Mr Cross says...
Despite being of the same modest grading as our two previous HW cycling holidays, this was significantly harder, because of the heat (over 34 degrees) and ...
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In the heart of Provence, the Vaucluse is steeped in history. Originally Celtic, it was conquered by the Romans and is now rich in well-preserved Roman remains, especially at Orange and Vaison-la-Romaine where the large site is comparable to Pompeii. The skyline is dominated by the majestic silhouette of the Dentelles de Montmirail and dramatic Mont Ventoux.
On this eight night cycling holiday you get the best of both worlds: breathtaking scenery all around combined with easy pedalling on plains and gentle foothills dotted with lavender, orchards and the famous Cotes du Rhone vineyards. The towns and villages you pass through are particularly picturesque with their old quarters, weekly markets and chateaux.
We've arranged especially good evening meals with opportunities to sample both gourmet and local delicacies. Our hotels, which are all family-run, pride themselves on their Provencal cuisine and cellars full of fine local wines - one of which is located between the three world-famous vineyards of Beaumes de-Venise, Gigondas and Vacqueyras.
The town fete takes place in Vaison from 13-17 July. Join in the fun or come at a quieter time!
Your *** hotel is just north of the village of Pernes-les-Fontaines. Plenty of time to relax and explore the hotel grounds before dinner. (Staying at Hotel l'Hermitage, Breakfast at hotel, evening meal at a local restaurant)
Leave Pernes-les- Fontaines this morning and head to the popular village of Saint-Didier, where you can opt to make the climb up the hill to the mediaeval settlement of Venasque (one of the prettiest villages in France) with its three Saracen towers. You'll then follow lanes and tracks up past Malemort-du-Comtat and then dropping down into the mediaeval village of Mazan with its church wall that is made up of more than 60 Roman sarcophagi. Continue on through the vines with a back drop of Mont Ventoux as you climb steadily towards Bedoin. (Staying at Hotel Les Pins, Half Board)
Explore the lively village of Bedoin, named for the C8 Bedouins who settled there and home to the imposing church of Saint-Antonin, with its unique Spanish style - so different from any other in Provence. Bedoin is also the gateway to Mont Ventoux for more hardy cyclists seeking a challenge! Follow established cycle routes to the Chateau Pesquie, which offers everything from a stroll in the vines, to a guided cellar tour, to a tasting, to a full picnic lunch in the gardens. (Staying at Hotel Les Pins, Half Board)
After the picturesque perched village of Crillon-le-Brave you swing across the gentle Carpentras plain to Caromb, a partly fortified little town. A short, steep ascent takes you to the Lac du Paty, hidden amongst the trees. Continue downhill through forest, vineyards and cherry orchards to the fortified village of Malaucene (where Pope Clement V once lived). The final section is a flat bowl along country lanes to the Roman garrison town of Vaison la Romaine. (Staying at Hotel Burrhus, Half Board)
Vaison has France's most extensive Roman remains including a 6000-seat theatre, baths, houses and streets. There's a fine C13 cathedral and cloisters, castle ruins and fortified gateway, and squares with cool central fountains. The two halves of the town are joined by a 2000-year-old single arch Roman bridge which, amazingly, is still in use; it's well worth crossing to explore the narrow mediaeval streets and little squares of the Haute Ville. (Staying at Hotel Burrhus, Half Board)
Today it's via Roaix and across the Ouveze River to mediaeval Seguret - officially ranked among the most beautiful villages in France; its streets hug the slopes of the Dentelles de Montmirail. There's a C15 fountain, a C14 belfry and a ruined feudal castle offering far-reaching views out across the Rhone Valley. Then it's on through pretty Sablet and extensive vineyards to our friendly little hotel near Vacqueyras. (Staying at Hotel Montmirail, Half Board)
Orange, a thriving regional centre, is 20km away. It has two marvellous UNESCO World Heritage Sites, an elaborately decorated triumphal arch and a beautifully preserved Roman theatre which hosts regular evening performances; your hotelier will help organise a taxi. Alternatively, why not simply relax by the hotel pool? (Staying at Hotel Montmirail, Half Board)
Your final day's cycling takes you through the Cotes du Rhone vineyards, stops first at charming Vacqueyras where there are lots of caves. From here there's an optional detour to mediaeval Carpentras - with a cathedral, atmospheric cobbled streets and weekly (Fri) market - before returning to fountain-filled Pernes-les-Fontaines. (Staying at Hotel l'Hermitage, Breakfast at hotel, evening meal at a local restaurant)
Please note that cycling helmets are compulsory in France for children under 12. As we are unable to provide these, we strongly recommend that you bring your own.
