AIX-EN-PROVENCE

We took the TGV from Gare de Lyon in Paris to Aix – about a 3.5 hour ride.  From the station, we took a 30 min cab ride to the centre-ville (town center.)  After checking into The Grand Hotel Roi Rene, we explored the famous Cours de Mirabeau.  Our hotel was a great deal for the price – cute and clean and less than a 5 minute walk from all the action.  To be perfectly honest, I think the “Grand” part can be a bit misleading….most of the other Grand Hotels in Europe are fancy 5*.  This was more along the lines of a Kimpton…more trendy/contemporary than fancy.  Then again, it’s important to realize a 5* in Europe is usually a 4* by US standards, and a 4* is a 3*, and so on.  At any rate, it was fine for just one night as we were in Aix for less than 14 hours total.  If you are looking for a cozy, romantic Provencal hotel…this is probably not the place.

Recommended hotels in Aix if you want to splurge:  Le Pigonnet and Villa Gallici.

We happened to be there on a Sunday and the market on Cours Mirabeau was alive and well.  Colorful handmade textiles and yummy local delicacies were on display such as rustic breads, olives, lavender, meats and cheeses…sampling was fun!

Of course he was playing “La Vie en Rose”

We happened upon an interesting scene – wall to wall people in the square…all very determined to push their way to the center…I was determined to find out what the big deal was.  Turns out there was a caterer who was pouring free wine for everyone…I’m still not sure what the guys dressed up had to do with it.  

Interesting artwork by local artists…

BONNIEUX

We rented a car (convertible is so worth it!) in Aix and drove out the next morning to the Luberon – a region of Provence known for it’s hilltop villages and  beautiful countryside with lavender fields and vineyards. Our client’s wedding will take place here next year at a Relais & Chateaux property run by a Michelin starred chef.  This rustic, elegant retreat is only about an hours drive from Aix…note once you actually get into the villages everything takes a bit longer to navigate since they are super steep, windy two lane roads.  We made it just in time for my appointment with the venue coordinator!  (Again, excuse my lame iPhone snapshots…I’m sure Jose Villa will do this venue way more justice when he shoots the wedding! 🙂

Our sporty little VW did great on those windy roads!

The gated entrance to the hotel

The cute check-in area

Stairs in the lobby

Guestbook

Fresh herbs

The view of Bonnieux from the ceremony site

The gardens and pool where the cocktail hour will take place

As you walk down the path from the main house to the pool, some of the tables have been elevated among the gardens with decking on either side of the path way – very neat.  I could get used to drinking my morning café crème here…

A peek at where the al fresco dinner will take place

The view from our room

 Private patio off of our room

A sweet welcome note + fresh fruit

After touring the property, meeting the coordinator, asking tons of questions on our list, and checking into our room, we drove over to Gordes – about 20 minutes away – to check out Bastide de Gordes.  While we are buying out the wedding venue for the weekend of the wedding, the property only has 35 rooms and we are expecting 125 guests.  We will need 1-2 other hotels for room blocks, and we are considering this hotel as well as hosting either the rehearsal or welcome reception here.

As you drive up to Gordes, the view of the city is breathtaking…it dates back to Roman times.

Check out the pool on the edge of the cliff…I am supplementing the property we scouted with some professional photos from their website – my iPhone couldn’t do it justice, it was hard getting just the right angles to show off the property while also being on the edge of a cliff!

Terrasse Option #1:

Terrasse Option #2

Lisa, the event coordinator, was super sweet and helpful.  We looked at half a dozen guest rooms so we had an idea of what each guest could expect in various categories.  Afterwards, we walked around the town of Gordes – very charming!

I typically don’t like heavy floral flavor in my food….but let me just tell you that lavender ice cream was to.die.for…..super subtle, light and creamy…the apricot was scrumptious as well! 

On the way back to Bonnieux from Gordes, we stopped off in Ménerbes to check out THE cutest venue, La Bastide de Marie.  Unlike the other venues, this is in the valley among 57 acres of vineyards rather than perched on a hilltop.  Unfortunately, I inquired with them before our trip during my research phase and they could not accommodate this wedding just for rooms and rehearsal in their high season.  Maybe one of our future brides will luck out or want to host their wedding weekend here…it’s only 15 rooms – perfect for a smaller group of 50 or less!  They also have a gorgeous 5 bedroom villa available for rent on property…

The entrance

Domaine de Marie wine cellars

After exploring the Bastide de Marie, we hopped back in the car so we could see a bit of the village of Bonnieux, near the wedding venue, before the sunset.  After walking around a bit, we settled onto a narrow terrace cafe on the edge of the cliff with the most amazing view looking out over the cathedral…

Looking down at the Cathedral + landscape from la Brasserie les Terrasses – a roadside restaurant terrace – perfect for watching the sunset with an apéritif and bowl of olives after a day of meetings and scouting!

