Les Petitons – village rental house for 6

The house has an inside-outside feel with most rooms opening to the sheltered courtyard garden. It’s a fun place with jacuzzi outside and even has its own bar room. The converted barn gives another space with shade or shelter from rain.

Living Room: Opening out to the courtyard, the air-conditioned living room has sofa and ottoman, and open staircase (protected by a barrier) to the upstairs.

Kitchen: Also opening onto the courtyard garden, and well equipped with oven, 4-ring stove, microwave, American fridge-freezer, dishwasher, food processor, coffee machine and Nespresso.

Dining Room: With dining table and fireplace, between living room and bar.

Bar: With authentic zinc-top bar, wine fridge and TV, a place for evening fun, with door out to the garden and jacuzzi.

TV Room: Upstairs is a snug room with TV (Canal+ and some English-language channels), DVD library for all ages, and Playstation 3. The house has WiFi throughout.

The house sleeps 6 people in 3 bedrooms, with 2 bathrooms. Two bedrooms are upstairs and one is on the ground floor.

Bedroom 1: Upstairs, the master bedroom has a 1.6m/5.25ft-wide bed, TV/DVD and a sitting area. It shares the downstairs bathroom.

Bedroom 2: The second upstairs bedroom is a big air-conditioned room with a double bed and has a door out onto a mezzanine study area set under the covered part of the courtyard.

Bedroom 3: On the ground floor, opening onto the courtyard garden, with a 1.4m/4.6ft-wide double bed, and a dressing room with cross trainer fitness machine.

Bathroom 2: The upstairs bathroom has shower, basin and WC and is en-suite to Bedroom 2.

With its walled courtyard garden, which is not overlooked, the outside space at Les Petitons blends with the inside. The garden is a lush, green space with the shade of a pine tree, the outside jacuzzi/hot tub under a pergola, and both shaded and sunny spots to relax in.

One shaded corner has the comfortable outdoor sofa and armchair, and in another is the hammock. Outdoor dining is by the kitchen, or in the cool of the barn which has a mezzanine floor with a relaxing reading/study area and one wall opening to the garden.

The courtyard has the relaxing sound of the fountain, and at night atmospheric lighting sets the mood. For outdoor cooking there are the plancha and deep-fat fryer.

Les Petitons is in a quiet setting between the villages of Oppede and Oppede-le-vieux, and walkable to both with their restaurants, cafes and bakery.

The two Oppedes are quite different in character: Oppede-le-vieux, perched halfway up the Luberon mountain, is the original medieval village dating back 1000 years or so, and is a fascinating time-locked glimpse into the past, with no hint of modernity allowed inside the walls. You can walk up to the church and castle ruins above the village for a spectacular view over the Luberon valley.

Down in the valley the new Oppede is where the population descended to in the last century, and this is a completely untouristy, authentic Provence village with two restaurants and a bar, bakery and tennis courts. Oppede is a calm and well-positioned base from which to explore the region’s highlights.