Madly picturesque villages are a central feature of the Provençal landscape, and if the idea of staying in one rather than simply visiting for the day appeals to you, then we think you’ll love Maison Beatrice.

The house is new (2022), though built with such painstaking respect for local style and materials that you’d be hard pushed to date it from the outside. Everywhere you look, the finish is immaculate, from the bottle green shutters to the trendy, top spec French navy kitchen that’s just crying out for a family party or some foodie friends to put it to the test. The rest of the house is equally chic, decked out in warm neutrals for a blissfully restful atmosphere.

Villa Beatrice sits in the heart of Eygalières, yet somewhat unusually for a village house, you still get a beautiful, lavender-filled courtyard garden with its own pool to enjoy. Naturally there’s space for outdoor dining, and with an outdoor market, baker, butcher, cheese shop all just moments away in the village, lazy lunches could not be easier. Eygalières also has several highly respected restaurants to discover, and whilst it’s not as well known as some of the larger Provençal towns, this relative obscurity has led one or two quietly famous names to set up discreet homes here, which we rather love…actually!

Good to know: If this property is unavailable on your preferred date, you might want to consider adjoining Maison Aurore, which belongs to the same owner and is finished to the same very high standard.

Local Area

For daily shopping, Eygalières has all you need, and Friday sees the market come to town with all the splendid flavours and colours that brings. It’s a lovely little place, built like so many in this area on a limestone outcrop that affords classic Provençal views over the surrounding fields, vineyards and Alpilles mountain range. Just a five-minute drive away is delightful Saint-Rémy de Provence, full of cafes, restaurants and speciality shops. It was near here that Van Gogh spent his final days and painted some of his most famous works including Starry Night and Irises. He was cared for by the monks at Saint Paul de Mausole monastery, which now has a small exhibition dedicated to Van Gogh. If artworks don’t appeal, then you can head for the hills and gently rolling landscapes of the Parc Naturel Régional des Alpilles. This scenic area offers marked walking trails through vineyards and olive groves, a wonderful way to spend the day in the cooler spring and autumn months. Avignon is worth a full day out, with a fantastic food market and the UNESCO-classified Petit Palais museum as well as the celebrated ‘pont.’

Our choice of French properties is diverse, ranging from simple charm to genuine luxury and style. Much of our portfolio is privately owned, and price alone is therefore not a universal guide. We contract all our accommodation in person, and each property has its individual appeal.

To help you make the right choice based on your own priorities, we have devised a simple grading guide to be considered in conjunction with each individual property description, awarding up to a maximum of five stars for the below categories.