"I just wanted to say that we had a lovely time in your villa last week - a mixed group of 3 couples containing 2 pregnant women and a toddler! The weather was fantastic and we didn't actually venture out too much as lazing by the pool was so nice. We enjoyed eating on the terrace every night and visiting the local cheese farm a couple of times! The villa is lovely and had everything we needed for a relaxing week, many thanks"
"Just a quick note to say we have just returned from our holiday in Chateaudouble, we had a lovely holiday, the house was fabulous and what views, to top that the weather was between 27 and 30 degrees each day according to the thermometer outside the front door. We only had one cloudy day and went to the coast but I have to say we much preferred the local area to the coast. We never ate inside the house at all. The children spent afternoons in the pool and loved this.
You really have made the house very welcoming for guests and have made a beautiful place to stay. Many thanks once again."
"Another super holiday in La Maison Lavande. Cannot fault the house. Good idea leaving essentials to tide over. Hope to return next year!"
"A lovely week in a glorious setting. Verdon Canyon amazing and definitely worth detouring to. The Boulanger went on holiday this week but bread from the little shop is available. Restaurant La Tour friendly and good food. Sad to be leaving…."
"We totally chilled out on our stay here, great views and the peace and quiet is wonderful. Lovely villa! Weather was glorious for our first week, followed by a rather wet and cloudy second week.
"We saw a whole array of animals during our stay from wild boars, wild deers, stray dogs, crickets, grass hoppers, dragon flies, fabulous coloured butterflies and not forgetting hundreds of millipedes! We had an amazing meal at Chez Bruno, a Michelin starred restaurant specialising in truffles on the outskirts of Lorgues. Overall very peaceful and quiet with an occasional drop in from the postman!"
"Beautifully situated villa. A comfortable and well equipped house and we thoroughly enjoyed our holiday. Chateaudouble Ampus Bargemon and Tour Tour all delightful"
"Had a wonderfully relaxing time, weather was spectacular - all week. Beautiful villa, views magnificent. We have never seen so many stars at night thank you very much au devoir"
"Lovely relaxing villa. Enjoyed the peace and quiet."
"Heaven!! Thank you so much for probably the most relaxing holiday ever! We are off home now, and we have a long drive home. Au revoir!!"
"What a lovely holiday. Its done us both good - a complete break. The weather has been generally very hot and sunny but a bit windy at times. We have enjoyed the villa and particularly the setting. When the pool is quiet so is everything. Our daughter, husband and granddaughter joined us for a long weekend and plenty available for our little one" Found Château double a very friendly village especially Restaurant La Tour. Both the bar and food were excellent and again friendly. Would recommend it. Just the holiday and place we were looking for way back in January".
"Fantastic holiday, weather apart from the first couple of days has been perfect. House is fabulous very tastefully decorated. Pool in the second week was warm enough to venture into! The views were fabulous and the location was great. Lots of great places to visit and things to do. Our only grumble would be the mattress in the main bedroom was very uncomfortable; everything else perfect. Would definitely come back".
"A wonderful holiday in a great villa with fantastic views enjoyed when eating al fresco when the weather allowed" We have experienced almost every weather possible this holiday from 28+ degrees to 9 degrees C, sun, rain, thunder and lightening, hail and today (12.6.08 even had snow lying at the side of the road as we returned from yet another superb ice cream at Tour Tour. We have learned that the weather is often very localised so to get in the car you can find another climate not too far away!! Great to have all the info on local markets but watch the prices at some - you may need a second mortgage!! Swimming pool great, but rather chilly! Great to have dishwasher and laundry facilities. We found the local people very friendly. Thank you Philippa and Graeme for a wonderful base to explore Provence and the coast.
"We woke up to a lovely sunny morning - amazing views and a first rate house. We have had two weeks and have enjoyed every minute. Lets hope the journey home is ok. Thanks for everything - especially leaving the pool open for us. We didn’t go beyond the ankles but it was lovely to sit and imagine".
"A little piece of heaven. Décor superb, could stay forever, hope we can stay for longer next time. Suzanne very helpful. A great villa with all needs met. Cannot say anymore".
"We have had a great week enjoying a beautiful house and view. Weather brilliant. Fantastic trip to St Tropez using Bateaux Verts from St Maxine. Beautiful views in the Gorge du Verdon. Had a lovely meal at La Tour in Châteaudouble but it got chilly - take a jacket! Boulangerie in village closes at 10.00 am some days, we recommend getting there early! House was really well equipped, great library! Didn’t see pool man at all. Had to hoover centipedes out every morning! Thank you! enjoy your holidays!"
"We have had a lovely time in your beautiful villa. Weather fantastic - encouraged us all to be lazy except George our 18 month old. We would have appreciated a fan in the twin rooms - otherwise perfect. Your neighbours dog appears to have adopted us".
"This is our seventh visit to this area and found this villa beautiful! Weather super until the last two days but by then we were so relaxed we didn’t care! We found the pool noisy throughout the day but solved it after talking to our very pleasant pool man. Lots of fates and activities going on around us so there is always something to see and do - if you can bear to leave these lovely tranquil surroundings. We would love to come back some time"
"Villa fantastic, well equipped, gorgeous views. Enjoyed the pool. Weather has been great. We agree with other people if it cloudy here go to the beach (Agay) for sunshine. It is worth the ten minute walk to the village for a drink or two and the food at "La Tour" is fantastic. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did and enjoy the beer in the fridge!! Sorry to be going home hopefully we will be back!"
p.s. Sorry Philippa and Graeme for phoning you about the fan on the cooker.
