Discover Provence Ride
Provence - Southern France

Welcome to the sunshine and romance of Provence. If you ever dream of Southern France - riding through fields of lavender and inhaling the fragrance of rosemary and thyme, riding gently on wonderful Andalusian or French horses; if you ever imagined staying at an 18th-century Bastide country estate with luxury rooms and incredible Provence cooking - then this is the ride for you.
Discover the charm of the Provence countryside: magnificent views, romantic villages, old castles… and of course lavender fields !
After a first day ride to “Sillans la cascade”, we carry on with 3 riding days through vineyards and on crests overlooking fields of olive trees. The next days, we ride through forest of old oaks and rosemary bushes to reach medieval villages where we discover by horse the narrow streets, let the horses drink in antique fountains and visit a Provencal market. Every evening, we come back home by horse or minibus to swim in the heated swimming pool (May to September) before a cocktail, a gourmet dinner and a relaxing night in the luxurious and charming rooms of our Provencal Bastide.

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Rates include accommodations, all meals, wine during dinner, 5.5 riding days.
7 days/ 6 nights $
High Season          $ 1,885   
-- based on € 1,325
Mid Season           $ 1,695  
 -- based on € 1,195
Low Season           $ 1,365   
-- based on  € 955
Lavender Bloom   $ 1,925  
-- based on  € 1,355

Single room if requested:  +$ 255   -- € 180
Upgrade to Mediterranee Room:  $185 (Euro 130)
Non-Riders:  -$450 lodging,  breakfast & dinner

2007 Dates:  
09/23-09/29   09/30-10/06   10/07-10/13  
10/14-10/20  10/21-10/27   10/28-11/03  
11/04-11/10   11/11-11/17  
2008 Dates:  
03/23-03/29    04/06-04/12    04/20-04/26
04/27-05/03    05/04-05/10    05/11-05/17
05/18-05/24    05/25-05/31    06/01-06/07
06/08-06/14    06/15-06/21    06/22-06/28
06/29-07/05    07/06-07/12    07/13-07/19
07/20-07/26    07/27-08/02    08/03-08/09
08/10-08/16    08/17-08/23    08/24-08/30
08/31-09/06    09/07-09/13    09/14-09/20
09/21-09/27    09/28-10/04    10/05-10/11
10/12-10/18    10/19-10/25    10/26-11/01
11/09-11/15
see availability

Accommodations: see rooms below
Riding:   see ' a typical riding day'

Itinerary
Day 1 : Sunday   If you arrive on your own, meeting time is 2:30 PM at the inn  (Salernes en Provence 83, France) for an afternoon ride. If you have booked a transfer, we pick you up at Nice Côte d’Azur international airport (at 1 PM, inside terminal 1 near the aquarium) or at “Les Arcs Draguignan” TGV train station (at 2 PM)  After getting your room we meet at the stables where your guide will show you how to prepare your horse, groom him and tack him as you will do every day, with our help whenever needed. We believe that grooming is the start of a good relationship with a horse and is the best way to construct mutual respect and confidence. We start by riding in the village of Sillans the cascade, under the castle of the Counts de Castellane and the ramparts, and we reach the 42 meters high cascade. We continue our ride with a canter in a beautiful hillside forest and we cross a river before reaching our home. Dinner at “the inn on the terrace near the swimming pool or in our magnificent arched room to taste our homemade Provencal cuisine.
Day 2 : Today our ride leads us to an old village nested at the foot of a cliff and overlooked by two Middle Age towers. In the cliff flows a spring between old cave-dwellers’ houses and caves.  We have picnic near a spring, close to a small basin under the shadow of the trees. In the afternoon, we return to our home cantering on pleasant forest trails and in the vineyards.  You will have time to relax or to swim in our heated swimming pool (May to September) before dinner at our home. Today is a special dinner as we will taste several local olive oils.
Day 3 : After breakfast we drive you to the village to visit a typical Provencal market.  You will find in the market and in the shops around all the Provencal products, from fabrics to olive oil, and you will be surprised by all the fresh products we have in this beautiful area. Late morning, we meet our horses and we ride in the forest where we can canter on some nice sandy trails before stopping for lunch under very tall old oaks. We will be back late afternoon for a relaxing evening, dinner and night.
Day 4 : French buffet breakfast with homemade jam, warm croissants and tasty “baguette” bread. After a nice ride through vineyards, we arrive at our picnic place, close to an old village famous for its overlooking view and its numerous fountains where we take the horses to drink. After lunch, we ride in olive trees fields to reach home for a relaxing end of afternoon and why not a cocktail near the pond or the swimming pool before dinner and night.
Day 5 :  Today we ride in a nice landscape with rivers and hills and on a crest from where we can see several miles around. After picnic, we ride across vineyards and forests where you will smell the rosemary and thyme fragrances. During the season when the lavender fields are in flower (part of June and July), the program is modified to ride through the lavender fields.  By the end of the afternoon we ride back for dinner and night.
Day 6 :  After our traditional buffet breakfast, we go for a special day with a lot of impressive views over the Provencal countryside. We reach a nice river for our picnic and we carry on to cross one of the oldest villages of the area before riding back. For our last dinner together, we have a wine tasting session. We will show you (and you will taste !) several French wines from different areas : “Côtes de Provence”, “Bordeaux”, “Côtes du Rhône”, “Beaujolais” etc
Day 7 : End of the stay after breakfast, the last opportunity to taste our warm croissants and homemade jams.  Check out time is 9.30 AM.
For those who have booked a transfer, we drop you at Nice Côte d’Azur airport (terminal 1 at 11 AM) or at “Les Arcs Draguignan” TGV train station (10 AM).

