Hosts: Andre and Helga van Velsen

Guestrooms: 4

Address: Domaine de la Barraque, 7539, Route de Vinon 83560 St. Julien le Montagnier, Var, Provence, France

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Telephone: 33 (0)492822056

Activities/Attractions: This part of the Provence is not very touristy, it's more agricultural and nature is savage. Olive trees, thyme and rosemary grow on the red soil mixed with stones, exposed to the sun and endure -15C in winter nights. The hills are ensuring beautiful hiking tracks with spectacular views.

People in this area are very friendly and helpful and, although they don't speak many languages, you will experience that with a smile and some elaborate gestures you'll get what you were hoping for. In restaurants the owner/chef invites you to try out local delicacies and is proud to meet you.

Having a few relaxing laps in our saltwater swimming pool, or a stroll through our hills in the afternoon to built up some appetite is not a bad way to spend your holiday. If you are looking for other possibilities you can go fishing in the little stream which crosses our territory or in the Verdon. Windsurfing, swimming or canoeing (or taking out our electrical boat) on the Lac d'Esparron or the Lac de Ste. Croix which gives spectacular views on the rocks where little beaches provide an opportunity to enjoy your lunch and to finish that nice bottle of rose.

For the more active we have 2 mountain bikes, but please be careful with high summer temperatures: the hills are not very forgiving. There is a magnificent golf course at Pierrevert where we strongly advise you to follow the local tradition and have lunch in between the 9th and the 10th hole. They have a good restaurant and a beautiful clubhouse.

Our neighbors run a riding school and organise outdoor tours. You can play tennis on the courts of Vinon sur Verdon or La Verdiere. Of course you can play 'jeux de boules' on the town square in any village you cross or make a tour to take a look at the country site with the lavender fields at Valensole or Puimoisson.

We have a number of books with designated walks (hikes) in the region. Some of them are very challenging (Le Martel and the Inbut) but all of them give you a chance to check out this beautiful countryside. You are welcome to explore our 170 ha, or make a nice one hour walk to Vinon or Greoux les Bains alongside the riverbanks. Both villages have several nice restaurants.

Carting is possible at Manosque (18 km). Vinon sur Verdon has a famous glider airport where you can take a course. The health springs of Greoux les Bains are well known and welcome visitors almost the whole year around. And there are loads of nice drives in the region, either with your own car or our vintage Citroen DS; a car which is made for these winding roads. Lavender fields at Valensole, the historic museum of Quinson with its dinosaurs or one of those infamous markets of the Provence.

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General Information: Welcome to Domaine de la Barraque Guesthouse in Provence, France ... located 10 minutes from Vinon sur Verdon, 20 minutes from Manosque and 45 minutes from Aix en Provence. We are situated on a private property of 170 hectares (350 acres) on the outskirts of the Gorges du Verdon, in the middle of thyme, rosemary, olive trees and lavender country.

The property consists of 110 hectares of wild countryside, a small stream and 60 hectares of agricultural fields where we grow rye, corn or sunflowers. You are welcome to roam around and enjoy the different views. Huge old oak trees give you a great opportunity for a quiet place to read or a nice picnic. Our next door neighbors live 4 km away. The region offers a lot of fantastic hiking trails.

• The guesthouse has several terraces, with different places to hide from the sun or to work on your tan
  
• It used to be a sheep shed and it is constructed of the famous huge boulders of the Provence
  
• We have completely gutted it and nowadays the ground floor consists of an entrance hall with two toilets, a large kitchen, a dining room and a living room (60 mē) with an open fire place, a bar and French doors leading to the terrace adjacent to the pool
  
• The 'infinity' saltwater pool measures 5 x 11 m, giving you an uninterrupted view of the lavender bank in front
  
• On the other side of the pool is a nice lawn, where a hundred year old oak tree, a linden and an olive tree offer some dappled shade
  
• The combination of 200 sunny days per year, starry, starry (cool) nights and some fantastic dinners will give you a 'joie de vivre' which will last for a long time after your holidays
  
• The hayloft has been converted into 2 apartments, each with a small kitchen and a separate bedroom
  
• And in addition to these there are two double rooms
  
• All four bathrooms have floor heating
  
• The house is centrally heated for those cool spring and autumn days
  
• We can arrange a driver/guide by the day if you don't want to face French traffic
  
• And we will pick you up from Marseille airport or Aix en Provence TGV station if needed
  
• Languages spoken: English, Dutch, French, German, Indonesian, Polish
  

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Dogs are welcome and can roam around freely, unless they chase our donkeys or hunt. However, they are not allowed on the first floor of our guesthouse (bedrooms); therefore they have to sleep in the kitchen with our dogs or downstairs in their own cage. We have two Labradors and a Terrier, all over-friendly (ex)ladies.

Payment Accepted: Visa, MasterCard.

Rates: (Prices quoted in Euros).

€100/night (Guesthouse)
€400-500/week

€120-140/night (Apartments)
€550-720/week

Prices are inclusive breakfast, bed linen, towels, cleaning costs, electricity. Minimum stay two nights.

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