Welcome to the Raucoulière
An ideal location to visit Provence, a house (in the countryside with swimming pool) suitable for a holiday with family or friends.
Nicole and Gerard welcome you to their completely renovated house, situated in the calm countryside, amongst the tranquility of a pine
forest.
La Raucoulière, outside the village of Les Pennes-Mirabeau, is very well located:
- for a discovery of Provence, near 2 major tourist cities: Marseille and
Aix-en-Provence,
- for its proximity to many sites for sightseeing
- for its environment offering multiple cultural activities, easily access to
adventure sports, such as windsurfing, canyoning, other sports such as golf, and leisure activities.
You will be isolated from the crowds of tourists, while also being perfectly situated to easily access must-see Provence attractions . It is, however, essential to have or rent a vehicle as the house is isolated in the countryside. A large shaded garden with a swimming-pool, garden furniture and hammock awaits you at home when you are in need of R&R. There is ample parking in the property.
The luminous house is decorated with care, mixing modern design and country antiques. There are Air conditioning and wifi access in all the rooms. The 2 bedrooms are side by side and overlook the same mezzanine level, which is convenient for a stay of 4 or 5 people with family or friends. Guests have a private fridge at their disposal.
The house is the one in which we lived with and raised our two children and today we often receive our 3 grandchildren; so it integrates children's play area with games and toys.
A copious and gourmand breakfast
Breakfast is served, at the time decided the day before with the guests, and according to the season, either on the terrace or inside. The table is elegantly and tastefully set, and the majority of fresh produces used in our home come from local producers or fruits of our very own garden. You will also enjoy a lot of homemade products. Our carefully selected tea menu offers you a variety of choices: green teas, black teas, fruit teas or herbal teas. For our coffee lovers, Gerard, prepares it fresh according to your tastes, (light, strong, ...). For hot chocolates, we offer a famous chocolate of great quality. Most of our products are organic or from responsible/sustainable farming practitioners. We ensure a well balanced, nutritional, healthy breakfast, limiting , if not eliminating, manufactured and industrial products. With advanced warning, we can accommodate any dietary restrictions for breakfast.
Tips to immerse yourself in Provence
Nicole and Gerard, natives of the region, interested in its history and its traditions, make you discover all that makes Provence. The tourist brochures and information made available to you is supplemented with
all our personal recommendations, suggestions and tricks to make your visit an authentic Provence experience. Our guesthouse's ability to accommodate a limited amount of people, with only 2 rooms,
creates a cosy family atmosphere and gives you unlimited access to our local knowledge of the region.
In addition, we have hosted foreign students for 15 years, we have often received their families and, in turn,
welcomed us to their country. Always appreciating the richness of cultural exchanges, it is with great pleasure and enthusiasm that we welcome you to our home.
We also like to receive foreign executives managers who intend on relocating to the region for work. Nicole having made her career in Human Resources and understanding the needs of expatriate managers and the integration problems that may arise during relocation of families, aids them to discover the region and overcome the cultural obstacles of moving to a new country.
Vineyards and wines
Gérard, who has been participating for several years in oenology courses at the university, and vice-president of the association "Vignes et Vins", likes to share his passion for this discipline and wine tasting. No oenologist, no sommelier, no winegrower, no cellar master,
Gérard simply takes pleasure in exchanging ideas, thoughts and opinions about wine.
Hiking in Provence
Throughout the year, Gérard organizes hikes
and can advise you on the most beautiful trails of Provence, adapting the choice
to your experience level and what you wish to see in your trek. For years, hiking has been one of
his favorite activities. We had the tremendous experience of
"walking", the path of Compostela (1600 km from Puy-en-Velay to
Santiago de Compostela, Spain).
Cooking and decoration
Nicole loves to prepare specialties of Provencal cooking and will be delighted to share her recipes, with you.
She is passionate about interior decorating, searching for antiques at second hand, creating and making patina on old furniture, working with colors. Nicole is also interested in contemporary design, its materials, the purity of its lines and shapes and appreciates the mix and contrast of different eras.