Aldea Vida W / Espectacular Vista en Hilltop Village

From welcome to departure, our experience at Chez Ellen was ideal. Peaceful, charming, with a kitchen equipped to cook like a local, the home provides the perfect opportunity to chillax and/or explore in every direction. After a short walk for our morning baguette, our family of four would breakfast outside on the terrace overlooking the Luberon, then plan our day. We visited many of the surrounding towns, especially on market days, (we loved Aix, Lourmarin and Forcalquier), we visited the coast (Cassis, Saint Tropez, Marseilles), went kayaking at the Gorge de Verdon, hiked the ochre canyon in Gordes, lounged at Lake Bonde nearby, and visited many vineyards. A favorite was cooking with Christel. The house notes are extremely helpful about where to go and when, restaurants and more. Ansouis highlights included dining at the Michelin-starred La Closerie and sampling lavender ice cream. The hosts have thought of everything to make one’s stay as comfortable and well-informed as possible.

We spent 9 days at Chez Ellen in the charming village of Ansouis. The house is wonderful with all the creature comforts plus spectacular views of the Luberon from the terrace. This is a great location from which to explore the surrounding and equally charming villages - we went to village markets almost every day; eating freshly shucked oysters with a bottle of white wine at one market! We enjoyed cooking some great meals at Chez Ellen after our market visits while also savoring the local restaurants. All in all a wonderful respite from our busy lives!

Loved the house and village so much we came back a year later. Everything was as awesome as we remembered. This time we spent a bit more time at the house, even cooking once or twice, and loved it. Eating (or spending any time really) on the balcony is a treat for the soul. Lots of day trips to the beautiful countryside made the experiences even better. Just like we said last year, "All in all, it was an amazing experience, and we are VERY looking forward to going back one day."

We were lucky enough to spend 6 days at Chez Ellen recently. I am not sure the experience could have been better. The house is amazing, and the views from it unbelievable. The house comes very well equipped, from the kitchen to the living room and bedrooms, but we keep going back to the terrace, and those views. Picking up breakfast in the village bakery and going back and eating at the terrace each morning was amazing. Great views, comfortable breezes, and if we had decided to cook, we could have had even more fun.

Ansouis is a very nice small village to stay in and visit, and I recommend taking the tour of the Chateau. Even with no real French in our arsenal, it was very interesting. Everyone was kind and friendly, and helped make the experience wonderful. Within 15-60 minutes from it, you have many wonderful places to visit, such as Gordes, Lourmarin, Cucuron (last two have great market days), Cassis, Aix, the Aix TGV station, Pont Du Gard, and much more. Ansouis was lovely to stay in, as well as a base for day trips. We went as far as Monaco and San Remo Italy, and that worked well also for that.

All in all, it was an amazing experience, and we are VERY looking forward to going back one day.

Beautiful views. Very helpful owners. Well equipped, and very comfortable. Great location for exploring the Luberon area. Loved it.