We rented through Erika's agency and would definitely rent from her again. She was efficient and helpful in our e-mail communications, and we were able to send a deposit check in U.S. dollars. The apartment we rented was very much as presented on Erika's website (but it is no longer available). We would have been happy in many of Erika's apartments.

We rented this cottage for two weeks in July 2009. The location was great-- on the residential end of High Street in Chipping Campden. Chipping Campden is an excellent base in the Cotswolds, with a variety of restaurants, pubs and shops.

The cottage is compact: three floors, one room wide and two rooms deep. (You must be able to deal with steep stairs to stay here!) The small kitchen/dining area is an addition on the back. There are two bedrooms and two full baths, but I wouldn't recommend this cottage for four adults due to the small dining area. Otherwise the cottage was attractively decorated and has everything you need for an extended day, including movies and books, games, music, and an extensive cookbook collection. We also enjoyed the garden in the back of the house.

I would definitely rent from Campden cottages again. They offer a wide variety of cottages in Chipping Campden, Blockley and other nearby villages. The agency was efficient and responsive.

We spent two weeks at Castello di Colognole in July 2010. Parts of the castle date back to the 12th century, and it has a fabulous situation high on a hilltop outside Greve-in-Chianti. There are outstanding views for miles, including the nearby village of Montefioralle. It is an absolutely beautiful environment, very tranquil, and there is much to enjoy in the surrounding area.

There are currently three apartments available for rent at Castello di Colognole, the two shown on their own website and a third apartment (the one we rented) which is included in their www.holiday-rentals.com website. Our Del Caccia apartment is actually owned by another of the four owners at Colognole, but its rental is handled by the owner of the other apartments.

Our apartment was quite interesting... a big living room (with a vaulted frescoed ceiling), a small kitchen with dining table, two very comfortable bedrooms upstairs, one full bath upstairs with tub/shower, and a WC downstairs. We were able to use two different gardens and ate our meals outside. The kitchen is very small (medium-size refrigerator, stove, oven, and dishwasher), but suitable for preparing breakfasts and simple meals.

We did not have A/C but did have fans, and given the situation of our apartment, it was really quite cool inside. Our apartment did not have internet access, but we were able to use the internet in another part of the castle. There is a central laundry room available. The old chapel, which was adjacent to our apartment, is quite amazing.

We did have a chance to see the other two apartments, and I especially liked the Bacco apartment, which is very spacious with a large, modern kitchen, big dining room, and direct access to the big garden on the back of the courtyard. All three apartments can be rented together for a group.

One of the best things about the Castello di Colognole are the two wonderful women (sisters), Rita and Rosita, who are your hosts. They both live in the castle, along with two friendly dogs. We loved getting to know them and they went out of their way to help us and make our two week stay special. Rita cooked two dinners for us at the castle, and she is an excellent cook!

The castle is located about a ten minute drive from the center of Greve-in-Chianti. Much of the drive is on a steep, one lane gravel road. The plus is that you are quickly in a quite isolated setting in the beautiful Chianti countryside. But your car does get very dirty!! (Car wash located north of Greve...)

My husband and I are frequent visitors to the Luberon area of Provence and lived there for six months a few years ago. Now we lead small group tours several weeks each year and share our love of the Luberon with others.

We first visited Domaine Faverot when we lived in Provence. Local friends had recommended the wine, and we stopped by for a tasting and to buy a few bottles. The owner Francois Faverot (half British/half French) greeted us warmly and helped us learn more about the wines produced in the Luberon valley. A few weeks later we scheduled a tasting with some friends visiting from the USA. That was the beginning of our connection with Francois and Sally Faverot and their beautiful wine estate located near Maubec. We now take our groups to Domaine Faverot for a tour, tasting and lunch, and it's a highlight of our week.

The setting is idyllic and we always have a great meal, but it's made most special by our two hosts. They truly have a gift for hospitality, and that's also evident in the four rental cottages they've restored on their property. During my many visits to Domaine Faverot, I've had the opportunity to tour all four cottages and to chat with several guests, and we recommend these rentals enthusiastically to our friends and clients.

