La Maison du Frêne...
Written: 26th Jul 2010 | Last Updated: 26th Jul 2010
If you’re lucky enough to be heading to the south of France anytime soon, I’d like to recommend a wonderful place to stay in the hill town of Vence. Sitting elegantly above Nice, some 20 minutes away by car, Vence - once the Roman settlement of Vintium - is a thriving community graced with medieval charm, interesting churches (as diverse as the 11th C Cathedral of Nativité-de-Notre-Dame and the 20th C Chapelle du Rosaire des Dominicaines designed and decorated by Henri Matisse), winding cobbled alleyways lined with quaint boutiques, poissonniers, artisanal boulangeries and patisseries, and the requisite street cafés busy with young and old sipping strong coffee, chocolat chaud or even an early morning beer.
There’s a marché being set up in the town square as we walk past - trestle tables positioned and decorated with bunches of freshly-picked garden fruits and vegetables, bolts of fabric and useful household items, various handicrafts, and also here and there theatrical groupings of second-hand furniture - all conjured up in front of curious shopkeepers, café patrons and passersby. It is a perfect introduction to French town life, and under the strengthening sun of a late May morning, Vence seems pretty close to perfect.
In the Place du Frêne - by the famously ancient ash tree - stands La Maison du Frêne, offering accommodation of intelligence, comfort and imaginative artistic surprises. Thierry and Guy are hosts, and have created four fabulous suites for adults of discerning taste. This is not a thrown-together-to-make-a-quick-euro B & B...rather a restored home of remarkable tranquillity revved up with contemporary artworks juxtaposed with flair and a wicked sense of fun.
The heart of it all, the kitchen, is a riot of colour, patterns and warmth, as is the adjacent more formal lounge-library (both rich with art), and in one or the other you will enjoy a delicious petit déjeuner of fresh fruits, croissants, breads and pastries, homemade jams and local honey, marvellous just-brewed coffee or a pot of tea...served with energy and efficiency by Thierry, who also happily offers great advice for day-trips and must-see attractions in the region. He came to his host position via the Paris fashion world, and not surprisingly his people skills are as polished as his style. One truly feels like a treasured guest at La Maison du Frêne, and this is a gift.
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