Please see our Planning you holiday page for full details.
During your holiday you stay at the following hotels. If you'd like to extend your time at any of these or, if you'd like to enhance your stay with an upgraded room, just let us know at the time of booking. If you'd like to keep your bikes with you for any extra nights we can arrange this for you for just £25 per adult per day.
To find out more call our sales team on 1-800-267-3347, use our live webchat or email usa@exodustravels.com
Find out more on the hotel website and read customer reviews on Tripadvisor.
Room upgrades are not available at this hotel.
Please contact us for extra night prices.
NEARBY:
Find out more on the hotel website and read customer reviews on Tripadvisor.
| Dates | Confort / Prestige Room | Suite (Junior/Deluxe/Seven) | Suite (Cerise) |
| 13/05/2018 - 31/10/2018 | £5 | £38 | £49 |
All prices shown above are valid from 13/02/2018. Prestige rooms have a balcony or terrace, twin beds or a double bed, and a bath. The Cerise suite is made up of two connecting rooms, and can host up to five people. It also features a balcony and a large wooden terrace. The Junior suite stretches over two floors, with a bedroom on the ground floor, and an elegant bathroom with a bath on the first floor. Deluxe Suite comprises an elegant bedroom and a bathroom with a ceiling shower. This suite also boasts an attractive wooden terrace and a Bang & Olufsen music player. Prices are per person per night based on two sharing.
Please contact us for extra night prices.
Find out more on the hotel website and read customer reviews on Tripadvisor.
Room upgrades are not available at this hotel.
Please contact us for extra night prices.
Find out more on the hotel website and read customer reviews on Tripadvisor.
| Dates | Comfort Room | Superior Room |
| 13/05/2018 - 31/10/2018 | £11 | £23 |
All prices shown above are valid from 15/08/2018. Prices are per person per night based on 2 adults sharing. The Comfort room is slightly larger and offers views over the hills. The Superior room is larger still and offers a veiw of the garden and pool.
Please contact us for extra night prices.
If you'd like to extend your trip with extra nights at the start or end, or if you'd like to arrange a stop off point en-route, then we recommend the following hotels.
Find out more on the hotel website and read customer reviews on Tripadvisor.
Room upgrades are not available at this hotel.
Please contact us for extra night prices.
NEARBY:
Find out more on the hotel website and read customer reviews on Tripadvisor.
Room upgrades are not available at this hotel.
Please contact us for extra night prices.
Find out more on the hotel website and read customer reviews on Tripadvisor.
Room upgrades are not available at this hotel.
Please contact us for extra night prices.
NEARBY:
Find out more on the hotel website and read customer reviews on Tripadvisor.
| Dates | Privilege Room |
| 13/05/2018 - 30/09/2018 | £13 |
All prices shown above are valid from 28/11/2017. Supplement prices are per person per night (based on two people sharing). The Privilage room has a very spacious bedroom with king size bed.
Please contact us for extra night prices.
Transfers included from Avignon TGV train station at 13:19, and back to Avignon TGV train station at 11:50.
Please call our sales team on 1-800-267-3347 or email usa@exodustravels.com to arrange connecting flights.
Everyone who goes on a Headwater holiday will be emailed a link to our post-holiday questionnaire where they can give us an honest assessment of all aspects of their holiday - everything from how quickly we answer the phone to how clean the hotels were - plus an overall rating and comments about their holiday.
