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Author: Emily Durand

private lavender tour

Private Lavender Tour

Written by Emily Durand on . Posted in Testimonials.

We spent almost a year planning our trip with Emily by email. She was patient and thorough guiding us in creating a truly personalized tour. From amazing lodging, brocantes, lavender sites, hikes, historical sites, vineyards and top restaurants, we had the perfect vacation! This may sound unusual to say, but Emily moved each day at a great pace, neither were we hurried nor were we late to any reservation. We especially enjoyed our conversations with Emily as we traveled along the narrow Luberon roads or lingered over a meal. We highly recommend Emily for your next Provence adventure. ”

Bo & Sherrie Klein (Texas)

Our lifetime friends and my husband and I just finished a lovely trip to Provence. What a gift we discovered in our guide Emily. She provided a great itinerary to meet all our must see locations and helped with lodging as well as great places to eat. She exceeded all expectations and we came away with not only beautiful memories, but a treasured friend as well.
Alisa & Jonathan Lane
private june tour

Private June Tour

Written by Emily Durand on . Posted in Testimonials, Uncategorized.

Our travel group of 6 seniors spent 5 days with Emily in Provence. We hopped villages in Luberon, viewed chalk cliffs in Cassis, spent time in alpilles region and Arles and St Remy. Emily is prompt and very helpful in mapping our itinerary, making sure we have different experiences in sights and meals while there. She is punctual, professional , personable and patient with in depth knowledge of the sights and history of places we visited, always with good sense of humor. An excellent driver too.
We highly recommend Emily to be your guide if you are planning to visit Provence.

Diana Krishnan, Singapore

Testimonial

Poppy Madness Tour 2024

Written by Emily Durand on . Posted in Small Group Tours, Testimonials.

What a treasure it was  to partake in Emily’s Spring Poppy Tour. Out of the 7 of us traveling together, 5 were painters and two were not however there was something for everyone. Emily took our interests and custom designed the itinerary to meet our needs. Besides painting in breathtaking settings, some of the highlights were meeting the lovely local people and enjoying immersive experiences such as cooking in local homes,  learning about wines, and olive trees , even creating our own olive oil ! I highly recommended Emily with  her extensive knowledge of the Provence region and her fun personal!

Cynthia & Frank, Chicago

I cannot say enough about the trip I made to Provence with a group of like minded travelers.  It was poppy blooming time and it was so lovely driving along the Provencal roadways and seeing the red poppies along borders and scattered across the fields.
Our guide, Emily Durand, had arranged eight days of touring hilltop villages in the Luberon area.  She combined our daily excursions with knowledgeable dialogs, stops at outdoor markets, delicious dining, picnics, and a cooking lesson. preceded by foraging for wild herbs and edible flowers to flavor the meal.
Our accommodations in two wonderful B&Bs in two regions were so stunning with delightful breakfast buffets each morning.  After my second experience traveling with Emily Durand, I cannot wait to return to Provence again.
Cynthia Weglarz, Chicago

May 2024 Private Tour

Written by Emily Durand on . Posted in Testimonials.

Emily was a matchless guide and driver. She was responsive to our interests in Provencal history and art and took us to fascinating sites that responded to our interests. Deeply informed and well read about many subjects, she could answer our questions with depth and thoughtfulness. She also had the confidence to say, “I don’t know” when a question was outside her sphere of knowledge. She was attentive to details like pickup times and restaurant reservations. Above all, she is warm, kind and encouraging. We came away from our time in Provence with gratitude for this marvelous part of the world and for her unfailing grace and kindness.

Rosemary and Jon Masters, New York

Truffle Tour

Truffle, Cuisine & Wine tour – 2024

Written by Emily Durand on . Posted in Testimonials.

Truffle, Cuisine & Wine Tour – 2024

Yes, this is a food-focused week, which means excellent chevre, olive oil, truffles and plenty of good wine. But it’s so much more. We checked out beautiful vistas, accompanied a farmer as he and his dog dug up some of the season’s last truffles, visited a farmer’s market, baked and cooked at the direction of talented chefs, and learned about Cezanne’s testy relationship with his hometown of Aix. In between, we got to know Emily, who’s knowledgeable about French history, food and culture, and also a lot of fun – the perfect guide for the curious traveler.

Pam Kelley, North Carolina

Emily’s tour took us to the heart of Provence: its people. We spent our days with chefs, winemakers and art lovers, along with a truffle farmer and his adorable dog — each as knowledgeable and fun as the next. In between we visited villages, markets and vistas as charming and beautiful as Emily is. We ate and drank and laughed with these newfound friends and dream of seeing them again.

Diane Suchetka, Ohio

Christmas cheer tour

Christmas Cheer Tour 2023

Written by Emily Durand on . Posted in Testimonials, Uncategorized.

Christmas Cheer Tour 2023

The Christmas in Provence tour was absolutely wonderful. After traveling with you on the lavender tour several years ago, I knew the trip would be well planned and include delicious food, but I wasn’t sure it could match those days among the beautiful lavender fields. Once the tour began, I quickly realized that the Christmas in Provence tour was going to be fabulous! The trip included such a diverse variety of historical and cultural activities in settings from large cities to small villages and the pace was perfect. The food and food experiences were also delicious and memorable. I truly feel that I experienced Provencal culture and Christmas traditions in so many ways, large and small. Your deep knowledge of Provence, your relationships with locals, and the amount of thought and planning you put into a tour are obvious. Thank you for providing such an exceptional experience!

Kathryn Russi, Iowa