Domaine de Palejay, Avignon, France Vacation Rentals

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A self catering apartment in Provence, close to Avignon, and the Pontt du Gard. The owners are an Anglo/French couple, who are wine-producers.

We are located at the junction of the A9 (motorway to Spain, 10 minutes to an entrance) and the A7 (motorway to Italy, 20 minutes to an entrance). The Rhone valley, an area rich in culture and traditions, attracts millions of visitors each year. Our village is at the centre of a triangle: Avignon (10 mins), Nimes (20 mins), Orange (20 mins). The Pont du Gard is 15 minutes away. This part of France has sunshine for 300 days of the year and very low rainfall.

Main DescriptionThe owners of the above project are an Anglo-French couple and have lived in France since 1987 and have been involved in viticulture since 1984. The property in which the apartment is situated dates from at least the 17th century, has vaulted ceilings. The main economic activity of the estate has always been wine production been involved with the production of wine. The adjacent buildings were used for the storage of wine, and pressing. The rooms of the apartment had had several functions: there is a cross on the outside wall which suggests there may have had a religious use, very usual in a secular building. The town hall of our village used to be the private chapel of the Palejay family. Other uses are: servants’ quarters, during WWII it (the whole building) was used to billet German soldiers, the Resistance was active in the local forest. And more recently to store olives and house grape pickers. The building was tastefully restored under the supervision of an architect in 2000, he suggested the apartment was of sufficient size for six people but we prefer that our clients benefit of a spacious environment. There is a supermarket within 5 minutes walk and a boulangerie/patisserie (bakery) just round the corner. As I mentioned earlier we are involved in the production of wine and offer a selection of wines for sale as well as a complimentary sample of our wine. We will be producing wine on a commercial basis from the harvest 2006.Because of our experience of living in the area we can offer advice on how to make the most of your time during your visit.Self-Catering ApartmentThe gite is situated on the ground floor of the owners’ house in the centre of a medieval village. For people who enjoy close contact with French culture the situation is difficult to match. It sleeps four and the price ranges from £175 (225 euros)-£367 (550 euros) per week. The prices are for four people renting, if two people rent we would reduce the price by: £50 (75 euros). If three, it would be reduced by: £25 (37.5 euros). CleaningWe expect the property to be left in a similar state as when found on arrival. If you don’t want to clean it yourself before leaving, please inform us before hand. There would be an extra charge of £25 (37.5 euros) per week for this service. If the property is not left in a similar condition as it was on arrival there would be the same charge as above against the damage deposit.BedroomsThere is one bedroom with a double bed, the room is interestingly shaped you can see evidence of how the building has bee altered over its existence: the remains of a vault.The other sleeping area is an alcove off the main living area there are two single beds which can be pushed together to form a double, the alcove has a tremendous atmosphere being vaulted. It is separated from the main living area by double oak doors. One of the beds collapses and can go under the other, leaving the double doors open increases the floor space. But this is hardly necessary because of how spacious the lounge/dining area is.Dining AreaWhich is shared with the living area is ample space, you could have more than four at the table and another four in the lounge area and not fell pressed for space. There is a very large oak rectangular table with four wooden chairs, the kitchen is adjacent and has double oak doors which can be left open to improve access when preparing serving food and the feeling of space.Living AreaAs mentioned above is shared with the dining area, there is a settee and two easy chairs and a television. The room has a magnificent vaulted ceiling, with a selection of lighting to enhance the atmosphere. There is a wood burning fire with a glass door to again enhance the atmosphere during the colder months, making a very romantic setting. Wood is supplied without any extra cost. KitchenHas: a sink, two hobs, refrigerator, dishwasher, toaster, kettle microwave/oven as well as all of the plates, cutlery and pans that you would require. There is a carbon filtered hood unit as well as ventilation through the house air extraction system. While cooking, the doors can be closed, so that the cooking smalls do not travel to the rest of the apartment.Shower RoomContains a shower, hand basin, washing machine and iron and is also connected the house’s air extraction system.PorchWhen you enter the property from the street you come into a small courtyard, the entrance to the apartment is off this as is the entrance to our house. It has a beautiful vault with an unusual iron hook at its centre. There is teak bench for your use, it is nice to sit here in the heat of the summer, the apartment is cool during the hot summer months because of the thickness of the walls. There is also a clothes horse there for you to dry your clothes.There is full central heating, included in the rent no extra charge.In the yard opposite the apartment there is an area there you can park your car visible from the apartment and locked at night, there is a table with chairs and two sun-loungers for your use as well a barbecue, fuel is supplied. It receives shade in the afternoon, important in our climate.Entertainment TVThere is satellite television: BBC, ITV and radio. If you wish you could have terrestrial French TV. The lighting of the apartment has been designed to highlight the special atmosphere: up lighters that diffuse the light from the vaulting.

Ther is one bedroom with a double bed and a sleeping alcove with two single beds. There is one shower.

No pets.

