Bastide Oleander

Lorgues

Lorgues, surrounded by picturesque vineyards and olive groves, is in the heart of this beautiful wine and olive oil producing region of Provence. Dominated by the impressive church La Collegiale St Martin, there are many old squares, fountains and narrow picturesque streets to explore. Dotted amongst them are many street cafés and restaurants offering Provençal cuisine and more. For fine dining there is Bruno - a famous truffle inspired restaurant with a celebrity chef owner, and Château de Berne with it's 3 restaurants. Lorgues is famous for having the best Provençal market in the area and every Tuesday morning it fills the whole main street and more. It's a lively and colourful affair with stalls selling clothes, bags, shoes, baskets, pottery, Provençal goods, vegetables, fruit and much, much more. You can taste and buy local produce including cheeses, olive oils, tapenades, honey and choose from an array of hot foods including roast chickens, hams and paella to take back for lunch. Lorgues has 2 supermarkets, plenty of small shops, many wonderful boulangeries, and all the usual amenities a town offers. Set in the middle of the renowned wine making region of 'Côtes de Provence' there are many vineyards locally for tasting and buying the excellent wines.

Beaches

The beautiful beaches of the French Riviera are easy to reach with the nearest to the south-east around Sainte Maxime and Frejus, both about a 40 minute drive. These towns both have Aquaparks which are very popular with children. Further east along the Côte d'Azur you have the beaches at Cannes, Antibes, Nice and Villefranche. Driving south across the Maures hills you can reach Port Grimaud and its beaches in an hour and the famous beaches around St Tropez in just over an hour. To the north, the unspoilt Lac St Croix is well worth the visit. It takes 50 minutes to reach and has beaches for swimming, picnicking and there are many water sports on its turquoise water. At the top of the lake is the dramatic Gorges du Verdon, considered to be France's own but smaller 'Grand Canyon'. Here you can rent kayaks, pedalos and even electric boats and go up the mouth of the gorge in the most spectacular scenery.

Nearby

The location is perfect to visit wonderful Provençal villages that have remained virtually unchanged through the centuries. Set amongst forests of cork oak and pines, such villages as Toutour known as 'the village in the sky', pretty Cotignac with its troglydyte caves, the château at Entrecasteaux , Aups and Villecroze are well worth exploring. Places to visit include L'abbaye du Thoronet a former Cistercian Abbey, the waterfall at Sillans-la-Cascade, the potteries of Salernes and the lavender fields around Valensole.

Activities

There are water parks for the children at Sainte Maxime and Frejus about 40 minutes away and tree top adventure parks within half an hour. There's horse riding locally, various locations to hire bikes and lots of places for kayaking, with the nearest being 10 minutes away from the house on the River Argens. Golf courses are about a 30 minute drive away with St Endreol at La Motte and Barbaroux at Brignoles. Tennis is available in the nearby village of St Antonin or Lorgues. At the house there are comprehensive files with all attractions in the vicinity.