The four cottages form one leg of the U-shaped 18th century stone building, once a silkworm farm. The winery is across the courtyard, and Sally and Francois' office and home is located in the three story base. Each cottage is somewhat different, but they are all on two stories, with living/dining and kitchen on the ground level and bedroom(s) and bath upstairs. One cottage has one bedroom and bath, and the other cottages have two bedrooms and bathrooms. Every cottage is beautifully decorated, with quality furnishings, colorful tiles, and good linens. They are fully equipped for cooking and also have fireplaces and heating for off-season rentals.

I especially like the private terraces, which look out over the vineyards, the Vaucluse Plateau and Mont Ventoux. This provides a place for outdoor dining and relaxing. Sally even provides a small herb garden on each terrace so you can use fresh herbs in your cooking. There's a shared pool for the use of all guests, set in the vineyard. And its a wonderful opportunity to learn something about the rhythm and lifestyle of a small family-owned winery. (We love the Faverot wines.)

Domaine Faverot is in the countryside on the very western end of the Petit Luberon mountain. It's a very convenient location for exploring the Luberon and other parts of Provence, less than a mile off the main road between Cavaillon and the D100 that travels the length of the Luberon toward Apt. Small shops and a few restaurants are located nearby in Coustellet (including the highly-recommended restaurant, Maison Gouin), and there are large supermarkets not far away in Cavaillon. There are excellent boulangeries in Robion and Coustellet. From April-October there is a wonderful market in Coustellet on Sunday mornings, including an extensive farmers market. Be sure to visit the nearby village of Oppede-le-Vieux, one of our favorite spots in Provence.

To see more photos of the Luberon (including several taken at Domaine Faverot), see our website at www.european-experiences.com/album.

We rented the larger apartment. The Shuster family lives downstairs. Located on the edge of the village, this was a very comfortable and economical rental.

http://www.gite.com/france/l-auditoire

Our family rented this wonderful house in the village of Turenne for two weeks in September 2005. Turenne is a fairy-tale village, located in the departement of the Correze, about 30 minutes from Brive-la-Gaillarde and just adjacent to the Dordogne. The village has about 750 residents. It's so unique that some tourists do visit, but it's a very quiet and scenic place. This is a great location to explore the Dordogne and the Lot. We really enjoyed our two week stay here.

The house is located near the top of the village, just beneath the ruins of the old castle. It used to be part of an old courthouse building and the back wall is part of the castle fortifications. The house is hundreds of years old and has been beautifully restored by the present owners, a British couple who live in a nearby village. Our family has rented about 30 properties in Europe, and this was one of the most unique places we have stayed.

The house is spacious, extending over three main levels, with steps going up or down into every room. The ground floor includes a spacious kitchen/dining area with modern appliances and a large living room. The second floor has an enormous master bedroom with a fireplace and an ensuite bathroom, a good-sized second bedroom, and another bathroom with a wonderful shower. Twisty stairs lead up to the third level, a large and sunny attic room with twin beds and an area for children's games. The house has a pleasant outdoor courtyard for relaxing and outdoor dining, nicely landscaped with flowers and herbs.

We highly recommend this house and the owner Penny was great to deal with. The owners also own another house listed on www.gite.com, La Maison de Pan de Bois in the nearby village of Carrenac. http://www.gite.com/france/maison-pan-bois It looks fabulous too.

I really like the www.gite.com website. This is a rent-by-owner website, but I understand that the website is very selective in which properties are included. They do an excellent job of presenting properties on their site, with lots of photographs and information about the surrounding area. The house we rented looked wonderful on the website and was even better in person.

Our family of three rented this village house in Bonnieux (Provence) for two weeks in March 2007. The house is rented by the owners, Americans who stay there a few weeks a year, and is listed on the Homeaway site. Christine, the owner, is great to deal with.

