Section I · The Ranked Twelve
From best to twelfth.
Sorted by what each villa does well at its price point. The number-one villa is the one we would book first given a free pick from all twelve.
No. I
Domaine de Provence, seven-bedroom. (Le Collectionist)
Bedrooms: 7. Sleeps: 14. Area: Saint-Rémy-de-Provence and surroundings. Peak rate: $42,000 to $52,000 / week. Included: full staff, butler, daily housekeeping, gardener, pool attendant, concierge. Not included: chef (€320 to €480 per day plus food at cost), driver, in-villa spa.
Why it ranks here: the Saint-Rémy answer for a 14-person trip that does not want to argue about which village to go to. The villa sits in the olive-grove flatland 8 minutes from the Saint-Rémy market (Wednesday and Saturday), 14 minutes from Les Baux-de-Provence, and 22 minutes from Eyg&aliques;lières. Seven bedrooms, three living rooms, a kitchen sized for a chef, and an outdoor dining pergola that handles 14 without anyone reaching across. Le Collectionist concierge handles airport transfers, chef sourcing, restaurant bookings, and the wine-cellar pre-stock. The on-site team is the difference.
What we would change: the headline rate excludes the chef, who is mandatory in our view for a 14-person stay. Build the week with three large dinners on the schedule and stop trying to cook ten yourself.
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No. II
Mas Aiga Terra, six-bedroom. (Le Collectionist)
Bedrooms: 6. Sleeps: 12. Area: Bonnieux and surroundings, Luberon. Peak rate: $32,000 to $42,000 / week. Included: housekeeping, gardener, pool attendant, daily breakfast service, concierge. Not included: chef, car and driver, additional housekeeper.
Why it ranks here: the Luberon hilltop answer at the right price point. Bonnieux sits 8 km south of Lacoste, 14 km from Gordes, and 25 minutes from Apt for the Saturday market. Six bedrooms across a restored mas, a 14-meter pool with a south view down the valley, and a stone-walled garden with mature plane trees. The Le Collectionist concierge in Provence is the strongest local team we have tested in any French region, with chef and wine sourcing measured in hours, not days.
What we would change: the property road is unsealed for the final 600 meters. Wet weather makes the lower section slippery for a low car. Confirm the rental fleet on the inquiry.
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No. III
Villa Victoire, five-bedroom. (Le Collectionist)
Bedrooms: 5. Sleeps: 10. Area: Lourmarin and surroundings, Luberon. Peak rate: $26,000 to $34,000 / week. Included: housekeeping, gardener, pool attendant, daily breakfast service. Not included: chef, car, second housekeeper.
Why it ranks here: Lourmarin is the right Luberon village for the group that wants the most-walked village without staying in the village. Villa Victoire sits 4 km north on a working agricultural plot, with an 11-meter pool, a working olive grove (the gardener also runs the harvest in October), and a kitchen sized for ten with the chef. The drive into Lourmarin for the Friday market is 9 minutes off-peak.
What we would change: Lourmarin in July is busy with day-trippers. Book a table for dinner before you leave home. Auberge La Fénière fills two weeks out.
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No. IV
Mas du Safre, five-bedroom. (Le Collectionist)
Bedrooms: 5. Sleeps: 10. Area: Gordes and surroundings, Luberon. Peak rate: $30,000 to $40,000 / week. Included: housekeeping, gardener, pool attendant, daily breakfast, concierge. Not included: chef, car and driver, in-villa wellness.
Why it ranks here: Gordes is the most photographed village in the Luberon, which makes booking inside Gordes a different proposition than the buyer expects (parking is the worst in the region, the village is loud on summer afternoons). Mas du Safre sits 6 km south on the road to Coustellet, which gives you the Gordes view without the Gordes problem. Five bedrooms across a single restored mas, a 12-meter pool, and the gardener is the third generation to work the plot.
What we would change: the property is 11 minutes from the Coustellet market on Sunday morning. Plan around the chef’s shopping window, which closes by 11 a.m.
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No. V
Villa Allure, five-bedroom. (Le Collectionist)
Bedrooms: 5. Sleeps: 10. Area: Saint-Rémy-de-Provence and surroundings, Alpilles. Peak rate: $24,000 to $32,000 / week. Included: housekeeping, pool, gardener, daily breakfast, concierge. Not included: chef, car, in-villa spa.
Why it ranks here: the smaller-group Saint-Rémy pick. Five bedrooms across a single building, an 11-meter pool with proper afternoon shade, and a kitchen that handles 10 with the chef. The drive into Saint-Rémy village is 6 minutes. The drive to Avignon-TGV is 35 minutes.
What we would change: the kitchen layout is narrow. Three working it would be one too many. Hire the chef and let them control the room.
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No. VI
The Eyg&aliques;lières six-bedroom mas.
Bedrooms: 6. Sleeps: 12. Area: Eyg&aliques;lières, Alpilles. Peak rate: $28,000 to $38,000 / week. Included: housekeeping, gardener, pool, daily breakfast, concierge. Not included: chef, car, second pool attendant.
