Once we
visited this big yellow bastide, owned by an official from Marseille, we decided that it
needed a new name. The huge villa, renovated in eclectic and imaginative,
sophisticated style, is only for guests who like a sense of fun and delight, not those
seeking the quintessential Provencal-done décor. We like to think it was decorated
by Salvatore Dali.
Driving up the peaceful lane that approaches Maison
Dali, one is impressed with typical Provençal scenery: vineyards and olive groves, with
the Luberon hills in the distance. A lovely well equipped pool* sits to the side,
and between the pool and the villa is a big pool house/summer kitchen with covered dining
and outdoor cooking equipment~ everything needed for pleasant al fresco dining.
There is a ping-pong table at the pool house as well. The pool is up a few steps and
surrounded by a low wall, with plenty of sun lounges and umbrellas for shade; views,
terrific.
French doors open from various parts of the bastide,
and the grounds are typical of a nice country estate, with an enormous plantain providing
the focus.
Indoors one is struck by the riot of colors and the
artifacts that would enjoy some note in a modern art museum- oil paintings of nudes,
sculptures of imaginative content, eclectic pieces of furniture both modern and
antique. Nothing is predictable, each room gives off it’s own atmosphere.
Yet this is a spacious and comfortable place for a party needing many bedrooms, big living
spaces to spread out, and good, modern plumbing. Most of the bathrooms are newly
built.
The kitchen is very large and has plenty of
workspace for a team of cooks, with luminous windows allowing good natural light
(overlooking the grounds and the pool). There are three refrigerators, microwave,
professional stove and dishwasher, washing machine and amenities such as coffee maker,
processors, etc. In the soft Provencal evening, guests normally dine at the covered
summer house, but there is an interior dining room if everyone prefers shelter. Next
to it is a double sized living room with fireplace. Behind the kitchen is a black
lighted large bar with a juke box and separate tables: it made me think that the Bastide
might have enjoyed a former life as a small hotel. Neon lights and all the
accoutrements of a real bar decorate these inner rooms.
The bedrooms of the house are arranged on the second
and third floors, the highest ones are perfect for a group of teens, there being a big
game room with TV and a pool table. On the third floor are three double rooms: one
with a bath (tub, sink, WC), another double with a child’s bed as well, and the third
double (king) which shares the hall bathroom and WC.
On the second floor are five bedrooms: the first a
double with en-suite bath (tub, sink, toilet) communicating with a large single bedroom
(decorated very nicely for a little girl). The third bedroom is a twin that can be
paired to make a king bed with a hall bathroom, the fourth bedroom is for the master with en
suite bath and door to a panoramic terrace. The fifth bedroom on the second
floor is a double with a shower and sink en suite. Three of the bedrooms on this
floor share the WC in the hallway.
Although Bastide Dali certainly isn’t for the
faint of heart, it is a fun place for a unique vacation. Its location is one of the
most convenient for touring the region: Marseille Airport is only an hour away, the TGV
stop at Avignon 40 minutes by car, and the autoroute (onwards to Arles, Aix-en-Provence,
St. Remy etc) fifteen minutes away. Attend the fabulous Sunday morning market at
L’Isle sur Sorgue, it is only fifteen minutes to this wonderful antique center.
The famous Luberon hill towns of Gordes, Oppede le Vieux, Rousillon, Bonnieux and Menerbes
are leisurely drives (or bike rides), so tuck up your copy of A Year in Provence and
come enjoy this spacious retreat.
* Please note that the pool system is not
chlorinated but filtered with the new low-saline solution now being used in France. |
