Submitted: June 21, 2010
Stayed: May 2010
Dear Valerie,
We just returned from a great two week stay at your home in Bar sur Loup, France. We have never had such a well-appointed rental property, nor one with such a fabulous view. It was a joy waking up to the incredible sight of the Gorges du Loup right outside our bedroom window. Everything inside made us feel right at home.
The town of Bar-sur-Loup is quite picturesque and quiet. It is not full of tourists, but nevertheless has a fine Tourist Information office, which I visited almost daily to discuss the day’s upcoming adventures. Our day always started off with a couple of fresh croissants and an espresso right in the village at the boulangerie.
The village is very well situated, as you know, close to many other picturesque villages. We hiked all the way up to our favorite, Gourdon, which is accessible by a well-marked trail, known as the Chemin du Paradis, which is very aptly named. Another trail also took up to Pont du Loup, which runs right along the river Loup and is the home to a large candy manufacturer, Florian Confiserie. We enjoyed the tour and the samples of this traditional manufacturer of all things sweet.
Other nearby villages we enjoyed were Tourettes-sur-Loup, a medieval town, and St. Paul de Vence, a walled pedestrian city with some of the best art galleries I have ever seen. Just outside of St. Paul is the renowned Fondation Maeght, housing a large collection of contemporary artwork, including pieces by Miro and Chagall. Other cute towns, all with farmer’s markets, included Valbonne and Colle du Loup. We also enjoyed Grasse, a ten-minute car or bus ride from the village. It has a nice old town, and three major perfume manufacturers, all of whom offer tours.
We did spend a couple of days exploring the much more crowded French Riviera, particularly Nice, Cannes and Antibes. I recommend taking the nearby bus to Cannes and Nice to avoid the heavy traffic in those cities.
We were always pleased to return to Bar after our jaunts down on the coast. It felt like home: peaceful and authentic. There are a few really excellent restaurants in the village, and the owners were always very happy to talk with us. We particularly liked “L’Ecole des Filles” and “L’Hostellerie du Château.” There’s even a remarkably good take-out pizza place right around the corner from the house.
The time went much too quickly, and we look forward to our next visit to this little slice of heaven.
Helpful votes: 4/4
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
No
