A Charming House With Everything You Need for Your Vacation in Arles

Guest: Don (Racine, Wisconsin USA)
Date of Stay: 08/04/11 Review Submitted: 12/16/11

My family stayed for two weeks at this wonderful home in the historic center of Arles in August 2011. This home has everything that a tourist in Arles would want or need: easy access to the historic city by foot; plenty of fine restaurants, cafes, and shops nearby; and a well-stocked, comfortable home that represents the best of Provencal living. I loved walking to La Calendal (nearby hotel) each morning for a double-espresso and croissant on the veranda along with the free wi-fi. My wife loved the many shops--especially the ones with the beautiful Provencal fabrics. Our daughters (age 14 and 11) loved the bull races and, of course, the many, many glace' shops nearby. We wish to thank our warm and gracious hosts who made us feel right at home. In particular we thank them for their understanding and flexibilty as we dealt with an emergency situation at home during our stay. Provence is as beautiful as you can imagine, and our 2 weeks in this home was such a treat. We would recommend this without hesitation for anyone interested in a visit to Arles. (A final note: some commentors reported that they had a bad experience with the parking or the hot water. We had no such problems. We always found easy parking within 2 blocks of the house, and we never ran short on hot water, even with two teenage girls taking showers! I hope this information is helpful to you.)

Recommended for:Families with teenagers, romantic getaway, tourists without a car, adventure seekers, age 55+, girls getaway, sightseeing, families with young children.

This property is an outstanding example of historic charm, convenience and value for money

Guest: Don (Arnprior, Ontario, Canada)
Date of Stay: 10/02/11 Review Submitted: 10/22/11

My wife and I stayed at this wonderful rental property for two weeks-October 2/11 to October 16/11. The home is even more charming that the photos suggest and it is centrally located within the historic Roman Arles. It is literally walking distance minutes from the Roman Amphitheater and so many other historic sites, downtown and especially the Office of Tourisme. This Office is critical to planning day excursions and we would highly recommend a trip to the Les Alpilles, Les Saintes Maries de la Mer (Mediterranean sea side resort), Avignon, Tarascon. We walked everywhere and enjoyed the markets on Wednesday and Saturday. This is a must to experience. The property is spotless, well maintained and provides all the amenities one could want. There are so many cafe's and restaurants available in the area and all were very good. The owner of this property is very service focused and made our reservation, payment and accommodation needs including check-in and check out professional and efficient. The owner also provides a library of pamphlets for one's consideration in planning your holiday stay in Arles. I can't say enough about these property owners, especially since this was our first time in renting a property from the VRBO web site. We would highly recommend this property for all of the above reasons and especially because of it's geographic location in Arles and Provence. If you want to experience Provence this is the home to see it from.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, tourists without a car, age 55+, sightseeing, families with young children.

My Provence Dream Come True

Guest: Buzzy (Weston, MA USA)
Date of Stay: 05/09/11 Review Submitted: 06/07/11

We were a party of five- grandmother, my 2 daughters, a son-in-law and my 20 month old grandson. We had taken the train to Arles after staying four days in Paris and were ready for a more relaxed location. Everything prior 5 star reviewers said about the house was absolutely true. It was fabulous for both comfort and location. However I do want to mention how extensive the hospitality of Mireille and Rene was . Months before our arrival we received this email information packet which made us feel like we were already there. We knew ahead of time what we wanted to do so planned accordingly. Two of the highlights were our jeep safari through the Camargue and a cooking class in this wonderful chef's kitchen within walking distance of #5. Having a playground almost at our back door was the frosting on the cake for my grandson.Thank you Mireille and Rene.

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

Charming Home

Guest: Mike and De (East Boothbay, Maiane, USA)
Date of Stay: 03/20/11 Review Submitted: 04/01/11

We have just returned from a week in Arles and the enchanting home of Rene and Mirielle. I knew the moment we opened the blue door that it was going to be perfect ... and it was. A lot of thought and care has gone in to this home. The rusticity of the house, with is wood floors, stone walls, and beamed ceiling is in beautiful contrast to the lovely furnishings and Provence linens. The main bathroom is huge, has double sinks and a "rain" shower. There are also 2 half baths. The kitchen is adorable and very well equiped. The house is full of personality, exceptionally clean, and everything worked fine. The back windows overlook a sweet little neighbors garden and the front a quiet street. The house is perfectly located to sights, shops, cafes, and a not to be missed outdoor market on Wed. and Sat. You can walk to everything. Our car was only used for day trips out of Arles. We never had a problem parking. There are quirks in a home this old but that is so very much part of the charm. Rene and Mirielle have done a wonderful job of bringing as many luxuries and conviences in to the home as possible. There is a flat screen TV (which we never turned on), a fabulous gas stove, and that big bathroom is wonderful. We loved our bedroom. The queen bed was very comfortable. The sun shines through the yellow curtains in the morning bathing the room in gold. Every morning opening our eyes was magical. We hope to return there some day.

Recommended for:Families with teenagers, romantic getaway, tourists without a car, adventure seekers, age 55+, girls getaway, sightseeing.

Lovely house

Guest: Phil (Edinburgh)
Date of Stay: 02/27/11 Review Submitted: 03/04/11

Thank you so much for welcoming us into your lovely provencal house which has given us too perfect opportunity to sample the delights of Arles and greater Provence. We loved your beautiful stone house; the location was perfect and had every thing we needed. Our week was a bit cold but the house stayed very warm and cosy. Arles is centrally located which made it easy for us to visit nearby towns, Avignon, les Baux, St-Remy, Nimes, Uzes. We will certainly miss this place and hope to return soon.

Recommended for:Families with teenagers, romantic getaway, tourists without a car, age 55+, sightseeing, families with young children.

