The Truffles, Wine, and Provencal Cuisine tour was fantastic. Emily has an in-depth knowledge of Provence, and it shows. From the accommodations to the daily excursions, everything was top-notch and well-planned. We had a very small group, only 3 of us and Emily; it felt like we were on a fun girl’s trip. She invited her son and husband to dine with us on several occasions, which made us feel like we were friends of the family. The truffle tour was a unique, educational, and gourmet experience. We experienced private tastings at top wineries and participated in wonderful cooking classes. When dining out, we were able to choose from any menu item and enjoy a cocktail or local wine. One of the best parts of the trip is that it was off-season for places like Aix-in-Provence and Cassis, so we were able to enjoy these beautiful places without the summer crowds. If you want a truly memorable experience in Provence, Emily is the one!
It’s an early June day in the Provence countryside. After viewing the jaw-dropping and wondrous Monet/Rousseau exhibition at Carrieres des Lumieres in Les Baux, a delightful picnic for three is set up in a nearby olive grove. This was the start of our magical 4-day adventure with our phenomenal private guide, Emily Durand. From traversing the brilliant ochre quarries to walking in Van Gogh’s footsteps in St. Remy to trying (and loving!) pork cheek, each day brought exciting new experiences in the hilltop towns of the region. Emily customized our program to expose us to the treasures of Provence. Her expertise, knowledge, kindness, sense of humor, easy-going and playful nature made our tour all the more memorable. With Emily’s assistance, we booked a fantastic bed and breakfast in Isle sur la Sorgue as our home base, as well as our dining options each evening. Emily picked us up from the train station in Avignon and brought us to the airport in Marseille at the (sad) conclusion of our tour. Every day, Emily chose a delicious spot for lunch, knew how to pace the day according to the terrain and weather, and was always open to our wishes along the way. We give our highest recommendation to Emily and hope you will take advantage of any of her group or private tours. We’d return without hesitation and guarantee that your magical tour will be the experience of a lifetime!
To say our tour with Emily was perfect would be an understatement. The amount of thought and preparation Emily puts into her tours is astounding. Her easy going nature and good humor sets the tone for a group dynamic that is relaxed and fun. Each experience and meal lived up to the description and left us feeling as though we truly experienced “real provence.” Not to mention Emily’s transportation and interpretation services alone made the tour worth it. We will definitely return!
Cristi & Mark Wells, Nebraska
I have joined Emily @yourprivateprovence in every season. Visiting all the small towns and large ones as well, gives me a chance to dream about my love of Provence in France. Emily’s historical knowledge of Provence and its towns are 2nd to none.
Every place we stay is comfortable and top notch. Don’t even get me started about sharing delicious breakfast with others during the week and usually enjoying “Apero hour” with other tour guests at the end of the day.
I think I need to add a few more seasons to my four seasons of the year.
This was our second tour with Emily and there is a reason. No one does small group tours with so much care as she. Unique accommodations, great food and good people. What more could one ask?
Greg & Jill Carol, Florida
“Emily’s Spring revival Tour was fabulous. If we had to choose one word to describe the tour it would be quality. This would cover all aspects of the tour from Emily’s Mercedes van to the outstanding accommodation, the delicious meals from picnics to fine dining restaurants and the wines Emily chose, and by the way, she has an excellent palate. She also shared impressive historical and cultural knowledge and she was very caring in ensuring all the members of our group were comfortable with the activities we were doing, and in providing alternatives where necessary. Emily is an outstanding guide who we would love to do another tour with.”
Neil & Denise, Australia
Emily was so gracious and fun and knowledgeable. I would go on another tour with her in a second! As a solo traveler I felt so welcomed and part of the group ! We saw and learned so much about Provence ! Can’t wait for my next adventure with Emily and friends!
My wife and I love to travel. One of our favorite ways to explore new areas includes finding the best local guides for one day tours of larger urban areas but mostly hiring driver guides for multi-day trips thru large regions of a country. We always wanted to explore Provence so finding that perfect drive/guide was essential. My search found Emily of Your Private Provence. Although I could write a short story on our trip with Emily I will try to keep it short.
PLANNING:
I always work closely with private driver/guides in planning our trips. I do extensive research online about the areas we want to visit. This includes videos and other travel information. When I first started emailing Emily I gave her my initial thoughts and asked a lot of questions. Emily kept me focused and rational about how much we should include in our journey and how much we should load in to a day. We spent untold numbers of emails nailing down the regions of Provence from the obvious to the off the beaten track, to places that Emily herself had not really explored that much. We finally nailed down a great itinerary. We also decided what the best time of year to travel to the region. I didn’t care about lavender but we do love wild flowers and fewer crowds. We went from May 21st to the 31st when each day was blue skies and temperatures from low daytime of 70-81.
THE TRIP:
Emily’s trusty Mercedes van was very comfortable. Sharon and I took turns riding shot gun as we got to know what a wonderful woman Emily was. We had such fantastic conversations and spent the trip laughing at each other’s stories. Emily knew that a right hand turn might be interesting but if we took a left turn instead more off road adventure would ensue. Yes, we saw all of the fantastic small towns and villages of most of Provence. However, we travelled to the ruins of an ancient monastery in the middle of nowhere surrounded by acres of wild flowers. We went to the Verdun Gorge which I liken to the Grand Canyon of France and walked to the precipice of massive cliffs to view mountains and the green river below which carved out the amazing canyon. We walked the Cedar Trail thru a beautiful cedar forest to off the main trail that lead us to wildflower fields. At the end of the trail it dead ended at a cliff where we could see for miles. Emily got to know Sharon and my limitations as far as what hikes to take. We are two very vigorous folks in our 70’s but we can’t hike the trails we were able to handle in our younger years. Emily researched hikes that were great for us. We were just blown away at the diverse geography and topography of Provence. I wandered thru vineyards as Sharon tasted the fantastic wines of the Rhone River region. We hiked thru the ocher trail where mineral was mined to paint the beautiful Luberon villages. We saw the calanques in the area of Cassis. We traveled to Moustiers Sainte Marie(a must see village in the mountains) and stayed at the Bastide Moustiers. In Avignon(one of our hub towns) we stayed at the beautiful La Divine Comedie. In the Luberon we stayed in the exquisite Domaine Les Martins. OK enough! I warned you I could write a short story on our adventure with Emily.
THE TAKE AWAY:
Sharon and I have traveled the world with the help of some of the most amazing local guides. I can state without hesitation that Emily stands out as one of the best! How can you go wrong with a girl born on an Oregon farm who falls in love with a farmer from Provence? The answer is you can’t.
It was such a pleasure to be with you again. Thank you for your excellent service and guidance through all of our fun events. Looking forward to another tour in the future.
Jen & Janet, Canada
Thank you for the wonderful poppy tours and the Camargue! Once again, it was a vacation to remember with all the wondeful food, sights, culture and wine.
Jake & Deb, Canada
I wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed my recent, small group “Poppy Madness Tour” with you. I loved every minute and have some beautiful photographs as a reminder. The light in the evening poppy fields was just extraordinary!
The accommodation was perfect, I had lovely views from my windows and to be honest I don`t think I have ever eaten so well in such a variety of restaurants. We visited some interesting places at a nice easy pace, some tourist hot spots of course, but with the addition of more unusual, less well known places, always with a sprinkling of Emily magic! A wonderful holiday to remember.
