Provence Villa for Rent
Villa de Banon
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AboutTheExperience
Fields of blue and mauve flowers dazzle your eyes. This holiday villa is near the village of Simiane la Rotonde, for many years the regional capital of lavender. A truly magnificent property, Villa de Banon features a private heated swimming pool, garden, tennis court, and lawn bowling game. Perfect for groups and family-friendly, feel free to meander around the countryside on one of the six bikes at this Provencal vacation villa. Luxuriously decorated with attention to every detail, this rental villa in France is a great way to appreciate country life with modern amenities.
LocationDescription
This wonderful villa is located 2 km from the village of Simiane la Rotonde, between
Forcalquier and the Luberon. Activites in Simiane la Rotonde include hiking, guided tours, summer festivals, exhibitions, arts and crafts: ceramics, paintings, sculptures and traditional music. The Luberon mountain range is beautiful to visit by car, foot, bicycle or horse. Many lovely ancient villages with castles, forts, ruins, and towers are along the way. Banon as a beautiful medieval village to visit surrounded by fields of lavender and wheat fields and perfumed by local aromatic herb. This is a small village known for its tasty goat cheeses with ancient residences and medieval fortifications. Apt is a great market town. Though it is not a small village, there is an old town within Apt, centered about an 11th century Cathedral. Along the narrow paved streets in this area you will find vaulted passages and some lovely fountains. Saignon, alternately, is a quaint hilltop village, great for exploring on foot. Here you can climb to the top of the huge rock behind the village and enjoy fantastic panoramic views of the plains and the Luberon mountain range. You can also find horse-riding and mountain biking. Forcalquier offers excellent dining, museums, markets, wine tasting, hiking, and cycling along the Luberon en Velo path, easy access to bus and TVG. If you venture into Avignon, you will find a charming walled French town with history, restaurants, museums, shops and a vibrant local scene. There is so much to see: the Place de l'Horloge, the outdoor market in Uzes on Saturday, the Pont du Gard, the antique markets in Isle sure la Sorgue on Sunday, Mount Ventoux, the vineyards, the Festival d'Avignon in July, Fountaine de Vaucluse, and on and on.
Marseille Airport: 100 km
Avignon (Airport, TGV Station): 75 km
Forcalquier: 36 km
Saignon: 27 km
Apt: 25 km
Banon: 9 km
Simiane la Rotonde: 2 km
ExteriorDescription
(83 hectares or 200 acres) This magnificent property is perched high on a hill surrounded by fields of lavender in Haute Provence. It is located 2 km from the village of Simiane la Rotonde, between Forcalquier and the Luberon. For many years, Simiane was the regional capital of lavender, and this small village was made famous by its tasty goat cheese delicately wrapped in a dried cedar leaves and tied with a raffia ribbon. A traditional music festival is held from mid-July to mid-August.
Marseille Airport: 100 km
Avignon TGV Station: 75 km
Apt: 25 km
Banon: 9 km
Simiane: 2 km
InteriorDescription
This family property can accommodate 28 people with 8 double bedrooms and 2 children dormitories (with 6 single beds in each one).
1st level: There is an entrance hall; 3 salons with fireplaces, sofas, Hifi, Satellite TV, and DVD player; a library; dining room; fully equipped kitchen (microwave, fridge, freezer, dishwasher, professional oven); laundry area; WCs, and cellar.
2nd level - East side: There are 4 double bedrooms. The 1st bedroom has 2 single beds (which can be joined to form a king size bed) an ensuite bathroom with toilets and shower. The 3 other bedrooms each have 2 single beds and a sink. They share a large bathroom with tub, shower, and toilets.
2nd level - West side: There are 2 large dormitories (one for the boys and one for the girls) with 6 single beds and a bathroom in each one.
2nd level - Separate: There is another bedroom with 2 single beds (which can be joined to make a king size bed) and an ensuite bathroom with toilets and shower.
3rd level: There are 2 double bedrooms. One bedroom has 2 single beds and an ensuite bathroom with shower and toilet. The other bedroom has 2 large single beds (which can be joined to form a large king size bed) and an ensuite bathroom with tub and toilet.
By the pool: At the back of the swimming pool there is an independent double bedroom with 2 single beds (which can be connected to form a king size bed) and bathrooms with shower and toilets. Wheel chair access is possible.
FeaturesDescription
Indoor amenities: stereo, Satellite TV, DVD player, dishwasher, baby equipment, and central heating.
Outdoor amenites: swimming pool (15m x 7.5m, heated to 25°C from June to September included in the rental price; for May and October the cost of heating the pool is extra); fully equipped summer kitchen with BBQ; stereo; shower; garden furniture; table tennis; swing; tennis court; lawn bowling game; 6 bikes; automatic gate; and security alarm.
