Guests staying at Lou Marronie were treated to a very special trip, organised by Sissa of Provencereiser. Up in the Verdon Gorge mountains past Castellane, the group met up with local farmers and their truffle hunting dogs, seeing how the precious ‘black diamonds’ are found. Dogs are preferred to pigs as they normally don’t eat the truffles. These dogs seemed to like the smell and taste?

Sissa made contact with the farmer a while back, and they’ve been chatting about organising these days out for a while. His primary concern is that guests tread lightly on the land, enjoy the beautiful scenery and marvel at what nature provides. The sun gods shone upon their first outing together. Hope you enjoy this video impression made by Marcel of Tours and Tales.

Set in the heart of Provence, Golf de la Sainte Baume is nestled amidst the pines and the garrigue at the foot of the Sainte Baume Massif. A diverse course, offering various aspects of the game of golf with it’s water obstacles, raised tees and greens … it’s adapted to all standards of golfer.

Domaine de Châteauneuf
83860 Nans les Pins

Tel: +33 (0)494786012
Email: saintebaume@opengolfclub.com

Website: www.opengolfclub.com

Training facilities include a tuition bunker, putting green and pitching green. The driving range has 60 postes dont 15 couverts. Self-employed Pros on the premises: Dominique Ménard, Bruno Cloutrier, Olivier Fritz et Rudy Lucas.

Half an hour’s drive from Cotignac, lies the fabulous Barbaroux Golf course, hotel and spa.

Barbaroux is one of the rare golf courses where every hole is ‘unforgettable’ and where the greens are fast and honest. If I was to spend the rest of my life playing the same French golf course, it would be Barbaroux.” ~ Peter Haslam, independent expert of Golf World magazine

“Designed by the American architects Pete & P.B. Dye who have given their characteristic signature, notably the presence of wood beams retaining the lakes. The course unfolds in the var Mediterranean forest, beginning with a par 4 where the first difficulty is to decide how much of the lake you will cover, don’t be too greedy. The 3rd hole is an “adventure” needing a long iron or fairway wood to play a blind shot to the green far below, the 4th is difficult and interesting par 3 where you will pass through a tunnel under the green.”

Golf de Barbaroux
Route de Cabasse
83 170 BRIGNOLES
Tel 04 94 69 63 63
Email : contact@barbaroux.com
Website : www.barbaroux.com

After dazzling guests with his culinary skills at a conference held in Cotignac earlier this year, we requested Manu to cook dinner for a family celebration. The meal was superb!

Entrée: Goat’s cheese, beetroot & carrot

Primaire platter: Canard and orange sauce

Cheese platter

Dessert: steamed pears with thyme & lime sorbet

Jan and Mirjam offer guests at Lou Marronie a fabulous experience. They’ll come and cook for you in our kitchen, serving delicious local produce and wines. Here’s a photo gallery of a recent 4-course dinner they did for other guests, who were thrilled with the experience. If you would like them to cook for you, please contact them via their website, Pure Home Cooking.

Looking for gifts, souvenirs and Provençal craft to take home with you?

Jeany Cronk opened her boutique in July 2015 and has impressed visitors with its style and lovely gift ideas. The boutique complements the wine cellar beautifully, so you can combine wine tasting and shopping!

Jeany has carefully chosen local producers of ceramics, art, honey, Provençal cuisine, perfumed candles and fab tealight candle holders.

Didier Romieux is our resident Bordeaux and Burgundy expert and loves sharing a passion for wine. His wine cellar stocks liquid jewels that would not be out of place in Aladdin’s cave, thanks to his personal relationships with top château owners in France.

Groups of 10-12 people can book a private wine tasting Masterclass in his wine cellar with fabulous themes like:

• Pairing wine and cheese
• Château Miraval, the 3 colours (red, rosé and white)
• How to start with Burgundy?
• Which wines to pair with pizza?
• Magic of Chablis
• Rosé wines, which ones to choose and why?

Visiting his wine cellar is a must for any serious (and wannabe) wine collector. Contact him directly to book a private course. When you visit him, also ask about his wine collector’s club called Vinissime…

La Cave de Didier à Cotignac
13 Rue d’Antoine
83570, Cotignac
Tel: +33(0)494787629
http://www.lacavecotignac.com/en

An inspiring tale of a family following a passion.

Stephen and Jeany Cronk left a comfortable life in London to pursue their dream of making incredible wine in the South of France. Their wine cellar opened in July 2014 on Cours Gambetta, restoring a drab-and-dreary building “La Falaise” into its rightful glory. There are no more traces of its previous life as a car garage, instead they uncovered wine cuves and tunnels from hundreds of years ago when it used to be a winery run by the Penitent Blancs.

Wine tasting is available in the gorgeous wine cellar from Tuesday to Saturday during the busy summer period (opening hours are normally from 10h00 until 20h00). Off season, wine tasting is normally available on Tuesdays (market day) and on demand. If you’d like to organise a private wine tasting for groups of 6 or more, with Stephen or one of his crew, contact them directly via their website or social media accounts.

In July 2015 Jeany opened Mirabeau Maison, her beautiful boutique, adjacent to the wine cellar so you can buy gifts and taste their delicious wine!

Mirabeau en Provence
5 Cours Gambetta
83570 Cotignac
Tel: 04 94 37 40 02
http://www.mirabeauwine.com/

Feel free to mention you heard about them from us 😉

Getting ill while you’re travelling or on holiday can be very scary; especially when it’s in a foreign language!

If you find yourself in need of medical care, you can contact our local GP, doctor Christine Biscarat to make an appointment. She can speak a little bit of English. Her rooms are at the entrance of the village, opposite Lou Calen hotel and next the the Cotignac Hostellerie.

Dr Christine Biscarat
4 Bis Cours Gambetta
83570 Cotignac
Tel: 04 94 04 67 96

Pharmacie du Rocher
5 Rue de la Victoire
83570 Cotignac
Tel: 04 94 04 66 44

The pharmacy is well stocked, but if you need specialist medication, they should be able to organise it relatively quickly from Brignoles.

10h00 à 12h30 – 14h30 à 19h00 Monday
09h00 à 12h30 – 14h30 à 19h00 Tuesday
09h00 à 12h30 – 16h00 à 19h00 Wednesday
09h00 à 12h30 – 14h30 à 19h00 Thursday
09h00 à 12h30 – 14h00 à 19h00 Friday
09h00 à 12h30 – 16h00 à 19h00 Saturday
Closed on Sundays

Stephanie and Pascal have moved their bakery from Grand Rue to Place Neuve, and it’s a fabulous change. The new shop is much roomier and has place for a few bistro tables, where you can enjoy one of their delicious sandwiches or a piece of quiche. They are one of the two bakeries in Cotignac.