Stay in Arles

Guest: Dan and Ellie Pettee (Grand Rapids, MI USA)
Date of Stay: 10/02/10 Review Submitted: 11/01/10

We stayed in this charming home for 8 nights. It was very clean, comfortable, and well maintained. Our main concerns were: no English speaking television, no Wi-Fi, and not the most comfortable furniture in the living room area. It was also very dark once you closed the window shutters. We found the driving in this area of Arles very stressful, and we constantly worried about finding a parking place. We also had trouble finding grocery stores and bakeries. In part, some of this could have been avoided if we'd had a better orientation on arrival - our greeter spoke no English!! But we loved Arles and did get to see a lot of Provence.

Owner response:We are very aware of any suggestion from the costumers but they have to be fair, well founded, and do not come from a lack of adaptation. Visitors have to be independent and autonomous. Visitor could be served by hospitality staff in the rental house in the case it is managed by an hotel. Never did this customer contact us at any moment by phone or mail to tell us any requires. Television : Most of the channels are French. There are very few English channels but we have some. This tourist did not use in the right way the remote control on which there are two positions although the handbook was available and he did not ask for any requires about it. Wifi: Not only is it written on VRBO there is not WIFI, but it is also written in the first mail after having made inquiries. Living room sofa and the armchairs : « The Mireille’s house » is a old house, typically “Arlésienne-Provençale” and it was furnished with real furniture typically Provençaux. That is what the tourists wish and look for. That is true that a real sofa from the 19th century is less comfortable than a modern sofa. But the decoration of the Provençal tradition do not allow to integrate a modern sofa. Nevertheless we take into account this detail from this tourist, so we have asked to our tapestry-maker to modify these sofa and armchairs in order that they are more comfortable. windows: There are window shutters to cover the windows. It is usually used the night and in any case there are four wall lamps and a big halogen lamp. Parking : There are around “The Mireille’s house” three parking whose one huge. Obviously as the parking are free, it is difficult to keep the same place but we are able to find one. On the other hand, if you want to use the same place all the time you have to use paying parking .Stores : we send by mail and give to the tourist a document named “useful information” . There is list of the best grocery stores close to the house (300 meters), bakeries, patisseries, cake shop, butcher’s stores, cheese stores, the days of markets in the Arles city centre and the best restaurants. It’s true that in the street where is the Mireille’s house there are no shops but it against part the street is quiet. Before their arrival, they were informed that our friend Danièle, who manages the house with us, will welcome them and that they could contact us for any requires at any time either by phone or by mail. Never did they contact us for any requires.

Recommended for:Tourists without a car, adventure seekers.

Perfect base from which to explore Provence

Guest: Martin (Adelaide, Australia)
Date of Stay: 09/18/10 Review Submitted: 10/27/10

The highlight of our holiday in France was by far our time spent in Arles & in the lovely Provencal house provided by Rene & Mirielle. Our hosts greeted us warmly upon arrival & spent considerable time showing us around & explaining various aspects of the town & region including parking arrangements, where to eat & shop etc. The house is so well set up & it was the perfect place for our family of 4 to relax at the end of a busy day. The kitchen is fantastic (if you prefer to eat in occasionally), the bedrooms are spacious & comfortable & the main bathroom has the 'wow' factor. The entire house is spotlessly clean & well cared for & is located in a perfectly quiet part of town, but literally only a minute or two's walk to some exceptional restaurants. This would have to rank among the best accommodations we have stayed in Europe. The kid's just loved it here. Thank you Rene & Mirielle for helping make our time is Provence so memorable.

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

Provencal Decor with Bright Colors and Authentic Furnishings, Linens and Wall Decorations.

Guest: Barbara D (Toronto, Canada)
Date of Stay: 08/19/10 Review Submitted: 10/21/10

I loved the solid granite farmstyle sink with brass faucet. Our girls, aged 10 and 14 loved their hideaway on the third floor. The location was very convenient for the farmers markets, the roman colisseum, restaurants and gift shops. Sometimes we made simple meals "at home". All of the rooms were very spacious. The building is 400 years old, which makes for some interesting observations on construction styles of that period. We felt like "locals" and not tourists. We parked nearby and made daytrips to the Camargue, to Nimes, Fontaine Vaucluse, Rousillon, Avignon, Pont du Gard, and other nearby attractions. I hope to return someday and stay at the Mireille House.

Recommended for:Sightseeing, families with young children.

Fantastic trip !

Guest: Helena (Bristol)
Date of Stay: 09/08/10 Review Submitted: 09/19/10

The house was perfect for our Provence holiday, very well, nice and cosy with convenience of modern living. The beds were so comfortable. Full of Provencal beauty with the decor it was magical. From a logistic point of view everything regarding the house worked without any problems. Mireille & Rene were delightful and informative. We loved the house and our visit in Arles. It was the perfect base for exploring Arles. What incredible city and we so enjoyed being able to stay right in the heart of it. We are blessed to have this experience represent our first trip in Provence as a whole family as we brought our 2 year old son and his grand mother. We will have to come again !

Recommended for:Age 55+, sightseeing, families with young children.

Wonderful holiday at the Mireille's house

Guest: John (England, Cambridge)
Date of Stay: 07/28/10 Review Submitted: 08/26/10

We stayed with my two daughters (age 4 & 6) and my wife at Mireille's House. This ancient house is very beautiful, well renovated,in provencal decor, comfortable, very quiet and absolutly perfect. The owners Mireille and René have furnished the house with everything you could need. The house is an exceptional location. This is ideal for visiting Arles and other villages. The Saturday market in Arles is incredible. Mirelle and René are friendly and attentive hosts.

Recommended for:Families with young children.