Hiking and cooking holiday in Provence

Patrick will greet you in his 18th century restored house, opposite the Baron d'Agoult's castle, which offers you incomparable comfort. Well sheltered in the heart of the Luberon and offering picturesque scenery, tradition and history.

Your hiking guides, Olivier & Linda, are young and energetic and will help you discover some hidden treasures of the Luberon.

Highlights of this trip include:

* 2 Great Hikes in The Luberon
* Wine tasting: wine of Luberon (Domaine de la Citadelle) and famous wine of Chateauneuf du Pape (Cellar of Château les fines Roches)
* Dinner in le Château les Fines Roches ***
* Visit of the Lavender Museum in Coustellet and Corkscrew Museum in Menerbes and Truffle and Wine House in Menerbes.
* Fun hands-on cooking classes
* Cheese tasting (selection of the best cheese from France and Provence) and Provençal olive oil tasting
* Beautiful and antique villages of Luberon with such a difference from one to the other and the beautiful landscapes of Provence
* The Pope Palace in Avignon.

Saturday: Guests are welcomed and shown their rooms. Lunch is offered and the itinerary is discussed. Guests are able to arrive at any time of the day. Dinner is served at about 8 PM.

Sunday: After a leisurely breakfast we depart for the country market of Coustellet, where the local produce for all our cooking is purchased. Afterwards we'll relax with drinks in a local café, followed by free time during the afternoon. At 4pm we come back together again and prepare our own Provençal dinner.

Monday: Leaving at 10am we have the choice of one of two hikes today - a Discovery tour of the Water Mills around Gordes (Duration: 2.45 Hours), or History of Stone around Goult (Duration: 2.30 Hours). Around 4pm we'll visit Roussillon; a picturesque hilltop village perched on a bed of red and yellow ochre, which has been used to colour the facades of its local buildings for many hundreds of years.

Tuesday: Visit the Borie village at Gordes and the dry stone shelters built by the local peasants and shepherds. Bories date back to the 13 century. Following this we will visit the village of Gordes itself, the local market and its castle which was rebuilt in the mid 16th century.

Wednesday: Time to go for a walk again! Today we'll be heading to the top of the Luberon to go hiking in Sivergues. It'll last around 2.45 hours. Back to Gianni’s farm-auberge in Sivergues at 6pm to admire the beautiful sunset on the Luberon Valley with aperitif and dinner at 7pm.
Thursday: Leave for the village of Menerbes, an ancient fortified town which was once a Protestant centre in the Vaucluse. From there on to the winery "Domaine de la citadelle" for some wine tasting. Hands-on cooking class at 4pm.

Friday: Visit to Avignon; The Palace of the Popes "the most beautiful and strongest house in the world!, and a symbol of the Church's influence over the western world during the 14th century. Lunch in Avignon followed by a visit to Château-neuf du Pape both for wine tasting and dinner.

Patrick Payet’s background includes managing Club Med and numerous Sheraton Hotels throughout the tropics, graduating from the school of Roger Vergé, and running his restaurant “Le Tonneau” for 17 years in the town of Goult, Provence. He has even had a cameo mention in Peter Mayle’s famous book, A Year in Provence as well as a small role in a Russell Crowe movie released in the summer of 2006.

Patrick and his team will be your constant companions accompanying the hikes, cooking classes, excursions, acting as guide and cultural liaisons, and offering great suggestions for when you want to go off on your own. Patrick often invites his local friends to join the group for dinner for a true and personal Provencal atmosphere.

Seven nights accommodations, welcome lunch, apertifs, all breakfasts and dinners, unlimited wine, cheese tasting, all excursions and fees associated with planned itinerary, four hands-on cooking lessons, two guided hikes in the Luberon.

You will be staying in the Patrick's own 18th century restored house situated opposite the Baron d’Agoult’s castle and which offers you incomparable comfort. Independant and charming furnished, each room has its own bathroom, toilet, kitchenette for the breakfast and provides ultimate comfort during the stay.

The Luberon area is one of the most typical and beautiful of Provence. Here you’ll find fields of lavender and vineyards, magnificent castles and churches, sunny village squares where Frenchmen in berets play boules, and friends sit in outdoor cafes. There are also expanses of wild natural beauty such as the ochre canyons, cedar forest, rivers, and valleys. Charming villages sprawl over hilltops that overlook the picturesque valleys.

Arrival & Depart: Avignon TGV or Marseille Airport. Guests must rent a car for free time and transportation to your holiday.