Lavender Bloom weeks:
After a first day ride around “Sillans la cascade”, we carry on with a 3 day mini-trek leading us to the north, the old village of Artignosc, the lake, the wonderful Verdon lower canyon and the lavender fields in flower of Valensole.
We leave the horses for 2 nights at a friends place while the riders go back home by minibus for a gourmet dinner, a swim in the heated swimming pool and a good night at our wonderful Bastide.
Each of the next days, we ride through forest of old oaks, pine trees and rosemary bushes to reach a medieval village where we discover by horse the narrow streets, let the horses drink in the antique fountains and visit the Provencal market when available.

View Slide Show:     Horseback
View Slide Show:     Lodging  & Interiors
View Slide Show:     Scenery

Provence
- colors of the sun
¨ Open view on the pond
¨ Twin beds (or double bed upon request at time of booking)
¨ Non-smoking room
¨ Multilingual satellite TV
¨ Mini bar, safe box & hair Dryer
¨ Bathrobes
 

Lavande
- softness and serenity
Open view on the pond
¨ Twin beds (or double bed upon request at time of booking)
¨ One sofa convertible into a double bed
¨ Separate toilets
¨ Non-smoking room
¨ Multilingual satellite TV
¨ Mini bar, safe box, hair dryer & bathrobes
 

Pompei
- the Roman atmosphere
¨ Twin beds (or double bed upon request at time of booking)
¨ Non-smoking room
¨ Multilingual satellite TV
¨ Mini bar, safe box, hair dryer & bathrobes
 

Camargue
-old stones and spirit of the ancient horses
Twin beds (or double bed upon request at time of booking)
¨ One sofa convertible into a one person bed
¨ Non-smoking room
¨ Multilingual satellite TV
¨ Mini bar, safe box, hair dryer & bathrobes

A typical riding day...

8:15 : breakfast and preparation of the picnic. We supply each rider with a water bottle and a box to carry his picnic. Both bottle and box fit in the saddle bags.

9:00 : meeting at the stables. Each rider go fetch his horse in his corral and prepare him : brushing, feet cleaning and tacking.

9:45 : start of the morning ride (2 or 3 hours in the saddle).

Around 12:00 / 13:00 : picnic stop. Each rider take the saddle off his horse. The stop last between 1 and 2 hours, even 3 hours during the hot months.

Between 13:00 & 15:00 : start of the afternoon ride (2 or 3 hours in the saddle). Before riding each rider prepare his horse.

Around 18:00 / 19:00 : arrival at « Les Cyprès de l’étang » or at a friend place (in this case a minibus takes the riders back to « Les Cyprès de l’étang »). Each rider takes care of his horse : take the saddle off, brush or shower him, put grease on the hoofs and take him back to his coral.

19:00 to 20:00 : free time to rest, swim in the pool …. Or whatever you want.

20:00 : cocktail for the ones who wish followed by a « table d’hôtes » gourmet dinner.

Minimum riding ability required
Riders must be able :
* to trot and canter on trails
* to stay in the saddle up to 6 hours
   per day for several consecutive days
* to walk beside the horse when needed
* to mount and dismount unassisted
* to tack and groom the horse
   (with our help the first days)