Any feedback collected is posted to our website, so that people can make an informed decision based on past experiences before heading off on holiday. We don’t edit the reviews, the only thing we do is proofread them and alter any typos, where necessary, to ensure they are easy to read for everyone. All reviews will be published (except in certain extreme circumstances), and a member of the Headwater team will respond to any constructive criticisms/comments under the reviews, at their discretion. So, for the real tales, twists and turns of our holidays, look no further than the reviews from our previous travellers.
Despite being of the same modest grading as our two previous HW cycling holidays, this was significantly harder, because of the heat (over 34 degrees) and some long uphill stretches, especially on the Lafare-Vaison day. However, it was worth it for the lovely scenery, the downhill bits, and the hotels, two of which had lovely pools, and some excellent food, especially at Hotel Montmirail (if only it had air-con as well!) and at La Dame d'Oie at Pernes. Plenty of opportunities to sample the Provence Rose, Muscat de Beaumes de Venise and Gigondas wines. The archaeological sites and mediaeval town at Vaison la Romaine are well worth the 'rest' day.
Takes you on new journeys
Hilltop villages of Provence
This was an excellent holiday, lovely scenery and good hotels and we had a lot of fun. Days 1 and 3 are quite challenging and justify the 2 bike plus rating but the other days are not overly taxing, and there is no shame in pushing your bike up the hill into Gordes! If you start the cycling bit of this holiday on a Sunday there is an excellent market in Isles sur la Sorgue where you can get picnic supplies...although pushing the bike through the packed town was a bit challenging.(I would give this holiday 5 stars)
Vineyards of the Vaucluse
Pleasant cycling through some enjoyable countryside, and lots of good wine! Le Grand Jardin is one of the loveliest places we have stayed. The food at Castel Mireio was delicious and the service (unlike a previous reviewer we didn't find it slow) and welcome very friendly. We are not quite sure it merits anything higher than a one bike rating - some of the distances for full days cycling were a bit short (but we had done 'Hilltop Villages of Provence' the week before so this may have coloured our view). It is not a very touristy area (apart from Vaison la Romain) so many places you visit are quite quiet.
(I would give this holiday 3 stars)
A wonderful taste of Provencal scenery, wine and food!
This holiday is as described. Cycling more difficult at start but definitely got easier. The hotels tended to be on the edge of villages but this didn't matter too much as they had lovely swimming pools and the weather was very hot and sunny.
Superb cycling location with generally very quiet roads, beautiful countryside and pretty villages perched on hilltops. The reps were really helpful in every way and we enjoyed our time with them. Whilst staying at the Hermitage hotel we ate in the local town at the restaurant - Dame L'Oie which was superb. At Vaison la Romaine we ate at La Barantavelle which was a wonderful meal and far superior to the alternative restaurant in the Old Town. The most disappointing was Castel Mirei as although the owners were very helpful, both breakfasts and evening meals were very poor with extremely slow service and the room was very 'tired' with traffic noise from a side road interrupting any peace. There is however a decent sized pool and small cool sitting room with cold drinks to purchase which were very welcome.
The cycling instructions were generally easy to follow though we would welcome more distances being included between turning points and perhaps a small trip metre on the bike which we have had on other holidays with one of Headwater' s competitors.
Headwater response:
Dear Mrs Ramsden,
Thank you for taking the time to complete your post-holiday questionnaire. Please be assured, all of the feedback we receive is valued and used to help enhance our holidays for the future.
It sounds from your feedback that you had an enjoyable holiday and made the most of your time in this region. We were pleased to see you found the service provided by our reps useful and enjoyed spending your time with them.
We were however sorry to read of your disappointment with Castel Mirei, whilst we agree there are a number of great features to this accommodation, we have taken the decision to replace this hotel for the 2017 season.
We are also making some exciting changes to the way we produce our route notes.
Over the past couple of summers, we have received many requests to make the notes electronic and downloadable so customers can use them on their smart phone or tablet device. We are going to trial this in the cycling resorts that feature experienced Headwater reps, and for all of our new cycling holidays. Then once we gain feedback, we plan to roll this out to other resorts for future seasons.
We will, of course still provide hard copy notes for any customers that prefer this style and for our non-rep regions.
We hope you will agree, these changes will help to continue to enhance this holidays for the future.
