Dear Friends,
We're excited to share that Meli Melo Travel just completed two wonderful back-to-back tours in Provence - and we are still walking on clouds from the experience!
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Our charming hotel, Mas de Carassins, in Saint-Remy-de-Provence (above)
We hosted six guests each week, and it was an unbelievable joy for Bernard and myself to share the exquisite beauty, rich history, and outstanding food and wine of La Belle Provence with each group. We hired professional local guides in each town we visited - from Arles to Aix, and Cassis to the Luberon. We enjoyed a cooking class and wine tasting in Chateauneuf-du-Pape (in a 12th century cave, no less!), learned to make croissant, macarons, and lemon tarts from a french pastry chef, dined at a five-star inn housed in a stunningly beautiful Chateau, picnicked in the foothills of Mont Saint VIctoire, made famous by resident artist Paul Cezanne, and played a fiercely competitive game of boule, with coaching by a local boule master.
A highlight was shopping at open-air markets, which are so legendary in Provence, especially in our town, Saint-Remy-de-Provence and Aix-en-Provence, where one can find not only gorgeous-looking, in-season produce and locally made goat cheeses, olive oils, tapenades, and more, but also clothing, books, and Provencal-patterned linens. These markets are famous in the region and locals find their weekly provisions there.
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Also a particular highlight was our small-boat tour from the exquisite fishing village of Cassis along the spectacular limestone inlets, called "Calanques." Each week, we timed our tour to coincide with dusk so that we'd catch the cliffs lit by the impending sunset. We also caught sunset from up high, overlooking the village and the Calanques, after trekking up the popular "Route des Cretes."
We have so much more to tell. But better yet, we'd like to share it firsthand with you!
We are planning to return next spring with at least two tours:
April 30 to May 8, 2018 - Provence and Montpellier with Jennifer and Charlotte, a tennis pal of Jennifer's who is from Montpellier and now lives in Carlisle, Mass. This tour will feature some casual tennis at Charlotte's club in Montpellier.
May 9 to May 17, 2018 - Yoga and Hiking Tour in Provence (based in Saint Remy) with yoga instructor Cathy Mandrioli (www.yogainyourhomewithcathy).
... and we could offer more tours, depending on interest.
So please let us know if you'd like to join us! We could also accommodate private tours of 6, if you'd like to organize a Provence tour just for your family or friends.
For more information, please contact Jennifer at melimelotravel@gmail.com. Also, you might wish to follow Meli Melo Travel on Facebook and Instagram and to sign up for our newsletter.
Merci et a bientot!
Jennifer