A bonus: the terasse cafe has wifi!  So we were able to easily make some calls and Facetime with folks back home.  We even showed them the view – they were green with envy!  After a full day of meetings/exploring, we headed back to the hotel to freshen up for dinner.  Since the wedding venue is owned by a Michelin-starred chef, and they grow a lot of their own herbs and produce…naturally we had to try their amazing restaurant in anticipation of the fabulous wedding food next year.  It was quite the experience!

There were two seatings, we took the latter.  We started outside on the patio, while they bring you their signature aperitif and some creative hors d’oeuvres to sample while you are perusing (and trying to translate) the lengthy menu.  The truffled mushroom pizza was to die for!  I also enjoyed the foie gras cones.  These would be perfect hors d’oeuvres at the wedding as well.  We ordered with our waiter outside, and enjoyed the perfect weather, breathtaking views and our teasers for the meal to come.  By the time we had finished and the sun had set, we moved to our table inside in a cozy candlelit room by a big limestone mantle.

I do love to document a good meal – but I am not sure quite what the reaction would have been in such a quiet, intimate setting…and with so many courses.  So instead of making a spectacle of myself, I chose to just sit back and enjoy the meal instead 🙂  Everything from the inventive amuse bouche to the homemade bread with whipped salted lime butter was divine.  For an entree, I had the most delicious sea bass that melted in your mouth.  It was served with the tastiest, freshest root vegetables in a bamboo steamer straight from the garden – seasoned simply with butter and salt so the real flavor came through.  They brought out everyone’s entree after it had been cooked (in the pan, no less) to your table so you could “preview and approve” it before they served it.  We ordered the chestnut soufflee for dessert – before we knew they were bringing out a lavender infused dessert trio that was on the house.

Lavender infused trio: creme brulee, sorbet and madeleine topped off the incredible meal.

Then out came the chestnut souffle we had ordered…and by that point we were 4 or 5 courses in and hurting.  We didn’t even attempt to finish it!  Then they wheeled out the most gorgeous cheese cart on a big antique wooden wagon – it looked amazing but I didn’t have any room to indulge.  For a cheese lover like me, that was hard to pass up!  I love the fact that cheese is considered an adequate dessert course in France.  Just when I thought I had escaped hurting myself further, and my only thought was I was never going to eat again for the rest of the trip…the waiter brings out homemade miniature pastries on the house…I managed to take a bite of each to say I at least tried it.

Everyone in the room was stuffed to the gill and wincing by this point…and then of course, the waiter couldn’t bring out the check without bring something else to eat.  Out come the homemade lavender marshmallows and candies….needless to say,  we took them back to our room to save for later.  I will say that the food coma induced the most restful sleep…in our room that smelled of fresh lavender.

The village of Lourmarin

The next morning had a consultation/design meeting with a potential florist on the patio of the hotel over café au lait and croissants.  Three hours later – yes, three! We packed our bags and headed to the next town over, Lourmarin, to meet with a unique rentals company that was quite off the beaten path.  We had fun digging through their collection of candelabras, chandeliers, antique furniture and lanterns.  After taking many notes and pictures for our client, we walked a few blocks to a boutique hotel, Moulin de Lourmarin, we are looking to buy out as second and more economical option for guestrooms.  The hotel is very quaint and unique – it used to be an old oil mill!

Before breaking for lunch, I stopped by a local gift shop where I sourced all kinds of wonderful goodies for welcome bags and negotiated a nice wholesale discount 🙂

Calissons – an almond paste candy, and lavender infused olive oil.  Love the packaging!

Sachets of fresh lavender, truffle oil and homemade almond biscotti…yum!

Outside the gift shop – love this acrylic wingback chair!  Interesting to see it in this setting.

A quick peek at another possible venue for one of the wedding weekend festivities…a fun, hidden space enclosed in a tall stone wall covered with ivy in Lourmarin.

 After a caesar salad lunch, we hit the road – headed for the French Riviera!  First stop: Cannes.  Stay tuned for our final post of this three-part series: “Strawberry Milk does the Riviera” coming soon! 

We drove past the impressive Chateau de Lourmarin on our way out