Vacation Rentals by Owner

We loved staying here!

Guest: Kristin (Seattle, WA)
Date of Stay: 06/25/11 Review Submitted: 07/17/11

The cottage was the perfect place to begin our vacation. It was still within the Marseille limits, but was away from the craziness that is Marseille...a huge plus for us. The house has privacy, but the caretakers are close by enough to usually be at hand if you need anything. We loved the veranda with the grape vines; truly romantic! The drive up to the house is a little hairy, but overall the streets leading to the house are quiet so it really isn't bad. We loved it and would definitely stay again.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

lovely views, wonderful people, the perfect base for Provencal travels! Definitely recommended

Guest: jenni (Bend, Oregon)
Date of Stay: 09/23/10 Review Submitted: 10/01/10

This was a lovely cottage- very comfortable, safe and the best part was the terrace with outdoor seating and wild grape vine. Laure and Patrick were wonderfully welcoming- we enjoyed several conversations with Laure, and Patrick came down to the pier to lead us to the home (we were hopelessly lost as the rental company didn't have GPS available and the European roads are very different than USA). Upon our arrival, they had a bottle of champagne chilling in the refrigerator as well as staples for cooking/eating (crispbiscuits, honey, jam, milk, cold water, orange juice, olive oil, spices, etc...). It was such a lovely surprise after our insanely crazy day of travel! The cottage is well stocked with all you need- a few toiletries, lots of bath and beach towels, extra blankets and comforter, and a pretty tablecloth for the table on the terrace. The bed is comfortable, the neighbors are friendly, the place is safe and quiet, the bath is modern, the kitchen is well stocked with pans, plates, cups etc... and the terrace is a sweet place for eating alfresco and enjoying the sunshine. Laure was so friendly- she offered us tomatoes, basil and figs from her garden and made suggestions for a seafood restaurant nearby. The cottage location was absolutely perfect for day trips throughout Provence- we drove to Orange, Chateauneuf Du Pape, the French Alps, Moustiers Ste Marie, Castellane, Cassis, Sanary-sur-Mer and L'estaque. The steps leading to the cottage were easily manageable (maybe 20 or so), the road is classically European- very narrow, and yes, people do park on the street just as they do in the USA but you can go around them, the hairpin turns and steep incline was a surprise the first day but once you make it to the cottage, park the car and see the beautiful view of the city and ocean, you appreciate being so high up and away from the hustle and bustle of downtown. The cottage is close enough to a shopping center (about 3 min away by car) with a huge Carrefour store (grocery etc...) which we found convienient for purchasing ingredients for a couple of home cooked dinners, as well as a GPS, and some souveiners to bring back home. Overall, we would definitely recommend this cottage and would love to come back someday with our daughters.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, age 55+, families with young children, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Perfect getaway on edge of Marseille

Guest: Jonathan & Darren (Maryland, USA)
Date of Stay: 08/16/10 Review Submitted: 11/10/10

We loved our stay at this little apartment. It was separated from the main house, so we felt we had all the privacy we needed. Our patio had a view of Chateau d'If and Frioul, and we loved eating outside under the grape arbor. The apartment was clean, convenient, and delivered as advertised. (The internet access was touch-and-go, but the owner was good about trying to get it to work.) This apartment is in one of the hillside neighborhoods of Marseille, about a 15 minute drive to the old harbor. We found it quiet and a perfect place to rest at the end of the day, without all the craziness of downtown. Our favorite find was the little suburb of l'Estaque, with its quieter beaches, friendly restaurants, and plentiful parking. Thanks for hosting us!

Recommended for:Age 55+, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Wonderful stay at Rue Beranger

Guest: Karen and Rick M (Petaluma, CA, USA)
Date of Stay: 05/14/10 Review Submitted: 06/07/10

We greatly enjoyed our stay at the lovely little cottage on Rue Beranger near Marseille. It was sun-drenched with luminescent Mediterranean sun on most days, with 3 days of incredible "la Mistral" winds, which was in and of itself quite an adventure. We didn't rent a car for the first 3 days, instead preferring to ride the local bus to absorb the true atmosphere of the people. This is only recommended for the truly adventurous as it can be quite daunting! When we finally did rent a car, we had great access to the wonderful beach towns - l'Estaque, Carry-le-Rouet, Cassis, (along with it's Calenque hikes), and more. We especially enjoyed the little village of Niolon, which is largely untouched by the tourist industry. We drove the back roads as much as possible, winding up through the beautiful mountains to Aix-en-Provence. Patrick and Laure were so helpful and gracious, and Dennis gave us much help with maps and suggestions. Thank you all for such a wonderful time!