The house is located at the top of the village of Bonnieux, right on the main road. It's a typical village house, one room wide and two rooms deep. The living space extends over four floors, and you do need to be prepared to deal with narrow stairs to stay here.

The door from the street opens into the kitchen, with the dining room beyond. (Our family spent most of our recreational time in the dining room.) Stairs lead down to a small bedroom and a large, really nice bathroom (includes a washing machine). Another flight of stairs leads up to a small living room (couch converts to a bed) and a very pleasant master bedroom. At the top level is a small bathroom and a terrace. The landing area has a small refrigerator so you can store some food items near the terrace for outdoor dining.

The terrace has a beautiful view of the Luberon mountains, as does the master bedroom and the dining room.

The house is attractively furnished and has many special touches and extras. Although there isn't a lot of counter space, the kitchen is especially well equipped. We really enjoyed staying here and felt very much at home.

There are a few parking spaces up the street if you're lucky. We often parked on the narrow street below, or you can park in a big lot further up the village.

Bonnieux is a wonderful Luberon village with many good restaurants, cafes and shops. The views from this village are truly spectacular. There are two boulangeries near the bottom of the village, a butcher, and a grocery store. To fully enjoy this beautiful perched village, you do need to be prepared to do some walking up and down the various levels of the village.

Our family lived in the village of Bonnieux a few years ago and now we visit there often. We met the owner of these apartments through a mutual friend and had a chance to tour all four rentals in March 2007. At that time they were very recently restored. The owner Danielle is a widow who lives in the village, an excellent hostess with good taste. She speaks a little English and loves visiting the USA. Her son and daughter-in-law help her with the rentals.

The rentals ("gites") are located right in the village of Bonnieux, just off the main square, the Place Gambetta. These are all good sized rentals, all with two bedrooms. (In one unit, the second bedroom is on a mezzanine). Each unit also has an outdoor area for relaxing or dining. They have been decorated simply but are spotlessly clean and well-equipped, including washing machines in each unit.

As is often the case with gites marketed to Europeans, there is an additional charge for linens and housekeeping is extra. The base rate is 450 euro/week in July and August and 370 euro/week in other months. (If required, heating is also extra.) This is an extremely reasonable price, especially in this part of the Luberon.

Our family would definitely enjoy staying in any of the rentals for a week or more.

Bonnieux is an excellent base for a week or more in the Luberon. There are eight or nine restaurants (several just a two minute walk from the gites), a small grocery store, a butcher, two boulangeries, and a variety of other shops and galleries. The weekly market is held on Friday mornings, on the main square just a few steps from the gite. Most of the week parking is available on the main square. (For Thursday night and Friday morning it would be necessary to park in one of the lots just below the village ... a five minute walk at most.)

For photos of Bonnieux (and the rest of the Luberon), see our website at www.luberonexperience.com/photos/bonnieux/.

We rented this two-bedroom/one bath apartment in the Latin Quarter for four nights in June 2010. The second bedroom had a foldout couch. The apartment was very spacious (80 sq m), light, clean and quiet with a very well-equipped kitchen and modern bathroom. The location is close to the Seine, several Metro stops, and the Jardin des Plantes. We were very happy with the apartment and the location and would definitely stay here again.

We got a quick e-mail response to some initial questions and were able to book the apartment through the website. We charged the initial deposit to our credit card, with the balance was paid in cash during our stay. There was a minimum five-night rental for the apartment; although we stayed only four days, this was more economical than two hotel rooms and we had much more space.

My only caution is that you won't get a lot of support here-- you're pretty much on your own. This was just fine with us because we've visited Paris many times and are also experienced European vacation renters, but may be a concern to others. We were an hour late for our planned arrival time due to traffic (a strike) in Paris that afternoon. Our "greeter" had to leave and left keys with a kebab shop owner in the next building who watched for our arrival. There wasn't any housebook, though we figured most everything out on our own without a problem. We did talk to the "greeter" by phone with a question about internet, but weren't able to meet up with him in person to pay our balance until the day before we left.