Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
For a lazy lunch (and a parking spot), book a terrace table at
Les Géraniums
( 04 90
62 41 08;
www.hotel-lesgeraniums.com
;
place de la Croix; menus lunch €18-22, dinner
€30-36; Jun-Oct)
, an old-fashioned country
auberge
with stunning valley views; up-
stairs are simply furnished, good-value
rooms
( 04 90 62 41 08;
www.hotel-lesgerani-
Jun-Oct)
.
BEAUMES-DE-VENISE
POP 2185 / ELEV 126M
Snugly sheltered from mistral winds Beaumes-de-Venise is famous for its
or blanc
(white
gold) - sweet muscat wines, best drunk young and cold (perfect with Cavaillon melons).
Attend tastings at local co-operative
Balma Vénitia
( 04 90 12 41 00;
www.beaumes-
de-venise.com
;
228 route de Carpentras; 9am-12.30pm & 2-7pm)
. The excellent
tour-
ist office
(
www.ot-beaumesdevenise.fr
;
122 place du Marché;
9am-12pm & 2pm-5pm
Mon-Sat)
has English-language brochures of wineries.
Taste Beaumes' olive oil at
Moulin à Huile de la Balméenne
( 04 90 62 93 77;
www.labalmeenne.fr
;
av Jules Ferry; 9am-noon & 2-7pm daily Apr-Aug, Mon-Sat
Sep-Mar)
, open since 1867. For gifts, consider organic soap from
Savonnerie des Den-
telles
( 04 90 37 61 80;
www.savonnerie-des-dentelles.com
; route de Sarrians;
Mon-Fri)
, 1km from Beaumes-de-Venise.
Sprawling 19th-century gardens, vineyards and olive groves surround
Château
Juvenal
( 04 90 62 31 76;
www.chateau-juvenal-provence.com
; 120 chemin du Long-
Serre, Saint-Hippolyte-le-Graveyron; r €110-170; )
manor, with four upmarket
rooms, billiards, spa, hot tub and fabulous pool. On Tuesday and Friday evenings there's
an excellent
table d'hôte
(€42 with wine; 48-hour advance reservation required). It's 5km
west of Beaumes-de-Venise.
Mont Ventoux
The landscape's defining feature, Mont Ventoux (1912m) is nicknamed
le géant de
Provence
- Provence's giant. From its peak, clear-day vistas extend to the Alps and
Camargue.
Because of the mountain's elevation, every European climate type occurs on its slopes,
from Mediterranean on southernmost flanks, to Arctic on exposed its northern ridges. As
you ascend the steep gradients - of Tour de France fame - temperatures can plummet
20°C and there's twice the annual precipitation. Relentless mistrals blows 130 days annu-
ally, sometimes exceeding 250km/h: bring warm clothes and rain gear year-round.
