Maison Marie, a vacation home rental in Provence

From Two Sisters to You

The childhood home of the owner, this family-friendly villa for rent in Provence is filled with happy memories. The home’s five private bedroom and bath suites and its sunshiney communal spaces have been thoughtfully updated from the days when the owner and her sister romped around it, with the addition of designer furniture, upscale art works, and the magnificently manicured Mediterranean garden and its serenely modern pool house.

Owners Marie and Antoine created their collection of homes to be far more than vacation rentals, and the fact that this sweet Provençal villa was Marie’s childhood home demonstrates the couple’s dedication to creating personalized holiday experiences that impart a sense of familiarity and ease. Each of their homes has been lovingly converted into a place for creating happy memories, and that this home served as the background for Marie’s happy childhood makes it an even more desirable destination!

Functionality, practicality and conviviality were at the core of this remodel. Today, the saturated colors of Provence greet you both indoors and out, where terracotta and sage green walls create a welcoming embrace. Picture windows dominate the convivial, open-plan living and kitchen area, and the big glass openings occupy each of the room’s many angles. The living room benefits from high-pitched ceilings, too, and features a breezy décor style. Modern accents and eye-catching, mid-century-inspired furnishings adjoin a casual dining table and kitchen bar, and the dining room opens out to an alfresco entertaining area with a wide, built-in plancha for grilling while overlooking the garden and turquoise pool (the latter fitted with a security gate for added safety for the little ones).

Four bedrooms in the main house feature super-king beds and en-suite bathrooms. Upstairs, a bedroom and bathroom suite is outfitted with two single beds, and an additional bedroom, bathroom and kitchen are located in the pool house, which is reached via pebbled pathways lined by cypress trees and neatly trimmed shrubs. The poolhouse is vivid, sleek and contemporary, a gallery-like space where contemporary art and sculpture pop off bone-white walls and floors offset by generous glass sliders. A deep soaking tub dominates the bathroom here, and a fully-equipped second kitchen makes poolside entertaining a cinch.

Around

Set walking distance from the picturesque hilltop village of Pernes-les-Fontaines, so named for its 41 ancient fountains, this villa for rent in Provence offers a manicured Mediterranean getaway in a lesser-known corner of the region. Pernes-les-Fontaines features a dedicated fountain discovery footpath that also takes walkers through the village’s steep, narrow streets, home to postcard-pretty 17th- and 18th-century residences, the ruins of a Chateau dungeon, a fortified 15th-century gateway, and the village’s original clock tower and covered market.

Nearby, the village of L’Isle sur la Sorgue has gained notoriety for its colorful Sunday antiques and open-air food and crafts market. Each week, the town overflows with treasure hunters who browse the approximately 300 market stalls along the town’s canal-backed streets. Other recommendations include Provence’s favorite hilltop towns, Gordes, Ménerbes, Bonnieux and Lacoste, the rugged peaks of the Vaucluse region including Mount Ventoux, and plenty of outdoor recreation activities.

This is the South of France, so no visit would be complete without taking in the many culinary tasting and touring options and sipping the region’s mineraly rosés and other wines. For a more urban experience, Avignon offers historical sites such as its famous bridge and papal palace, museums, restaurants, cafes, and nightlife.