This was probably the most attractive rural rental we've had in our many visits to Provence.

Le Monastier is located on a quiet, semi-rural road on the edge of La Barben. You are 12 minutes from the motorway, 10 minutes from the superb Leclerc supermarket. (No supermarket in North America comes close to this for selection, quality and price)

We were well located for easy day trips: to view the "calanques" near Marseille, to the Luberon Valley, to the magical Serre- Poncon dam NE of Sisteron and to the Gorges de la Nesque N of the Luberon.

There are simple restaurants nearby, though our discriminating hosts urged us to drive farther for a really good meal, which we did.

A spacious and historic property, Le Monastier has been renovated to a very high standard. The entry to the property and the garden areas are beautifully designed and well maintained. The property is secured with an electric gate.

The owners live on site, so are available to assist you whenever you need it. We found Laurence and Gilles very welcoming, charming, helpful and responsive.

They encouraged us to use the whole property -- but they and their family were unobtrusive. (The garden and pool area are shared spaces. We never used the pool, though it was still open in late October)

Inside the rental property: the 2 sitting areas are very well furnished -- decorated with great chic in a comfortable, sometimes whimsical style.

The kitchen is spacious and new. Glassware, dishware and cutlery are of high quality. The refrigerator door is a bit awkward to open but overall it's a functional workspace in which we prepared meals for 2 sets of lunch guests. In France, renters supply all their own cooking materials (even salt and pepper) but if you lack anything, Laurence encourages you to ask for it.

We used only 1 one of the 2 bedrooms and baths but I can affirm that both were well equipped, with good quality linens and towels. I liked the firm bed in the room we used.

The shower in our bathroom drained slowly -- a minor issue.

We did not use the TV. The WiFi is reliable and seems to work in the garden as well.

Elderly visitors and parents with small children should be aware that there are 3 sets of steep stairs. It was not a problem for us (ages 62 and 70) but our legs did get a certain amount of exercise.

Un gros merci to Laurence and Gilles for their warm welcome at Le Monastier.