 Maison Désirée – the house we so long desired – is our vacation home in Provence. It is in Sablet, a village dating to medieval times that is nestled among vineyards of the Côtes-du-Rhône appellation near Orange, only a few minutes south of the historic town of Vaison-la-Romaine.Sablet is small, tidy and quiet, with church bells tolling the hour from seven in the morning to midnight. There are two bakeries, two butchers, a presse where you can buy the morning newspaper in different languages, a café and a good restaurant that serves sturdy Provençal fare. Not to be overlooked is the little cave des vignerons where you can buy for at bargain prices full, fruity local reds and fragrant rosés produced by local winegrowers under the highly regarded Sablet, Gigondas and Séguret appellations. Sablet has its own gentle, Provençal rhythm that we love. We rise to blue skies and brilliant sunshine, take the two-minute walk to the village square to buy a fresh baguette and croissants, stop by the épicerie for peaches and tomatoes raised by local farmers, then perhaps visit the presse to pick up one of the Parisian dailies and the International Herald Tribune. With so much to do in this beautiful and fascinating region - visits to Roman ruins, vineyards, medieval towns, cooking classes, open-air markets in nearby villages – what happens next is anybody's guess. All three stories of Maison Désirée were entirely renovated in 2001. A formal living and dining room, foyer, four bedrooms and four modern tile baths fixtures, a perfectly equipped kitchen and a powder room are distributed over 330m2 (3,228 sq. ft.) of living space. The kitchen has a dishwasher, semi-professional Cornud stove and a full array of top-quality cookware for aspiring cooks. All bedding and linens are new and of good quality. Amenities include an American-style washer and dryer, full stereo system with CD player, satellite TV reception with CNN and BBC, fax machine with separate line, and multiple telephones. You can connect to the Internet through either of the two phone lines.
Maison Désirée is suitable for up to six occupants. We regret that because of the nature of the house and its furnishings, we do not accept children under ten years of age. When in Sablet we work (we have created a comfortable space to set up a laptop computer and get some serious writing done), explore new parts of Provence (the opportunities are limitless!), shop at local open-air markets and experiment with new recipes. We also entertain friends and simply - relax. We invite you to enjoy Provence as we do in the house we love so much. |
Provence is a region for all seasons, and Maison Désirée is comfortable at all times of year. French doors and wide windows admit plenty of air and sunshine in the warm months, and in the cool months the house is kept snug by a powerful gas-fueled central heating system. In the spring and summer we spend a lot of time on the wide outdoor terrace, where we enjoy meals under the shade of an ancient plantain tree in the courtyard.