The Domaine de Pont Royal is perfectly situated to explore Provence.
In the Luberon, you can visit some of France’s most beautiful villages (“Les Plus Beaux Villages de France”) including Lourmarin (25 kms from Pont Royal), Ménerbes (35 kms from Pont Royal), Gordes (37 kms from Pont Royal), Bonnieux (38 kms from Pont Royal) and Roussillon (47 kms from Pont Royal). Lourmarin was made famous by Peter Mayle’s book “A Year in Provence”. In the Luberon, you will find the endless rows of lavendar fields!
If you are interested in larger cities and towns, you will be within an easy reach of Aix-en-Provence (32 kms from Pont Royal), Avignon (47 kms from Pont Royal), Saint-Rémy-de-Provence (37 kms from Pont Royal) and Arles (57 kms from Pont Royal). If you are interested in Roman history, then you must visit Arles as their Roman and Romanesque Monuments has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Additionally, a visit to Glanum (just outside of Saint-Rémy-de-Provence) is a must. Another of France’s most beautiful villages is Les Baux-de-Provence (42 kms from Pont Royal) and is highly recommended. Alpilles, the area between Saint-Rémy-de-Provence and Les Baux-de-Provence, is filled with olive trees and known for their olive oils. If you are interested in antiques, then a visit to L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue (34 kms from Pont Royal) which has many antique shops and antique markets on most Sundays.
To visit the Mediterranean ocean, you can visit the “Calanque” area (83 kms from Pont Royal), which is between Marseille and Cassis and is beautiful. Another nice area is Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer (93 kms from Pont Royal) and in the Camargue area which is known for its salt and rice.
If you are interested in learning more about the Côtes-du-Rhône wines, then go to the villages of Châteauneuf-du-Pape (60 kms from Pont Royal) and Gigondas (67 kms from Pont Royal) to visit some vineyards and taste their wines. The village of Gigondas is perched on a side of mountain and is very beautiful to visit! There is a wine producer, Château Bas, within minutes of Pont Royal and they have very nice rosé wines!
If you do not want to leave the resort during your holiday, you can simply enjoy the sun by your private pool, try the five different restaurants and cafés on the resort, buy food at the bi-weekly open-air markets as well as the resort’s “épicerie” and wine bar/shop to prepare your meals at Villa Volnay, indulge at the L’Occitane spa at Moulin de Vernègues (four-star hotel, gastronomic restaurant and spa bordering the resort), play golf on the 18-hole championship golf course or the 6-hole practice golf course, improve your game by taking golf lessons at the David Leadbetter golf academy and enjoy the Pierre & Vacances amenities (additional charges apply). If you do not have a car during your stay in Provence, we can provide you with some local taxi companies who can collect you from (and take you to) local airport and/or train stations.
If you are interested in golf, then this is the perfect place as there is an 18-hole championship golf course designed by Severiano (Seve) Ballesteros and a David Leadbetter golf academy along with a world-class golf practice facility (large putting green, chipping green, pitching green and a large golf range) along with a short 6-hole golf course. The 18-hole course is a venue on the Challenge Tour and “Le Master 13 Allianz” tournament is held here in the fall every year. The following are the distances, SSS and Slope for each tee:
Black Tees (men): 6 303 meters, 75.1 SSS, 151 Slope
White Tees (men): 6 123 meters, 74.1 SSS, 151 Slope
Yellow Tees (men): 5 778 meters, 72 SSS, 149 Slope
Blue Tees (women): 5 169 meters, 74.4 SSS, 143 Slope
Red Tees (women): 4 847 meters, 72.5 SSS, 143 Slope
The following are some of the local restaurant recommendations:
- Le Café de la Fontaine (Lourmarin)
- Auberge La Fenière and Le Bistro (Cadenet)
- Auberge du Vieux Village (Mallemort)
- Auberge de Cheval Blanc (Cheval Blanc)
The following are some other restaurant recommendations:
- Lavault (Aix-en-Provence)
- Jardin Mazarin (Aix-en-Provence)
- La Fourchette (Avignon)
- L’Oustalet (Gigondas)
- La Cantina (Saint-Rémy-de-Provence)
- Le Miramar (Vieux Port Marseille)
Our local manager is at your disposal should you need any help with restaurant reservations.
The nearest grocery store is the “Intermarché” in Mallemort (5 kms from Pont Royal). The nearest pharmacy is also in Mallemort. There is an outdoor food market in Sénas on Saturdays and a market on Mondays in Cavaillon. The “Simply” supermarket is open on Sunday mornings in Sénas.
