A house like no other, near the dreamy village of Gordes, in the Luberon region of Provence, available for weekly rentals. This is a house that appears in coffee-table books on Provence because it is so alive with the character of the area. It offers grand Provencal living with two bedrooms, extendable to 4 bedrooms if you rent the extraordinary house next door.
 
 
Dining room.   Pool with house in background.
 
The dining room is almost an homage to the Provence of yesteryear, with an amazing treasure trove of antique furniture and crockery, curiosities and objets trouvés, santons (the figurines so typical of the region), and pieces of art everywhere.
 
The theatrical dining room is full of curiosities, as well as the essentials - a good-size dining table, and a raised fireplace.
 
The living room is bright and spacious, centred on the two-way fireplace.   The study.
 

In the living room things are more restrained. Here there are comfortable sofas and armchairs and a feast of contemporary art on the walls, mostly painted by artist friends. A two-way fireplace is shared with the study next door.

Note that this is a house built for friendship, conversation and fine meals together - there is no TV except in the bedrooms.
 
 
Very well equipped kitchen.   The dining terrace outside the living room.
 
 

Off the living room is a terrace with dining table (above right) and the shade of a vine and trellis, which looks out to Bonnieux and the Luberon (right). The balcony leads down to the garden and pool.

In the summer, meals are often taken here, and prepared in the kitchen (above left) which has everything you might need and more - you probably won't be needing the 2 ovens, but you will appreciate the large, 5-burner stove and time-saving devices like the food blender, mixer, ice cream machine, dishwasher, etc.

There is an American-sized fridge and freezer, double sink, and every utensil under the sun. The owner loves to entertain friends to vast meals and the kitchen is equipped accordingly.
 
 
 

The swimming pool is 10m long and has a resistance swimming function at one end - this lets you swim into a jet of water without moving. There is very comfortable seating around the pool, sunloungers with mattresses, and tables for meals or drinks.

To the side of the pool, in a lush dell of semi-tropical foliage, is another dining table (above left) - you can't have too many as fresco dining options.

Pictured right is the view from the terrace of the master bedroom upstairs. You can see Bonnieux and Lacoste facing each other with the Luberon mountain behind, and in the foreground is the lovely, little-known Goult.

  
Superb view from the master bedroom terrace of the surrounding villages.
 
CONTACT: email for all enquiries
 
The air-conditioned master bedroom with private terrace, and en suite bathroom pictured right, are upstairs.
 

The master bedroom has a 1.8m-wide bed (6ft), TV, and terrace with 180-degree views of the surrounding countryside. It also has air conditioning to keep cool on hot nights.

The en suite bathroom comprises bathtub and wetroom-type shower, basin and WC.

 
The second bedroom is on the ground floor. The open-plan bathroom is to the left of the middle picture.
 

The second bedroom (above) is downstairs on the swimming pool level, and it has large windows that open onto the pool area (right). It is a big room, more of an artist's studio, again with painting after painting on the walls.

There is a seating area around the fireplace, and an open-plan bathroom with walk-in shower (above right). The WC is separate. The bed is 1.5m wide (5ft).

Also by the pool is a summer kitchen with fridge, cooker, dishwasher, as well as a pool shower.

The planting round the pool, as elsewhere, is very rich and verdant, which is delightfully restful on the senses.
 
  Looking out to the pool from the second bedroom.
 
For other Provence rental properties nearby, go here:  Luberon Rentals
 
For 3 or 4 bedrooms...
If you need more bedrooms, there is the stunning house next door which you can see by clicking here. When you rent one of these houses you are renting both and the rental rates depend on the number of people and bedrooms used (see below for rates). We will not rent the two houses for the same period to two different parties.
 
CONTACT: email for all enquiries
 
In the above table the 3- and 4-bedroom options refer to staying in both the Provence House and the Art House next door. When you rent one you rent both, and the rate depends on how many bedrooms you use. There is also the possibility of a long weekend stay.
 
Where it is...

The house is right in the middle of the Petit Luberon, within the Golden Triangle of Gordes, Menerbes and Bonnieux, and very close to the other notable hill-top villages like Lacoste, Goult, Oppede le vieux, Roussillon and Lourmarin. Gordes is 4 miles away, Goult is 2.5 miles. The nearest village is St Pantaleon, but this has no shops. You can walk to Gordes across country in 30 minutes.

For a guide to the area, including the villages, restaurants and markets, see TheLuberon.com.

Other places of interest nearby: Isle sur la Sorgue, Fontaine de Vaucluse, Avignon, etc. The map below is interactive and allows you to explore where it is in relation to the rest of Provence.

For driving times to other places, try ViaMichelin. Type in St Pantaleon as the city and 84220 as the postcode for your point of departure, and add your destination. This gives you distance, driving time and a route map.
 
 

How to use the map:
You can zoom into this map for more detail, or move around, or change it into a roadmap.

At the moment it is centred on the marker which shows the approximate location of the house at St Pantaleon.

To zoom in and out use the 'zipper' scale on the left - either drag the zipper up or down, or click on the + and - buttons.

You can also click on the map and drag in any direction to see where nearby places are.

To turn it into a roadmap click on 'Map' at top right.
To turn it into a satellite image click on 'Satellite'.
To see a combination click on 'Hybrid'.

CONTACT: email for all enquiries
 
For other Provence rental properties nearby, go here:  Luberon Rentals