Le Vieux Manoir

ACCOMMODATION

Le Vieux Manoir is south-facing and comprises 4 double bedrooms in the main house plus a further 4 bedrooms which have direct access from the garden or from a terrace for greater individual privacy.  All 7 bedrooms have their own bathrooms or shower-rooms.

Ground floor:

• Entrance Hall – an impressive wooden front door opens into the stone-walled Hall. The ground floor rooms are tiled throughout.
• Dining Room – with a beamed ceiling and table seating 14. Stairs ascend from the dining room to the first floor.
• Breakfast area - with a table seating 6.
• Kitchen - very well-appointed and equipped, including a cooker with 4 gas hobs, a gas hot plate and 2 ovens, a large fridge/freezer; a dishwasher, blender, nespresso machine, electric kettle, toaster etc.; a portable stereo radio & C.D. player.
• Larder - with a second fridge/freezer, a microwave etc.
• Sitting Room – formerly 2 separate rooms and very spacious, with a beamed ceiling and several comfortable sofas.
• TV  Room - with a giant satellite TV, huge sofas, a CD and a DVD player.
• Shower Room 1 - with a W.C. and a wash-basin.
• Utility Room - with 2 washing machines and 2 separate driers, an iron and an ironing board.
• Dining Terrace - French doors from the dining room, breakfast area and the sitting room open onto the covered terrace, with a table seating 12 (can seat 14) plus sofas and armchairs, and a gas-fired Weber barbecue.

First Floor:

• Bedroom 1(Master Bedroom) – air conditioned, with a 6’ double bed, beamed ceiling, windows looking west and south. The ensuite (Bathroom 1) has a bath, a walk-in shower and double wash basins.
• Bedroom 2 – air conditioned, with a 5’6” double bed, beamed ceiling and windows looking north. The ensuite (Shower Room 2) has a walk-in shower and a W.C.
• Bedroom 3 – air conditioned, with a 6' double bed, beamed ceiling and windows looking north and south. The ensuite (Bathroom 2) has a bath, a walk-in shower, and double wash basins. A walk-in wardrobe leads to a separate W.C.
• Bedroom 4 - with a 5'6" double bed. 
• Ensuite Shower Room 3 – with a separate W.C.

Terrace / garden rooms:

• Bedroom 5 – accessed by a staircase from the terrace to the left of the front door. A small sitting room and separate WC are located on its lower floor. Upstairs is a 5’6" double bed with windows looking east and North, plus Shower Room 4.
• Bedroom 6 – accessed from a staircase leading from the terrace to the garden and comprising two 3’ single beds, windows facing south and east, plus Shower Room 5 with a walk-in shower, a wash basin and a W.C.
• Bedroom 7 – on the first floor of bedroom 6, with a 5’6” double bed and windows facing south.
• Bedroom 8 – accessed from a separate outside staircase on the south side of the house and comprising a 5’6” double bed and windows on its west and north sides. The ensuite (Shower Room 6) has a walk-in shower, a wash basin and a separate W.C.

LOCATION

Le Vieux Manoir is situated in a peaceful valley in the heart of the Luberon - one of Provence’s most stunning regions.

The house lies at the foot of the enchanting Provençal village of Bonnieux (5 kms) which has very reasonable shopping and some good restaurants. The town of Apt (9 kms) has an even greater variety of shops, plus some large supermarkets and a hospital.

On a hill, an exceptional view from the house, in the middle distance stands the village of Lacoste, dominated by its medieval castle, which was the stronghold of the notoriously wicked Marquis de Sade.

The closest airports are Avignon (45 minutes) which has some international flights, and the major international airport of Marseilles/Marignane (75 minutes). Nîmes (with some international flights) is 90 minutes.

The nearest access to the autoroute is at Cavaillon (30 minutes), whilst the superfast train, the TGV, stops at Avignon, and connects with Nice, Paris and Paris’ Charles de Gaulle airport.

THINGS TO SEE & DO

The house manual also contains a great deal of useful information including where and when the local markets take place, details of supermarkets and shops selling Provençal products (fabrics, pottery, lavender and honey spring to mind), plus recommended restaurants in various price categories etc. It also includes details of the main things to see and do in the area, including the following:

• Walking in the surrounding National Parks – this is spectacular walking country. 
• Booking the tennis courts in nearby Bonnieux.
• The nearest 18-hole golf course, the Provence Country Club, at Saumane-de-Vaucluse.
• A nearby riding stable, where lessons can be booked and trekking can be arranged through the surrounding countryside.
• Canoeing, kayaking, dinghy sailing and rafting on the local rivers. The nearest point-of-hire is probably at L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue on the Sorgue river (20 minutes). 
• Bicycles can be hired in Bonnieux. The shop also provides battery-assisted bikes (which are excellent for the hills of the Luberon!) as well as details of recommended routes.
• The spectacular Gorges du Verdon, Europe's Grand Canyon, offering adventure activities of many kinds.
• The vineyards which abound in the region, with many offering tours, tastings and on-the-spot purchases.
• The stunning and hugely photogenic small towns and villages in the surrounding area - Bonnieux, Saignon, Vaugines (where the legendary "Jean de Florette" and "Manon des Sources" were filmed), Lourmarin, Ansouis, Apt, Roussillon, L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, Ménerbes and Gordes to name just a few.
• Aix-en-Provence and Avignon - two of the region’s most interesting historic cities and cultural centres. There are distinguished music festivals in both cities, as well as in Orange.
• The numerous chateaux, abbeys, churches, gardens, art galleries, museums and archeological sites that are well worth a visit, as well as the many cultural and sporting events taking place in the surrounding area.
• The local children's zoos and adventure playgrounds.
• The grottoes and caves, many of them exhibiting features of their fascinating pre-historic past.
• Flying, ballooning and paragliding over the spectacular local countryside.
• The nearest Mediterranean beaches are in the "calanques" (coves) to the west of Cassis, as well as the larger beaches east of this small coastal town, several of which have windsurfing, waterskiing and sailing facilities. Cassis also has some good seafood restaurants.
• The abundant lavender farms and honey-producers.