you need to be looking at less touristed areas ( none of the south of France is a tourist free zone). Its sometimes hard to get this and at the same time have enough beauty and variety to make a long stay worthwhile. Personally I'd move around a bit , but then I'm restless and very acquisitive of new photographic opportunities, but I would consider the following. </p> <ul> <li>The Vaucluse area NE of Avignon probably within a circle described by Valreas, Sisteron, Manosque, Apt, and Carpentras. This is a major wine growing area in the west with some particularly attractive villages such as Seguret, lavender around Sault and Die, and a surprising amount of fall colour in the vinyards and fruit orchards in early November. </li> <li>The Cevennes area of south central France within a circle described by Mende, Millau, Lodeve, Ales,. This region includes the gorges du Tarn , and those of the Jonte and Dourbie, and many stone built villages either in valleys or up on the limestone tops "Les Causses". But its not too far from the coastal plain and Montpellier is within reach, as is Nimes.</li> </ul> <p>Both these areas have the odd picturesque village that gets its share of holidaymakers, but are still in essence natural. I have omitted the Dordogne and Lot areas because they cater for tourists with the effect that rental prices are higher. Personally I like those areas though I'd take care not to be there June-August.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aplumpton Posted February 13, 2009 Author Share Posted February 13, 2009 <p>David, thanks for your comments. As I mentioned, we stayed in the Lot River valley opposite St-Cirq (very touristy), in a river village opposite that is not touristy. 250 Euros a week for the same gite accommodation that cost us twice that, or more, in the Avignon area, or in Aude in Languedoc (near Carcassone), by the Canal de Midi. And the owner gave us freely of his safron production. There was plenty to do in a week, and a month's stay is not too much (even longer). France has 20,000 villages, so you can access others very close by. Much to do within a 10 or 20 mies radius, so going from one place to another to live is not to my mind very necessary, unless you follow a museum circuit, or something like that. I love to meet and chat with the French and become part of the vilage life (as much as that is possible). That is the real departure for us from daily life at home and we have made many friends there. Of course, having French as an everyday second language in Québec is an asset and if that wasn't the case I would be more inclined to stay in the more populated cities or towns, or travel to remote cliffside vilages and the like with English-speaking friends.</p> <p>We often bicycled or walked to neighbouring villages, or took a canoe (on the Lot and Selé rivers) or local bus. Being close to a more major centre is important (in this case Cahors and Figeac), to be able to savour some of the more cultural aspects (The museum to the translator of the Rosetta Stone is in Figeac, and the dark red wines are to die for.</p> <p>I would like to find a long term gite or accommodation in the more southern regions than this, as winter can be rigorous as you go farther north.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
astral Posted February 14, 2009 Share Posted February 14, 2009 <p>Arthur - <em><strong>Tillac </strong> </em> appears to be a very pleasant place. There are many holiday lettings in the region (examples at <a href="http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/midi-pyrenees/">http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/midi-pyrenees/</a> ), though I cannot personally vouch for any one in particular .... AC</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laurentvuillard Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 <p>It's tough to get off the beaten track there, Arles is worth visiting and quite pleasant, the real out of track is places like haute Ubaye (mountains back of Nice) which are said to be out of track. If you realy want out of track France, try another region, sorry.....</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjogo Posted February 21, 2009 Share Posted February 21, 2009 <p>I second the idea of the Vaucluse http://www.vaucluse-visites-virtuelles.com/glvirtualbluepopouts/carte-vaucluse.html</p> <p> After 10 trips to France ...The Luberon Valley is one of my favorites >> off the beaten path</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordon_lukesh1 Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 <p>Get of copy of "Year in Provence" by Peter Mayle. Very funny and true.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aplumpton Posted February 23, 2009 Author Share Posted February 23, 2009 <p>Thanks all for your fine ideas to date. I've indeed read Peter Mayle and have in past trips experienced some of the things he has talked about. On a short visit, for a few weeks to one or two villages, the French gites are great. </p> <p>However, I still need ideas on available and more economic long term accommodation (1 to 6 months, and other than joining a Cistercian monastery) and how to find it. Not much on the Internet, or at least if there is it must be very well hidden! </p> <p> </p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ed_tobin Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 <p>Last year I spend a couple of weeks in the Dordogne area. I stayed at a B&B and the owners told me that there were seaonal rentals available in the Port De Cause village which is close to Beynac. In early June there were not many tourist and when season hits high it is mostly French tourist. I had a great time taking long walks through the country side to find great scenic vista's that I went back to when the light was right.</p> <p> </p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aplumpton Posted March 1, 2009 Author Share Posted March 1, 2009 <p>Hi Ed, I Googled Port de Cause France and didn't find anything (perhaps a different name or spelling?). Do you have the website or email of the B&B you stayed at?</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ann_lokey Posted August 17, 2009 Share Posted August 17, 2009 <p>Hi! I just read your comments from February and thought I should answer. I have just bought a home in a fabulous medieval village in SW France called St Cirq LaPopie. It is ranked number 1 among the "Most bEautiful Villages" of France.It is an artists village. I rent it out as a gite and it is the best priced deal around. I am looking for someone right now who might be interested in staying there on a long term rental basis, like a sabbatical for the winter. It would be very reasonably priced. Are you still looking for something? I would love for you to look at my place. <a href="http://www.vrbo.com/251782">http://www.vrbo.com/251782</a><br> Very Sincerely,<br> Ann Lokey<br> Mercer Island, WA<br> <a href="mailto:amlokey@juno.com">amlokey@juno.com</a></p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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