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L'Ancienne Poste, Menerbes, Provence
The Ancienne Poste in Menerbes sleeps 10 in a magnificent setting, in one of Provence's best-loved villages
 The Post Office, Menerbes |  Part of the 180° view over the Luberon valley, on a winter's day |
The Ancienne Poste is a luxury Provence village rental in Menerbes, now available for rental by the week, in the village that enchanted readers of A Year in Provence. It sleeps 10 people in 5 fabulous bedrooms and features every comfort you could hope for. It even has use of a nearby private swimming pool in the summer.
Living Rooms
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| Living room on the ground floor, with comfortable seating and an open, wood-burning fireplace |
The living room is centred on the fireplace, with Lloyd Loom sofas and art deco armchairs. The room seems even more spacious than it is with the full-width sliding windows connecting to the courtyard (below left). Beyond the sofa area is the dining table (below right).
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 | The kitchen is superbly equipped, and you could probably run a restaurant from here. The professional Smeg cooker and oven, and American-size fridge and freezer make it easy to cater for 10 people. There is also a dishwasher, clothes washer and dryer, coffee machine, food processor, and helpful kitchen aids like the milkshake machine and smoothie maker. Copper pots and a family of stove-top coffee makers set this kitchen apart from what you may be used to when renting. Glass doors open from the kitchen to the courtyard. |
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Bedrooms
 | A stunning beech staircase leads up to the 5 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms. Each of the bedrooms has the view over the Luberon valley, and some of the bathrooms do too. The high level of furnishings continues upstairs: the beds have hand-embroidered Frette sheets from Italy, and the bathrooms have Frette towels and bathrobes. Toiletries are from l'Occitane. |  |
Bedrooms 1 and 2 are on the 1st floor up from the ground floor. Bedrooms 3, 4 and 5 are on the next floor up.
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Bedroom 1: King-size bed or two singles. En suite bathroom with bath/shower and WC.
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Bedroom 2: Queen-size bed. En suite bathroom with separate bath, shower and WC.
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Bedroom 3: Queen-size bed. En suite bathroom with bath, sink, separate WC.
The space outside bedrooms 4 and 5 acts as an upstairs living room and TV room (see below).
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Bedrooms 4 & 5: Both with King-size bed or 2 singles. Bathroom with shower and separate WC.
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The house sleeps a maximum of ten adults and any infants.
Outside
 It's the one with the red shutters | The Post Office is near the top of the village of Menerbes, and a 1-minute walk from its shops and restaurants. It looks out over the vineyards and orchards of the Luberon valley towards the Mont Ventoux and has two outside spaces, and use of a nearby swimming pool. At the top of the house is a large roof terrace with a towering 180 degree view of Provence. From here you can see the villages of Gordes, Roussillon, Goult and Lumieres, picked out in the vast, pastoral canopy. |  Roof terrace (above and below) |
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The most striking feature of the house is the inner courtyard, the space between the house and rock of Menerbes. For 3 storeys the house is a wall of glass as this open atrium reaches to the sky above. The courtyard has a barbecue, and is even equipped with a disco ball (if you don't know what that is, you probably won't have a use for it!)
 View from the roof terrace |  Inner courtyard from the roof terrace |  Patchwork of vineyards below the house |
When you stay at The Post Office in the summer you also have free use of a private swimming pool just outside Menerbes. This is 15 minutes' walk from the house or 5 minutes' drive. |  |
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The Location
 Menerbes on its hilltop from the north. |  The square at the top. |
The village of Menerbes is a wonderful location and ideal for exploring the rest of the Luberon and Provence. Menerbes has everything you need - cafe, restaurants, bakery, butcher and a small grocery store. You can even get the Herald Tribune and UK press when you walk in for your croissants or coffee in the morning. All the other picture-perfect 'perched' hill-top villages of the Luberon are within 15 minutes by car: Gordes, Roussillon, Lacoste, Oppede le vieux, Bonnieux, and Goult. Just beyond are the antiques capital of Isle sur la Sorgue and the very lovely Fontaine de Vaucluse. Within an hour are Avignon, Aix-en-Provence, St Remy, Mont Ventoux, Les Baux de Provence, Orange, and the start of the Rhone wine trail. You can make a comfortable day-trip of the Cote d'Azur from Monte Carlo to St Tropez, Marseille, the fishing village of Cassis and the calanques, Arles, Nimes, the Camargue, the Alps, the Gorges du Verdon, and the Rhone wine trail all the way to Lyon. |
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Scenes from Menerbes. There is a well stocked little grocery, bar, restaurants, baker and butcher.
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Menerbes
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Weekly Rates
| Nov - Dec 10 | 3350 euros |
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| Jan 8 - April 8 | 3350 euros |
| April 9 - May 21 | 3750 euros |
| May 22 - Sept 17 | 3850 euros |
| Sept 18 - Nov 5 | 3750 euros |
| Xmas, New Year | 3850 euros |
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Extras
During your stay at the house the owner can dip into his deep well of local contacts to organize all sorts of extras to make your time more relaxing, stimulating or intense:
Learn French with a gifted and fun teacher
Personal Trainer at the house - he can bring the necessary equipment to get you into shape.
Yoga and Pilates with Benedicte who is schooled in Hatha and Ashtanga yoga.
Massage at the house with masseuses schooled in everything from Californian and Swedish to Shiatsu and Korean relaxation techniques.
Cooking classes with a Michelin-starred chef - learn how to prepare a menu, buy at the markets, and prepare dinner in a one-on-one session.
Wine appreciaton. Spend a day with the owners of Domaine de Pegau in nearby Chateauneuf-du-Pape, and find out why their wines have earned a 100-point rating from Robert Parker.
Art Classes with a local artist who can help beginners or experienced artists improve their still lifes and landscapes.
Van Gogh's St Remy - discover it with an art historian for company.
Explore Arles with a history professor to tell you all about this city of artists, bullfighters and Roman remains.
Luberon History - the story of the area is dripping with centuries of conflict, war and turmoil - your guide unlocks the secrets of the past in hilltop villages like Menerbes, Lacoste and Bonnieux.
Birdwatching in the spectacular Camargue with the region's best birdwatching guide.
Antique-hunting at l'Isle sur la Sorgue, France's antiques capital, 15 minutes away. Let your guides point you to the right dealers and help you through the buying process, nobody knows the market better.
For children…the owner can provide au pairs during the summer, mostly bilingual students with experience of looking after children. Each is able to take care of up to 4 children aged 2-12. (This service needs to be paid for at time of booking). Also available for children: French language classes with a private tutor at the house; pottery and art classes; how to mix and paint with ochres; cooking lessons; even circus skills.