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Disappointed

Guest: Roz (Montreal, Canada)
Date of Stay: 10/13/09 Review Submitted: 08/26/10

We rented this property last year in October. We had exceptional communications with Dennis about dates, directions and general information. This rental was our last stop of a stunning 2 week tour of Provence. When we called Laure to let her know our approximate hour of arrival, she informed us that we were expected only in the next week !!! Luckily the rental was available for our visit. The drive up the hill to this property was ridiculous.....hairpin turns, extremely narrow road, cars parked on the side, and the locals whizzed up and down like maniacs. I did not receive the warm, informative welcome that other reviewers have mentioned. Laure simply gave me the key and said that the car would be fine if it was parked very close to the wall. The next morning I was standing outside looking at the surroundings and Laure's husband was returning with a baguette from the bakery. I said "Bonjour" and he offered me half of the baguette. I also asked for a hairdryer which he promptly supplied. I am sure this property would be charming in the summer months, but in mid October it looked sad, uninviting and not properly cared for......perhaps this was a result of the arrival date mix-up. I am writing this review a year later because I just received an email from VRBO with this property highlighted as a great destination.

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Guest: V.W. of Mass. USA
Date of Stay: 09/09/09 Review Submitted: 03/24/10

The bed was long enough! There were very large thunderstorms over Marseille on the first three days we were there and floodwater came under the doors - but we dried everything out in wonderful weather later on. We had a great time traveling to and staying in Marseilles. The Mediterranean was lovelier than I had imagined (once we got past the main seaport ;-)). We went to Aix a lot and into the maquis at Vauvenarges where Bill had to paint lots of Mt. St. Victoires - to Cassis via la route des Cretes and on to Le Ciotat all the way round l'Estaque, visiting Carry-le-Rouet, Sausset-les-Pins, Carro, Martigues - From Arles we did a round trip to St. Remy, and also through the marsh, round l'Etang de Berre - I had to make a trip to Cavaillon, where we had such delicious fruit (and a great meal of home raised chicken and salad at Le Cafe du Midi at La Roque sur Pernes) - but we didn't make it to Nimes or Avignon, both on our wish list. We drew and painted and wrote everywhere in the end. One lovely afternoon we spent drawing round an old inn near the bridge at Pons, N. of Aix: we went walking on old farm roads and really got away from everyone. (We found out later we had been trespassing) I will never forget finding an abandoned building with a fig tree covered in red, bursting fruit and surrounded with bees and wasps. Such color and sound! There are some pictures of our travels in my photo albums, but we prefer to draw. --- Owners comment: This guest was concerned before booking about the bed size, as one of them was very tall. They had exceptional storms. The main seaport has its own beauty too, in spite of the comment ;)

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Guest: D.H.
Date of Stay: 07/26/09 Review Submitted: 03/24/10

Dear Dennis - Our stay so far has been outstanding.  We love the cottage and have spent 2 days in Aix, a day in Marseille, and even made it up to Avignon yesterday.  It's been perfect. I also wanted to let you know that we will be leaving a day early... Again, thanks for everything.  It's been perfect here. Regards, D.H.

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Guest: Guest Burt of WA
Date of Stay: 07/02/09 Review Submitted: 03/24/10

Dennis, thanks for your email. Everything is working out extremely well. Your place is great, Laure and her husband are attentive to our every need, and the weather's been great. Before leaving we will take your advice and head west from L'Estaque to explore the region in that direction. We're in L'Estaque daily to shop, after spending the better part of the day at the beach just down the road. Best regards, Burt

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Guest: M.B. of Canada
Date of Stay: 05/26/09 Review Submitted: 03/24/10

Hello Dennis We've been back from our vacation for just over a week.  I just wanted to say thank you for your kindness ... ...  thank you again.  We really enjoyed the stay.  The little road up to your place was a worry every time, but we navigated it unscathed.  The place really met our needs to have a home base.   Regards M.B.

