CHAMBRES D'HOTES EN PLEIN COEUR DE LA PROVENCE VERTE ENTRE MER ET MONTAGNE

We had a fantastic day with Michel and Catherine. They were such lovely hosts. Their morning breakfast were tasty and nothing beats the view! the property has an incredible view. The apartment was clean and cozy. We didn’t expect them to tidy every day, but they did it. The property is located less than a five minute drive from the town. It’s walkable downhill but quite a trek uphill. We would definitely return to this gem!

This house is beautiful and maintained immaculately. You can tell the owners take great pride in their home. There are two guest rooms on the property and you will essentially be staying in a basement-type floor the way the house is designed. The rooms were clean and nice with amenities such as shampoo/soap/conditioner/toilet paper/flip flops, etc. Breakfast was included and it was delicious, consisting of traditional french breakfast usually Michel's home-made bread and baked goods, along with marmalade, butter, yogurt, and American style coffee. If you're a low key couple looking for a relaxing place to stay, I would recommend this place; however, there are some things I'd like to note. Catherine doesn't speak any English if you're like us and speak very basic French, that may be a problem. Michel understands some English but prefers French. Communication was a bit difficult with the language barrier but it was manageable so long as you don't need anything complicated. There are a lot of rules here as you'll be sharing the home with the owners, a fact we were unaware of until we arrived on the premises. We felt it was a bit strict and even though we were a party of four and had additional friends in the area for a wedding, felt uncomfortable just relaxing together at the house. We aren't rowdy people, but the rules of the house made us feel like we were staying with our parents or something. Catherine and Michel are very nice people even if they are a bit strict. So if you don't mind a couple of rules (most pretty reasonable), then this place would be great. The listing also says there is AC: be aware that the house has geothermal AC which is not like real AC at all. No fans were provided and while it can get cool during the nights, there is no moving air in the room and can get uncomfortable. The wifi was also very spotty.

We stayed with Catherine and her husband in probably the hottest weekend of 2015 for a wedding. The setting is beautiful and the building has been carefully designed around the environment, blending in much more effectively than others in the area. Catherine and her husband are excellent hosts and while there was a bit of a language barrier (we don't speak much French, they speak basic English) we had a very pleasant stay. Things we recommend being aware of to make the most of your stay: - the property is unnamed so the address is hard to find in a GPS - best to ask ahead for an exact road location in case GPS coordinates are hard to follow - the property is up an extremely steep hill so we recommend driving as much as possible, especially if its hot. As the description says, it's a ten minute walk into town but a good 15-20 back up - it's a Eco lodge so there is no air con - we stayed when the temperatures were hitting 40 degrees so we were waking early and it was extremely difficult to stay in the room for long periods during the day (plenty to do elsewhere around Cotignac, we just struggled being tired) - it's also their home so be prepared for the occasional friend or family member to drop in - they're all extremely friendly, just be aware if you want absolute privacy. - there is a pool, it's just the waterproofing is black, rather than a bright blue like most other pools Overall, we think this a beautiful place to stay and is incredible value for money, especially as the hotel in Cotignac does not have a pool or the views here, let alone the delicious breakfast, for the same price. Catherine and her husband are excellent hosts and you'll undoubtedly have a fantastic stay.