Needless to say, this has been an unusual summer. After months of a more or less strict lockdown depending on the country, of having to juggle with kids and work even more than we usually do, of sadness for having lost loved ones or fear of losing them, the holidays were that light at the end of the tunnel which allowed us to hang in there. We had to give up on our plans to travel to faraway places (this time around we’d still be travelling around Asia). Many of us couldn’t go anywhere.
We kept hoping we’d be able to fly up to a few weeks before our scheduled trip to Asia. When we finally gave in to the evidence that we couldn’t, we found it difficult to decide what to do. Under the current circumstances, we didn’t picture ourselves anywhere crowded, didn’t feel like buying another plane ticket (the flights could’ve been cancelled again) and didn’t want to go to big hotels with many people.
For all those reasons, we opted for Provence, a region we’d been to several times before. It’s situated on the way to my village in Spain and has everything that we like: beautiful villages, small charming hotels, olive groves and lavender fields, dream sunsets and, this year, a lot of peace and quiet. Provence is a region of France which has not been affected much by the covid crisis, so we felt very comfortable and relaxed in that respect. If you add to that the fact that there are hardly any tourists this year, it becomes a real paradise.
During the eight days we spent there we stayed in two different places two hours away from each other. Today I want to show you the first one, because it’s been a real crush and I still can’t believe how lucky we were to find it just a few weeks before.
Le Vieux Castillon is a boutique hotel decorated with great taste and made up of several houses in a small medieval village. We loved the fact it was so full of history and modern at the same time. The rooms and other quarters of the hotel are distributed over several stone buildings. Guests go from one place to another via stairs, elevated bridges and courtyards, each one more beautiful than the other. The swimming pool is spectacular, offering views over the Provencal countryside and a run-down facade that adds a beautiful rustic touch to the place. We also loved the restaurant’s food, combining gastronomic and very light cuisine.
Le Vieux Castillon is ideally situated to discover the most famous Provence cities and sites (Avignon, Nîmes, Gordes…) but we wanted to get off the beaten track and visit lesser-known villages, swim in the river, enjoy the gastronomy…
If you come this way, here are my recommendations:
- Visit the Gard bridge, a World Heritage Site, and spend the day by the river whilst you are there.
- Admire the Gardon Gorges or go canoeing or kayaking (we didn’t because of Théo’s young age, but it’s on our list of pending activities for next time).
- Visit the medieval village of Uzès and its castle, and climb the Bermonde tower for its spectacular views of the surroundings.
- Enjoy a walk through the narrow streets of Castillon and admire the sunset.
- Discover the workshops and craft shops of the region’s artists.
I hope my photos will convey to you the warmth of the South of France. Let me know if you’re ever tempted to visit the region one day. Happy summer!
The children are wearing clothes and shoes from Shoe Chou, our summer crush.