"The house is gorgeous and very comfortable! The layout worked well for both families and was very child friendly. We all had such a good time. The weather was perfect lounging by the pool and eating dinner as the sun set over the breathtaking view. Stunning! The pool was great, have lots of good memories and the restaurant in the village is lovely. We had many good trips out to Tour Tour with great views, some very good restaurants in Aups (Auberge de la Tour) and people watching in St Tropez."
"The holiday was ace. I love the furniture, especially the wardrobe and chair in the big bedroom! The weather was dead hot through the two weeks and the bedrooms were roasting at night! The kids liked watching Cbeebies before going to bed and the pool was brilliant. Friendly pool cleaners and your neighbour is too. The view is lovely and it is nice that the village view just fits between the bushes! Thanks for a brilliant holiday!"
p.s. beware of the wasps and hornets!
"We have had an amazing stay. Enjoyed the villa, the view, the pool - everything including the neighbours lovely dog. Tried to take her home however we recon she worked out we were English and took us for a tour of the village! Very amusing!! Weather has been fantastic and look forward to returning again.
p.s. your neighbour is also very friendly and speaks great English"
"Had a great time - loved the villa and pool and amazing views. A lot of care and attention has obviously gone into this place. Had some good trips out. All in all a very good (and very relaxing!) holiday".
"Beautiful villa and pool and amazing views. We didn’t have the best weather but found travelling to the beaches at Frejus, St Raphael and Agay it was beautiful sunshine. Made friends with lovely dog a few houses down the road who came to visit. Also arrived to a bees nest in the kitchen shutters (which was dealt with super quick with one call to Graeme and Philippa …..thank you!) A wonderful holiday - our first proper holiday with our 22 month old so not quite as relaxing as we had imagined. Hope to return a little more prepared in the future."
"Loved the mountain villages, Ampus and Tour Tour on the first day probably the best. Found the shop opening times "interesting - don’t know when they do their business we found most of them shut. Highlight just sitting at the table for breakfast with that fantastic view! Thank you for letting us stay in your beautiful home. None of us wanted to go home"
"The villa is gorgeous, set in the gorge with breathtaking views. We felt at home straight away as every effort had been made to make us feel at home. Décor is lovely, as is the pool, even if it is quite cold. Considering the time of year we came we have been very lucky with the weather. Pool man was our lifeline on day two and told us all the good places to go! We have had a fantastic holiday as well as seeing so many places relaxed by the pool. Bargemon was a hidden gem with lovely restaurants and nice little shops. Must go! San Raphael was good to go to for the beach. Monte Carlo very posh - good photos! Lac de Sainte Croix - ten out of ten. Thank you Philippa and Graeme for your hospitality. See you again".
"Lovely villa, fantastic views, cool pool!! Lovely weather throughout our stay (35 degrees on last day - phew!!)"
"Great villa - great pool. Whistling improved a lot as bathroom lock did not work. Had a visitor come in through the bathroom window (Lennie the lizard). Enjoyed our holiday here. Very central. Used the bypass to miss Draguignan and pass through to motorway to Frejus and St Tropez"
"This is a fabulous place for a holiday, we have had a great time. Thanks for allowing us to share your haven. Remember the two broken sun beds as per the phone call. Best wishes".
"What a wonderful week! Villa and location are wonderful. Cant believe it is time to go already. Thanks Philippa and Graeme for making the place so great, thanks for having us we are very jealous and despite four pre-school children staying here everything is still as it was when we arrived - miracle!!"
"A very beautiful house, with tasteful furnishings and lovely touches. We really appreciated all the little "extras" e.g. tea and coffee, condiments etc which we always forget in our first shopping. We have replaced - thank you! Our four year old took several dips in the pool, despite the cold (even though it was generally a lovely sunny week). Regrets? Yes its not ours but hopefully you’ll have us back again. A fab week thank you very much."
"This really is a lovely villa and reflects the care and thought taken by Philippa and Graeme in its design and décor. The views and sensation of space are stunning. Five to six days of rain, storms and wind dampened our spirits in the first week (Claire said that we had a years worth of rain and I believe her!) thank goodness for Monopoly and a good book supply. The villa felt like a home to us to thank you Philippa and Graeme for allowing us to stay - you have put so much into it and it really shows"
"Very nice home, excellent selection of books, wish we could have stayed here longer to read them all. The view will stay with us throughout the grey winter months. The village and restaurant are lovely. We will be very sad to leave tomorrow!"
"I returned the keys to La Maison Lavande - with some sadness. We had a wonderful week: the house is lovely, the views spectacular and everything worked together to provide us with a relaxing memorable holiday. How can you bear to share it with strangers! Lucky for us that you can!"
"The best villa we have ever stayed in. Great pool, gorgeous bedrooms, very comfy beds. We have left you lots of blow up inflatable pool toys - enjoy! Chataeudouble is a gorgeous town and a great setting for a villa"
"I know it’s now a few days since we left La Maison Lavande (we didn’t get home ‘til Sunday) but we wanted to say how much we enjoyed our stay at your villa. We all thought it was absolutely lovely, well decorated, furnished and fitted out.
Most days we had temperatures in the high 20s and one day driving back from Aix, the temperature reading in the car was 37, some what too hot! The swimming pool was a Godsend. We would certainly recommend it to others and can understand why people return year after year"
"Thanks very much for your text. In the end I didn't need to use the fax machine. We had a lovely holiday - the villa was fantastic, and the view was very special. The weather was very sunny and quite breezy! And the bar at Chateaudouble was a great spot for an aperitif.
We had a very emotional visit one day from the previous owner of the villa who happened to be passing. She was rather tearful - obviously the villa holds special memories for her! Thanks again - we will definitely recommend to friends, and hopefully revisit ourselves in the future."