Maison Cecile

near VAISON LE ROMAINE

At a glance

What a marvelous find! This very special village house is located in a small village dating to medieval times, nestled among vineyards of the Côtes-du-Rhône appellation near Orange, only a few minutes south of the historic town of Vaison-la-Romaine.

Maison Cecile is what the French call a demeure - a comfortable and substantial house typically occupied by a bourgeois family of standing in the village. It is situated on a quiet street about two minutes by foot from the village square, where most of the shops are located.

Maison Cecile, set on three floors, was entirely renovated in 2001. A formal living and dining room, foyer, four bedrooms and four modern tiled bathrooms, a perfectly equipped kitchen and a powder room are distributed over 330 sq mt (3,228 sq. ft.) of living space. The kitchen has a dishwasher, semi-professional Cornud stove and a full array of top-quality cookware for aspiring cooks. All bedding and linens are new and of good quality.

Amenities include an American-style washer and dryer, full stereo system with CD player, satellite TV reception with CNN and BBC, fax machine with separate line, and multiple telephones. You can connect to the Internet through either of the two phone lines.

The Accommodation

The ground level is comprised of a spacious living room, attractively furnished with a white sofa, several armchairs and several reading lamps; a formal dining room with an antique buffet, a farm table for up to eight guests, and an entire wall of storage closets concealed behind antique doors; a modern kitchen with an adjacent seating and dining area, and a laundry room with an American-style washing machine and separate tumble dryer. A foyer, entered from the terrace, lies between the living and dining rooms.

The kitchen has wide counters tiled in a pale green, and plenty of cupboards and storage space stocked with good-quality china. Appliances include a modern but traditional-looking cast-iron stove that has two gas and two electric burners as well as a grill and two ovens. Concealed behind wood panels are a dishwasher and a large three-door refrigerator, the third door being for a special compartment to store beverages. A powder room is next to the kitchen.

Separated from the kitchen by a tall counter is one of the most delightful places in the house - a dining-sitting area with a table and chairs, small sofa, and a cabinet that houses a television with full satellite reception (including CNN and BBC channels). Light streams in from a long sliding glass door that opens directly onto the terrace. This is the perfect place for breakfast, for a simple meal in cool months, or for relaxing and catching up on the evening news.

Middle Floor: The staircase from the foyer leads up to a broad landing, furnished with an antique loveseat, and with a full window overlooking the courtyard. On each side of the landing is a spacious bedroom. The very large master bedroom, which overlooks the courtyard, has a queen-sized bed in a wrought-iron frame, an antique chest of drawers with a gilded mirror, and a gorgeous 18th-century walnut armoire that almost reaches to the ceiling. There is also a sitting area with a loveseat and armchair. As with all bedrooms at Maison Cecile, there are twin bedside tables with good lamps for reading.

Adjacent to the bedroom is a dressing room with two walls of closets. Beyond is the lovely master bath, well-illuminated and tiled in pale gray and rose, with double sinks, a tub with hand-held shower, and WC.

The second bedroom, only slightly smaller than the master, also overlooks the courtyard and has a 140cm (55" across) double bed in a polished Louis-Philippe sleigh frame. The small ensuite bath, tiled in white, has a stall shower and WC. The striking marble fireplace, of gray marble, is for decorative purposes only.

Upper Floor: On the top level (second French and third American floor) are two further bedrooms separated by a landing. Both have 140cm double beds in antique wood frames, beamed ceilings, and large windows overlooking the courtyard. The sparsely furnished larger bedroom, which stretches the entire depth of the house, also has views northwest over village rooftops to the surrounding countryside. While more spacious, this bedroom is sparsely furnished. As with the bedrooms on the middle level, the floors are restored terra cotta tile. These two bedrooms share a pretty tile bath, with a small tub and held-held shower and separate WC, opening off a landing between the middle and upper floors.

For added convenience there is also a fourth bathroom, with a tub, hand-held shower and WC, discreetly hidden by an antique door that opens off the living room on the ground floor. This bath is well lighted and tiled in blue and white, but has a low ceiling that makes it inappropriate for tall people.

The Terrace and Vegetable Garden - You will love the pretty terrace. Around the borders are giant ceramic urns brimming with geraniums and other brightly colored flowers. For dining guests may choose between a wrought-iron table with inlaid ceramic tile top and benches for up to six people, or a smaller wrought-iron table with four chairs. The view is toward the village street and, in the distance, the Dentelles de Montmirail. With doors opening into the foyer, dining room and kitchen, the terrace seems to form one contiguous space with the interior rooms.

Along one side of the house, reached by a small stone stairway, is an immaculate little potager, or vegetable garden, that is lovingly maintained by the next-door neighbor, an elderly man with a warm and friendly disposition. Guests are welcome to supplement their purchases from the local légumier (on the village square) with tomatoes, lettuce, radishes and zucchini from the garden.

Nearby there are two bakeries, two butchers, a presse where you can buy the morning newspaper in different languages, a café and a good restaurant that serves sturdy Provençal fare. Not to be overlooked is the little cave des vignerons where you can buy at bargain prices full, fruity local reds and fragrant rosés produced by local winegrowers under the highly regarded local appellations.

The house is suitable for up to six occupants. We regret that because of the nature of the house and its furnishings, we do not accept children under ten years of age.
The nearest train station is Avignon (TGV).

Staff: Garden maintenance, housecleaning once weekly
Extra charges: Heat in cold months
Laundry facilities: Washing machine & dryer
Stereo system: Yes, with CD player
Satellite/cable TV: Yes, with CNN & BBC reception
Seasonal availability: Year-round
Minimum stay: 2 weeks June through September, 1 week other periods
Maximum # of occupants: 6
Restrictions: No children under 12
Start date: Saturday