Why it ranks here: Eyg&aliques;lières is the quieter Alpilles village 12 km east of Saint-Rémy, with the Friday market that the Saint-Rémy buyers go to. Six bedrooms across a restored mas, a 13-meter pool, and a kitchen that handles 12 with the chef. The property road is sealed, the gates work, and the AC was replaced in 2024.
What we would change: the lower terrace catches the mistral in spring. Build a windbreak if you are booking April or early May. The owner has been told.
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No. VII
The Ménerbes hilltop five-bedroom.
Bedrooms: 5. Sleeps: 10. Area: Ménerbes, Luberon. Peak rate: $22,000 to $30,000 / week. Included: housekeeping, gardener, pool, daily breakfast. Not included: chef, car, additional staff.
Why it ranks here: Ménerbes is the slowest of the Luberon villages (a small mercy in July). Five bedrooms across a restored stone house on the hillside, an 11-meter pool, and a south-facing terrace with a working olive grove below. The drive into Lacoste is 9 minutes, into Bonnieux 14, into Gordes 22.
What we would change: the hilltop position is the trip. The single-lane road in is the cost. If anyone in the group does not drive narrow French country roads comfortably, hire the included driver.
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No. VIII
The Roussillon ochre four-bedroom.
Bedrooms: 4. Sleeps: 8. Area: Roussillon, Luberon. Peak rate: $18,000 to $24,000 / week. Included: housekeeping, pool, gardener, daily breakfast. Not included: chef, car, in-villa spa.
Why it ranks here: the four-bedroom answer in the ochre village. The pigment cliffs are 800 meters from the front door, which costs you the village rate and gains you the morning light against red rock. Four bedrooms across a single building, a 10-meter pool, and a kitchen that handles eight at dinner when the cook works it.
What we would change: Roussillon in July is busy with day-trippers from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Plan the days to be out by mid-morning and back after 4. The villa is quiet by then.
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No. IX
The Maussane-les-Alpilles five-bedroom.
Bedrooms: 5. Sleeps: 10. Area: Maussane-les-Alpilles, Alpilles. Peak rate: $20,000 to $27,000 / week. Included: housekeeping, gardener, pool, daily breakfast, concierge. Not included: chef, car, second car.
Why it ranks here: Maussane is the olive-oil village 6 km south of Les Baux. The villa sits on a working olive estate that supplies a Maussane cooperative, which means the gardener is the harvester, and the property is the kind of working property the Le Collectionist Provence team identifies on the inquiry. Five bedrooms across a single building, a 12-meter pool, and a kitchen sized for ten with the chef.
What we would change: the property road is single-lane. Confirm the rental car size and clear it past the gate. A large SUV will hit the gate frame.
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No. X
The Aix-en-Provence campagne six-bedroom.
Bedrooms: 6. Sleeps: 12. Area: Aix-en-Provence and surroundings. Peak rate: $24,000 to $32,000 / week. Included: housekeeping, gardener, pool, daily breakfast, concierge. Not included: chef, car and driver, additional staff.
Why it ranks here: the Aix campagne is the closest serious villa region to Marseille-Provence airport (22 minutes by car) and to the TGV station (14 minutes). Six bedrooms across a restored country house, a 13-meter pool, and a working garden with mature cypresses. The drive into Aix old town is 18 minutes off-peak.
What we would change: the drive to the Luberon villages is 50 to 70 minutes. If your group’s priority is Bonnieux and Gordes, pick from the top four. If the trip includes Marseille restaurants and a Calanques boat day, this is the right answer.
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No. XI
The Cassis coastal four-bedroom.
Bedrooms: 4. Sleeps: 8. Area: Cassis, coastal Provence. Peak rate: $16,000 to $22,000 / week. Included: housekeeping, pool, gardener, daily breakfast. Not included: chef, car, boat days.
Why it ranks here: the coast pick. Cassis sits 28 km east of Marseille, at the edge of the Calanques national park, which is the boat-day argument for the trip. Four bedrooms across a single building, a 10-meter pool, and a sea view from the upper terrace. The drive into Cassis village is 7 minutes off-peak and a punishing 22 in afternoon traffic.
What we would change: Cassis food is competent rather than special. The good restaurants are in Marseille, 30 minutes back along the coast. Build the schedule with Marseille dinners and Cassis lunches.
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No. XII
The Cucuron valley four-bedroom.
Bedrooms: 4. Sleeps: 8. Area: Cucuron, southern Luberon. Peak rate: $14,000 to $19,000 / week. Included: housekeeping, pool, gardener, daily breakfast. Not included: chef, car, additional staff.
Why it ranks here: the southern Luberon answer for a smaller group at a sane price point. Cucuron sits 9 km south of Lourmarin on the back road, has the Tuesday morning market, and the villa is 12 minutes from the Cucuron market and 45 minutes from anywhere else worth eating. Four bedrooms across a restored stone building, a 10-meter pool, and a kitchen sized for eight with the chef on two nights.
What we would change: the lower bedroom shares a wall with the kitchen. Late-night dishwasher cycles will wake an early sleeper. Set the cycle for the morning.
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