Extra Services:
The caretakers are nearby. There is a full time staff (2 maids and 1 butler).The owners offer the 1st dinner and 1st breakfast to the guests.The swimming pool can be heated in April, May, and October for the additional cost of 1500 euros per week (must be requested prior to arrival)Nearby Attractions: Simiane la Rotonde (hiking, guided tours, festivals, exhibitions, art, traditional music), Banon (lavender, wheat, goat cheese, medieval fortifications), Apt (11th century Cathedral), Saignon (the plains and Luberon mountain range, horse-riding, mountain biking), Forcalquier (dining, museums, markets, wine tasting, hiking, cycling the Luberon en Velo path, bus, TVG), Avignon (TVG station, restaurants, museums, shops, Place de l'Horloge, outdoor market, Pont du Gard, antique markets, Mount Ventoux, vineyards, Festival d'Avignon, Fountaine de Vaucluse, Marseille (Airport).
Arrival Times
Please note: Official Arrival Times:
Conditions *
Security Deposit
- Upon arrival, a security deposit will be authorized on the client's credit card (Visa or MasterCard). The authorization form will be included in your voucher packet and must be brought to the property and given to the keyholder on arrival. The deposit will be used to cover any damage to the property and for any telephone charges or other expenses incurred during the client's stay.
Additional Expenses
- If available, telephone is extra and charged according to consumption.
- Arrivals between 6:00 pm and 7:00 pm will be charged a late arrival fee of: 30 EUR
- Arrivals between 7:00 pm and 8:00 pm will be charged a late arrival fee of: 60 EUR
Other Notes
- Arrivals are not accepted after 8:00 pm.
- Please check the property description for any additional charges which may not be listed here.
- Departures must take place before 10:00 am, unless otherwise indicated in the description.
* These prices and conditions may change based on your arrival date and length of stay. For exact conditions, please click on the View Availability button, enter your dates, and then click on View Pricing and Conditions.
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Call us: 1-800-726-6702
Outside the US: +1-805-880-1228
Mon-Fri 7:00-5:30
Sat 10:30-2:30 Pacific Time
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Customer Ratings
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Based on 5 Reviews
Customer Reviews
Overall:
We have taken many high end trips, but this was the best one we have had so far. A. Over the top. Wonderful. I don't have enough superlatives.
Enjoyed Most:
Very comfortable set up for a family. The bedrooms are many and large and comfortable. The food served outside, inside and by the pool was very relaxed. The pool was over the top. The whole place is well kept up and modern. We had internet access, ping pong, tennis, fous ball, petanque. We kept 9 children and 13 adults delightedly amused all week. The staff was very friendly, helpful, on the spot. We really liked Andre and Jean-Jacques, Lina, Josie-Anne and Chantal. The took great care of us.
Unpleasant Surprises:
No complaints.
Surrounding Area:
The surrounding Provencal area is magical. Great mountain biking and hiking. Easy access to all of the stunning Luberon region.
Nearby Events or Locales:
Simiande La Rotande is about 3K away. We walked and ran there often. We also biked and drove to Banon several times, which is about 7K away. Both are beautiful little perched villages.
Tips or Restaurants:
No good restaurants in the area, but the food at the house was great. We had a great time going to the market in Fortqualquier on Monday morning.
Directions:
The directions worked great. It also helped to rent a car with a GPS.
Check In Out:
Andre does a great job of handling everything. All went smoothly.
Jeep, July, 2008
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Overall:
Excellent. Gorgeous property and grounds. Wonderful swimming pool, tennis courts. Lots of privacy for a smaller group like ours.
Enjoyed Most:
The key for us was the fantastic staff--the caretakers, Jean Jacques and Andree, the cook, Lina, and the two housekeepers. The food was fabulous and the service unflaggingly good-natured and attentive. They made our stay a true vacation. Between the pool, the tennis court, the bikes, the ping-pong table and the wi-fi, the 7 tween-teens in our group were always busy when at the property.
Unpleasant Surprises:
Our thoughts are really constructive suggestions. They should have bike helmets of appropriate sizes to correspond to the 6 bikes. They should be clear in the property description that soap, shampoo and hairdryers are not provided in the bathrooms so that guests come prepared. It would also be very helpful to have at least 2 converters from U.S. to French current to run appliances.
Surrounding Area:
Access to active sporting adventures and to beautiful scenery and scenic-historic towns.
Nearby Events or Locales:
Simiane is only a few kilometers away but it is very small and up such a steep hill that it really was not a walking destination for us. The more active family members found themselves biking to Banon, which is larger and about 9 kilometers away - up a very steep hill. We often drove into Banon for small errands. With the ruggedness of the terrain, which we loved, we largely walked for pleasure and drove to towns when necessary. The nearest big market was in Forcalquier, which was easily 30-40 minutes by car. The biggest town-city nearby, which has everything, was Apt, about 25 minutes by car.
Tips or Restaurants:
Most of the board games are in French; we had brought our own. We ate casual lunches when out and about and ate all our dinners at the property. The staff cooked increasingly fantastic dinners to our own and their! specifications. As this is a rugged and utterly gorgeous area, visitors should be aware that the hill towns are fairly far apart, even by car. The house is an oasis of beauty and calm, and definitely "in the country".
Tania, June, 2008
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Overall:
I brought my children and grandchildren and everyone had a wonderful time at this special villa.
Enjoyed Most:
It was very elegant, which we all enjoyed.
Ofelina, August, 2007
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