Bons plans pour les vacances

In three weeks' time, we would be in the south of France soaking the sun, I hope. We are seeing the first signs of spring, yes, even in Paris. Days are longer, buds are appearing on trees and our neighbours' cats are taking more walks outdoors.

We are heading to Provence! It may be too early to dive into the vast lavender beds but we're going back to Provence in September for a real holiday.

To be exact, we'll be stationed at the Montpellier city during the long Easter weekend. We found a reasonable package of flight + hotel + rented car through Voyage SNCF, which is a good substitute for a train package deal as the flight is not costing much more than the train from Paris to Montpellier.

As I did some research on vacations in the south, I stumbled upon gîte lodgings that are let by the week. The good thing about staying in a gîte is that you have the option of making your own meals as it comes with full kitchen facilities. In anywhere in the world except Asia, eating out is usually more expensive than preparing your own meal. With this possibility, you have more room to manouevre your holiday costs within your budget. This is perhaps more important to those who are determined to spend within their budget and yet still able to enjoy their holiday.

We didn't hesitate to book a gîte right away for our holiday in September when we saw Mas de Grasset. The gîte is an individual house with a private garden in the heart of Provence, between Saint Rémy and les Baux de Provence. The prices are reasonable and the owners are friendly. This is perfect as we love the countryside and it is not far from the historical Avignon.

Half of the vacation is planned for visiting monuments and natural sites, and we will spend the rest of the time enjoying the local produce such as discovering, tasting and buying aromatic herbs, olive oil, lavender soap, wine and pottery and textile directly from the farms or producers.