A Bastide in Aix en Provence countryside

Absolutely loved our stay at what we liked to call our “castle” while in Aix! It was wonderful to come home to the peace and quiet of the property after long days of exploring and shopping in Aix and surrounding towns. The house itself is such an amazing architectural gem and piece of history. We were lucky enough to meet the kind owners in person! They are wonderful people who love and maintain this family property, and that gives it such a special feel. Kathy our host at the property was fabulous and super responsive! She and her family made us feel so welcome and helped us with everything we needed. We can’t thank her enough and also Gonzague and Oriane for such an amazing experience. We plan to go back again next summer!

The bastide is set in beautifully landscaped grounds with a large pool, about a 10-minute drive from the center of Aix en Provence.The ad states that the holiday apartment is on the first floor, and the ground floor is only used by the owner when there are no holiday guests. This is misleading, as the second floor of the bastide, as well as the outbuilding, is permanently rented to several other parties. While the garden and pool are reserved for holiday guests, providing privacy, it's not as if you have the house to yourself: you'll encounter other tenants in the stairwell and sometimes even hear them.With its spacious rooms and high ceilings, the apartment offers plenty of space for 8 people. The bathrooms have been renovated, while the rest of the furnishings are dated and appear poorly maintained. For lovers of historic country houses, this may be negligible, and the charm may outweigh the disadvantages. But in our experience, historic and well-maintained don't have to be mutually exclusive.

The apartment in the house/bastide is quite large. The pool is beautiful. The kitchen is ok. The house is old and shows its age. We found black mould in the hallway ceiling. We certainly enjoyed the pool, and the manager, who is lovely. We were a bit surprised that there were other persons staying in the Bastide during our stay.

Staying in an 18th century chateau is a not to be missed experience. the photos accurately depict the property. Be prepared, though, for some relatively minor inconveniences such as antique wiring, limited wi fi, uncomfortable beds etc. We spent a week there, enjoyed our stay, and were happy to move on.

The property is magical...you can really feel its history. The grounds are extensive and provide such an ambiance. Close to a village, the TGV station, a Carrefour and an easy bike ride into the center of Aix...great location. We locked ourselves out one day and were rescued within minutes...great support.

We very much enjoyed our stay at this beautiful property and I think what we paid was very reasonable . The grounds are lovely with a fabulous pool, and the interior has some gorgeous rooms. The owner was very accommodating and responsive and speaks very good English (unlike us with French) . Check in was a little challenging if you do not speak French with the person ( not the owner) who met us to check in (though very nice). The apartment is very spacious, though only half of the second floor, and the baths and kitchen are well equipped. I would suggest going when the weather is temperate as there is no A/C as is true of much of France but they do have ample fans. The heat was questionable as there only seemed to be two operating wall heating units in two bedrooms that put out a little heat. However the house is well insulated and seems to maintain a moderate temperature. Otherwise we loved the old world beauty and character of this place which is not always easily found, and once upon a time this place must have been quite palatial and magnificent. I would love to know more about the history of this beautiful home. Thank you for a memorable stay and would love to return.

Our stay in this historical bastide was okay. The location was perfect, within 10 minutes from Cours Mirabeau. There was a lot of space around the bastide: a big garden, big pool and nature around the gated garden to discover. The interrior of the bastide was lovely as well: spacious livingroom, looks like a museum, not very hot even though there's no AC. There were however some problems we stumbled upon: The place wasn't very clean (dust, spiders and underwear the previous people had forgotten). The dishwasher didn't work which is why we had to wash everything the oldfashioned way. To summorize it all: it was a very french experience.

I can not say enough about how much we loved our experience in this property. We stayed here with friends and out party included 4 adults, two adolescents, and two young children (3 & 7). We had plenty of space (note there are 3 toilette rooms and 3 shower rooms) for all of us. The home is exactly as it appears in the images and the gardens and pool are truly spectacular (note that the pool is in a separate walled off part of the garden so there are no safety problems if you have young kids). The location is perfect. You feel like you are in the middle of the country but you are only 2 miles from the very heart of Aix, it is an easy walk to pick up morning pastries and other basics, and you have very easy access to the highway which makes this a perfect location for day trips. It is helpful to know that of the 3 houses we rented in the south of France this probably had the least well supplied kitchen (there was a bottle of vinegar and a bowl of salt, full stop) but we were able to pull off a lovely dinner party in the garden for 10. Just expect to do a big grocery trip on arrival if you plan on doing any cooking. We were a bit worried about not having AC in July but by keeping the shutters closed during the day and the windows open at night we were fine. The owners were extremely accommodating and easy to communicate with. Our whole group can’t wait to come back!

We enjoyed our stay in this character filled country home. The property has a beautiful private swimming pool, and lovely secure gardens.

We loved staying here. Wonderful period atmosphere with modern bathrooms and kitchen. beautiful grounds and fantastic swimming pool. Our stay for a family reunion was a great success - made all the more so by great local produce shops and having beautiful Aix en Provence only 10 minutes away.

A marvellous property. This was our second stay in the property. And we did not want to come home after both visits. The apartment easily sleeps up to 8 people. There were 5 of us so we had space to spare. The apartment has everything you need and the gardens, swimming pool and general peace are fantastic. We would come again and again...! Pros - great apartment. plenty of space, rural, excellent pool, all facilities. Easy access to Aix. Good shops a 5 minute drive or 10-15 minute walk away. Good access to the motorways and roads to explore the rest of Provence. Big hypermarket and boutiques also very close. Cons - no air conditioning. The first week were were there it was exceptionally hot but we still slept. The apartment is on the first floor so you do have to climb a few stairs. The dishwasher broke down and was not repaired before we left. The WiFi went down, after a massive electrical storm, and was not repaired before we left. All other issues were answered and/or dealt with very quickly by the owner who communicated excellently. We had a wonderful holiday!