Apartment in Provencal House with Pool

Fontfresque details

Home description

Built in 1980 in the traditional Provençal style of lime washed walls and tiled roof, the house stands in gardens of 4,000 square meters or one acre.

The garden is on three levels and has lawned areas, flowers, three walnut trees and numerous fruit trees, mainly cherry and apricot. In addition to an olive tree, there is the traditional welcoming cypress as you enter the drive, whilst for the enthusiastic cook, rosemary and bay grow in the garden.

The middle terrace contains the 5 x 10 metre pool, with terracing at either end. Sun loungers are provided - for lounging!

The secluded garden and pool are for the sole use of guests in the one apartment and the owners, Steve and Jo Goble when they are at the main house. On one side of the garden is a vineyard whilst the other side ends in a cliff overlooking the river Ouvèze.

There are views to the south of Mont Ventoux whilst to the north and east the house overlooks the river valley, Mollans and the hills beyond.

External features on site

• Barbecue
• Garden
• Scenic views
• Swimming pool
• Swimming pool (exclusive use)

Accommodation detail

The apartment was converted in 2002-3, and comprises

• Lounge with kitchenette - containing a number of units, plus a fridge, washing machine, microwave and full size gas stove with four burners. The lounge contains a "clik-clak" which will convert into a double bed if required and opens through French windows onto a
• Terrace - amply big enough for eating, sipping the last glass as the sun goes down, or just admiring the views.
• Double bedroom.
• Bath/shower room.
• Separate toilet.

A barbecue is available if required.

About the location

The area is called the Baronnies, reputedly after the petty barons who built the many castles in the area, and is situated where the flat Rhône plane  changes to the hills that eventually become the Alps.

This is very much vineyard country. The vineyards of Côtes du Rhône, Gigondas, Vacqueyras, Seguret plus many of the named villages are all local, as is the famous sweet wine of Beaumes de Venise.

One of the designated Côtes du Rhône wine trails passes through Mollans and you can enjoy free tasting at any of the many caves that appear on almost every road.

As well as wine, the area is well known for olives. There is an olive mill in Mollans, which is on the Route des Oliviers, whilst Nyons, the olive capital of France, is some 17 kilometres away. There are many fruit trees, especially cherry, peach and apricot. Lavender is widely grown and makes the countryside particularly beautiful in spring and early summer.

Mollans is a small town of about 850 inhabitants on the river Ouvèze, just north of Mont Ventoux which, being some 6,000 feet high, dominates the area.

The town retains its mediaeval core, dominated by the castle which is still inhabited, and the church, all largely still within the town walls. It has all the essentials for the local resident: an excellent butcher, two cafés one of which sells newspapers, a mini supermarket, a bank, a post office, a hairdresser, a Logis de France hotel with a fine restaurant, a good pizzeria, a bio shop and, of course, two boulangeries.

The house is 2 kilometres, a 15-minutes walk, from Mollans.

• Vaison la Romaine - 15 minutes away by car, which has well preserved Roman remains, a wide choice of shops, cafés and restaurants as well as a market every Tuesday.
• Nyons - famous for its olives, is about a 20-minute drive and has a wide range of amenities and markets every Thursday plus Sunday in the summer.
• Orange - with its Roman theatre that still puts on performances and Avignon, famous for the papal palace and bridge, are less than an hour's drive away.

See Local guide and map for information on nearby towns and facilities.

Activities near by

Bird Watching, Boules, Cycling, Gourmet dining, Hiking, Horse riding, Mountain biking, Rambling, Riverside activities, Rock climbing, Shopping, Sightseeing, Swimming, Walking, Wine tasting, Wine touring

See Activities and attractions for more information on nearby activities and places of interest.

How to get here

A car is really essential, so the choice is to drive all the way or arrive by train or air and hire a car on arrival.

By road:

Coming from the North, leave the A7/E15, Autoroute du Soleil, at junction 19.
After the tollbooth, you enter a roundabout; go nearly all the way round until you see the sign to Vaison.

Follow the signs to Vaison, which takes you through the outskirts of Bollène and then through Suze la Russe and Tulette.

Keep a close watch some 3k after Tulette as you need to turn right at the roundabout, still signposted to Vaison. If you come to the huge Cave de Vignerons de St. Maurice on your left, you have missed the turn!

Follow the signs to Vaison, and when in Vaison, follow the ring road, which is straight on at every roundabout.

After crossing the river, turn left at the T-junction which follows immediately, following signs to Carpentras and Malaucène.

About 2 kilometres after turning left after the bridge you will come to Crestet, where you turn left at the roundabout, signpost D54 for Entrechaux. Proceed through Entrechaux & take the D5 for Mollans.
After crossing the river Toulourenc, you climb to the crest of a small pass and descend to the valley of the Ouvèze. Ignore the signpost on the right to Mollans centre; go on to where a minor road crosses, with a sign pointing left to Domaine de la Tuyères & “Le lit qui danse”.

Turn left, pass the entrance to the Domaine on your right, two houses below you on the right and Fontfresque is the next turning on the right.

If you are arriving by air or rail & hiring a car, the easiest is to head for junction 19 on the A7/E15 and follow the instructions above, although the more adventurous coming from the south may choose to leave the Autoroute at Avignon nord and come through Carpentras to Entrechaux.

Sat Nav

For the growing numbers with satellite navigation in the car, the reference is:

E5.17360°             N44.23405°             in degrees

E5°10.295             N44°14.024              in minutes

By air:

Nîmes airport is 80 minutes drive from the house. Ryanair currently advertise very cheap flights from London Luton, Liverpool and East Midland airports. Book early and make sure your hire car is reserved before you go.

Cheap flights can also be booked to Marseilles about 90 minutes drive from the house, on EasyJet from Gatwick airport or Ryanair from Prestwick.
Flights also go to Lyon, St. Etienne and Nice, all about 3 hours drive away.

From May until October, Flybe fly from Southampton & Exeter to Avignon, as do  Jet2 from Edinburgh. Avignon airport is about 40 minutes away.

By train:

Avignon TGV offers the best train connections. Again, make sure your hire car is booked before arrival.
At the time of writing, during the summer there is a rail-drive service from Calais to Avignon and a direct passenger service every Saturday from London St. Pancras to Avignon and return.

Maps

Michelin maps 1cm: 2Km Nos. 245 & 81 cover Mollans.
More detailed maps are available in the house.

See Local guide and map for information on nearby towns and airports.