The Painter's Garden

A traditional Provençal bastide within walking distance of Aix-en-Provence's centre, this house wraps you in the kind of unhurried rhythm the region does best. The wooded garden delivers plenty to fill the days – a pool shared with the neighbours, a tennis court, an outdoor dining area with barbecue, and a vegetable patch with resident chickens supplying fresh eggs each morning. Inside, the owner's paintings hang across two living rooms, giving the place a lived-in warmth that feels instantly welcoming. Cours Mirabeau, with its cafe-lined terraces and fountains, is a thirty-minute walk.

Home truths:
* Air conditioning is only available on the ground floor – the upper-floor bedrooms have none.
* The swimming pool is shared with the owners of the neighbouring house, so you may have company on busier days – that said, multiple guests have found the arrangement relaxed and the neighbours considerate.
* While one bathroom isn't photographed, expect the style and quality to be consistent with the rest of the home.
* As is common in France, the en-suite bathrooms do not have toilets.
* The tennis court has no floodlighting, so play is limited to daylight hours.
* You're a twenty-minute walk – or a short bike ride – from the centre of Aix-en-Provence, and there's an excellent bakery and fresh produce shop within easy reach on foot.