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Guest: M.L. of Montreal, Canada
Date of Stay: 05/28/08 Review Submitted: 03/24/10

--- Translated from French (original is below):  Thanks for asking about our stay. We were completely bowled over by the kindness of the people in France. Wherever we went, we were received like royalty - even in Paris! Patrick and Laure couldn't have been more kind, and irreproachably available for help and questions, always smiling and eager to help. It was interesting and refreshing to discuss cultural differences between our countries. quotidien.  In spite of the rainy weather, we were able to drive about 1500 km in the area, and hike some 20 kms. We visited magnificent sites, handsome castles, wonderful villages. Arles was the perfect town for photos, and the surroundings of Les Baux were impressive. Our last stopover was Paris, and we saw the Eiffel Tower. Thanks very much, we'll keep in touch with our little Marseillais family. I need to tell you, since nobody else will, that you should change the mattress which is too soft and sagging in the middle. You need to provide a good cook's knife and a bread knife too. I did some barbecuing, over Patrick's custom barbecue grill (brilliant). I just needed to eat a large hamburger! --- Owner's comment : we attended to both of these critiques, and in fact changed the whole bed for the biggest we could get from IKEA.   Nous avons été emballé par la gentillesse des gens de la France. Partout ou nous sommes allé, nous avons été accueilli comme des rois. Meme à Paris.     Patrick et Laure ont été d'une gentillesse et d'une disponibilité irréprochable. Toujours souriant, pret à aider, c'étais bien interessant et rafraichissant de discuter des différences entre nos cultures.     Malgré la température pluvieuse, nous avons fait 1500 km en voitures et au je dirais au moins 20km à pied.     Nous avons visité de magnifiques endroits, de beaux chateaux, de magnifiques villages. Arles étais le village parfait pour faire de la photo pour en faire des encadrements et Les Baux était impressionnant. Notre dernier arret à été Paris. Nous avons seulement été voir la Tour Eifel par metro.     Merci beaucoup et nous gardons contact avec la petite famille Marseillaise. Je dois vous dire aussi, qu'il serait à envisager de changer le matelas du lit, car il est très mou et creuse dans le centre. J'imagine que si personne ne le dit, vous ne le saurez jamais. Idealement aussi, un bon couteau de chef et un couteau à pain pour la cuisine.     J'ai profité de la cuisson sur ...

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Guest: A.M. of OK, USA
Date of Stay: 06/26/07 Review Submitted: 03/24/10

-- after a request for frank comments and recommendations: also from A.M. of Oklahoma of another review. Hi Dennis, basic comments are cottage is more for the adventurer, do-it-yourself tourist, not the tour bus type. for a European, the narrow access roads would be normal, but Americans in Hummers might have problems. parking was a slight concern, especially on Beranger itself. over the way the car had a safer position. basically, as i had a rental car, rather than my own, I  had some concerns about getting dents etc. a garage would be nice, thinking idealistically. access to the property might be less daunting around the back way, although I enjoyed the joy ride from the red pharmacia. access to the beaches on the west side is excellent, but also to the north country -St remy etc. Laure and Patrick were most gracious and so helpful. --- owner's comment : the normal parking place is indeed 'over the way'. We have never had any damage to our or any guest's vehicles in more than 5 years.

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Guest: A.M. of OK, USA (stayed 4 weeks)
Date of Stay: 06/26/07 Review Submitted: 03/24/10

Hi Dennis and Laure, We had a great time and the cottage was very convenient to many places, both E and W. By the time I left, I was getting used to those aggressive French drivers and becoming one myself, but it did take some time! And the car survived those narrow streets unscathed! The weather was perfect. The maps were most useful, Laura.   The most unexpected pleasure we stumbled on was restuarant "Le Fer a Cheval" Place de la Mairie, 13420 Gemenos, 04 42 32 20 97, in the centre of Gemenos - the most incredible 4-course lunch for about 23 euros each, including wine, coffee, Also delicious rolls. We returned a few days' later, just to eat there. We arrived late, but the manager persuaded the cook to stay on a bit, as we'd come a long way! Voila! Phew! I was sweating at possibly missing the opportunity to eat there again!   Hope that Patrick has a successful musical season next month. Kind regards and thanks. AM

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Charming cottage out side of the city

Guest: gobind (Long Beach)
Date of Stay: 06/25/03 Review Submitted: 08/11/10

We are two artists that stayed in this cottage in June 2010. The cottage is adorable, but you have to be somewhat fit to climb the stairs to get to it. Also the road to get there is very steep and narrow (one car) and parking is limited. We loved that the owners stocked the kitchen with fresh olive oil, fresh herbs from the garden so we could make a wonderful meal our first night. There is a fabulous market nearby.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, families with teenagers, girls getaway, romantic getaway.