In closing, we would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued loyalty, we look forward to welcoming you on another of our holidays in the future.
Kind regards,
Headwater Customer Service team
Headwaters choice of hotels / restaurants resulted in us having some superb meals.
You can be confident that our pricing includes all the standard requirements of your holiday and many additional extras. Always ensure that you are comparing like for like when booking your holiday. Find out about The Headwater Price Promise to ensure you're getting the very best value for money.
For further details, or to check availability, speak to our sales team on 1-800-267-3347 or complete our holiday enquiry form (we'll contact you at a time that's most convenient for you).
To enquire about this holiday, or for further information, call our sales team on 1-800-267-3347 or complete our holiday enquiry form.
| Aug 2018 | Tour only | Availability |
|---|---|---|
| 21st Aug | US$2265 | Check availability |
| 23rd Aug | US$2265 | Check availability |
| 25th Aug | US$2265 | Check availability |
| 27th Aug | US$2265 | Check availability |
| 29th Aug | US$2265 | Check availability |
| 31st Aug | US$2265 | Check availability |
| Sep 2018 | Tour only | Availability |
|---|---|---|
| 2nd Sep | US$2185 | Check availability |
| 4th Sep | US$2185 | Check availability |
| 6th Sep | US$2185 | Check availability |
| 8th Sep | US$2185 | Check availability |
| 10th Sep | US$2185 | Check availability |
| 12th Sep | US$2105 | Check availability |
| 14th Sep | US$2105 | Check availability |
| 16th Sep | US$2105 | Check availability |
| 18th Sep | US$2105 | Check availability |
| 20th Sep | US$2105 | Check availability |
| 22nd Sep | US$2105 | Check availability |
| 24th Sep | US$2105 | Check availability |
| 26th Sep | US$2105 | Check availability |
| 28th Sep | US$2105 | Check availability |
| 30th Sep | US$2105 | Check availability |
| Oct 2018 | Tour only | Availability |
|---|---|---|
| 2nd Oct | US$2105 | Check availability |
| 4th Oct | US$2105 | Check availability |
| 6th Oct | US$2105 | Check availability |
| 8th Oct | US$2105 | Check availability |
| 10th Oct | US$2105 | Check availability |
| 12th Oct | US$2105 | Check availability |
| 14th Oct | US$2105 | Check availability |
The prices quoted for each individual departure supercede those published in our current brochures. Air prices are subject to change and we advise early booking to obtain the best prices. Please see our Planning your holiday and What's included in the price? pages for additional information.
Children
Please contact us for child prices.
Holiday type
Self-guided cycling Managed locally by Headwater appointed rep.
Departures
Every two days from 21st Aug 2018 to 14th Oct 2018, for 8 nights.
Meals
All continental breakfasts and evening meals
Electric bikes
It is possible to hire electric bikes for this holiday at a supplement of £100 per person. As these are available on a first come first served basis, we recommend early booking to avoid disappointment. Please call us for further details.
Tour only
Transfers included from Avignon TGV train station at 13:19, and back to Avignon TGV train station at 11:50.
For further details, or to check availability, speak to our sales team on 1-800-267-3347 or complete our holiday enquiry form (we'll contact you at a time that's most convenient for you).
To enquire about this holiday, or for further information, call our sales team on 1-800-267-3347 or complete our holiday enquiry form.
Due to the tailor-made nature of our holidays, we need a little more information in order for us to check availability for Vineyards of Vaucluse Cycling. Simply complete the form below and a member of our sales team will contact you (when it's most convenient for you) to provide availability information, travel options and an accurate price. Of course there's no obligation, but if you do wish to proceed with a booking they will be on-hand to assist you throughout the process.
Alternatively, you can call our sales team on 1-800-267-3347 to discuss your requirements in more detail.
We've been creating high-quality relaxed activity holidays since 1985 and our wealth of experience means we're able to build the perfect tailor-made tour for you. Our 'Gold Trusted' rating on Feefo, the independent review site, underlines our exceptional levels of customer service, and our ATOL bonding and ABTA membership guarantees your holiday is safe with us.