Apartment ReviewsReview submitted by Robbie from Vancouver, BC, Canada, 15.04.2007"Both Arthur and Josiane are wonderful hosts, they provided directions and advice and were always available for questions. The Gite is a lovely , clean property in a very nice village. We will be returning to visit again!" Value: Good, Met expectations: Exceeded them, Recommend: Definitely, Overall: ExcellentReview submitted by Dr. Sanda & Gary Aung from Boston, U.S. 08.04.2007.Rochefort du Gard is a charming little village, and Arthur and Josiane's apartment there was a fine base for us in our exploration of the region, from Marseilles to the Luberon. Our hosts provided us with very helpful guidance, as well as making us feel comfortable with a welcoming bottle of their own wine. The apartment itself was clean and perfectly adequate to our needs, with an abundant supply of vineyard prunings for the fireplace to keep away the March chill.Excellent value. Exceeded expectations. Definitely recommend. Excellent overall. Review submitted by amanda & Ian from Bolton, Lancashire. 13.03.2007"dont think the photographs do the apartment justice. The village location was lovely and had a couple of nice meals out at the Italian a couple of mins walk away. Arthur and Josenae were very welcoming and full of useful information. We enjoyed Arthurs very informative tour of the vineyard and co-operative and were grateful for his time. Everthing we needed was there and there are plenty of places to go and see during the day and it was great to come back and relax in fornt of a roaring fire with a bottle of the vineyard wine at the end of the day. There was plenty of room for four adults. Had a little problem with the plumming one day but it was dealt with swiftly and all was well. recommended." Value: Excellent, Met expectations: Exceeded them, Recommend: Definitely, Overall: ExcellentReview submitted by Paula from Cincinnati, Ohio US, 04.02.2007"Josiane and Arthur are excellent hosts...the apartment is charming, the bath was a very pleasant surprise due to its spaciousness, good hot water and good water pressure...We enjoyed the fireplace to the fullest degree. My daughter was not feeling 100% while we were there and Josiane offered to accompany us to the pharmacy...Truly enjoyed a cultural exchange with this family and community....Will recommend this to all of our friends...Rochefort du Gard is an outstanding location from which to explore the areas on both sides of the Rhone but offers an excellent place to decompress in this peaceful village...With the added security of the police station right next door!" Value: Excellent, Met expectations: Exceeded them, Recommend: Definitely, Overall: ExcellentReview submitted by Leeanne from Lanarkshire, Scotland 15.09.2006"Excellent property. Was clean and had all the basic necessities. Ideally located and was only a short drive from all the main places we wanted to visit (Avignon, pont du Gard, St Remy etc). Aurthur and Josiane couldn't have been more helpful and made us feel truly welcome. They provided us with maps and directions to all the places we wanted to visit and told us the best places to park and where to avoid. They kindly showed us around the wine co-operative and arranged wine tasting in English. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay and would happily visit again. Would definitely recommend this property to anyone considering visiting the area."Review submitted by Eilleen and Ian from Aberdeen, Scotland 21.08.2006"Wonderful! Arthur and Josie were so helpful, and when we had an accident with our hired car, Josie made all the necessary phone calls for us and accompanied us to the car hire office for a replacement. The gite is lovely, very rustic but with all mod cons. A lovely bottle of wine from Arthur and Josie's own vineyard awaited us as well as all the essentials to start us off - milk, sugar etc. The location is excellent for visiting a variety of fantastic locations including Pont du Gard, Nimes, Orange. We even went as far south as Marseilles, which took about an hour. We hope to return and have been singing their praises to all our friends!"Review submitted by Vlaimir from Mosow 27.06.2006"Excellent Location. Very nice and helpful family. Very reasonably priced. Would use again and definitely recommend." Review submitted by Gordon and Sandra from Scotland 06.06.2006"Arthur and Josie welcomed us with a bottle of superb red wine from their own vineyard, and were also very helpful when we wanted to go fishing for a day, arranging a day’s excellent carp fishing on a private lake nearby. The gite was stocked with the essentials ie; salt, pepper, sugar, oil, vinegar, toilet roll etc. In the village are two excellent artisan bakeries, a supermarket, service station with car wash, post office etc. Directly across from the gite is a excellent pizzeria. The Pont Du Gard is well worth a visit as is the Saturday market at nearby Uzes. We have been to gites in France many times and this was by far the best. Book it, you won’t be disappointed." Review submitted by Leona and Al from Ajax, Ontario, Canada 02.05.2006"The landlords were very friendly, helpful, courteous and generally concerned over the quality of our stay. Every need was accommodated. They spent time talking with us and making us feel welcome. They offered us maps, travelling advice, weather forecasts and general information about France, and especially the daily routines involved in running a vineyard. One negative aspect was in order to access the patio table and barbeque, we had to leave the apartment, and cross the road to use them. We also expected the apartment to be cleaned on a weekly basis, but only fresh bedding and towels were supplied. We enjoyed our stay and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to our friends. " Owner reply: We are very sorry about the misunderstanding with Mr & Mrs Kershaw over the cleaning of the property; the following text has been inserted in the general description of our property, so that this misunderstanding will not occur with future guests.CleaningWe expect the property to be left in a similar state as when found on arrival. If you don’t want to clean it yourself before leaving, please inform us before hand. There would be an extra charge of £25 (37.5 euros) per week for this service. If the property is not left in a similar condition as it was on arrival there would be the same charge as above against the damage deposit.Review submitted by Martin from London 10.05.2005"Great!!!"