In Apt: The Apartment
Never were we more happy than when we finally found the door for La Madone. Nathalie met us along with Luna. We were promptly escorted next door to see what would be our home for the upcoming week.
Located in a large town house just across the quais from the old center of the town, La Madone is named for its most striking architectural feature, a large statue of the Madonna in an acolve along the top floor looking out towards the city.
Now, if only we had walked down the street in this direction rather than towards the prefecture, maybe we would have seen the large sign! But, the drama aside, the apartment is beautiful. We have rented the Appartement Lin for the week. From the above picture, it is on the top floor from the farthest arched window on the left (the kitchen), clear past the alcove of the Madonna (our bedroom!).
Since it is located on the third floor (American) of the town house without an elevator, it is not accessible to all people. It is, however, secluded and spacious for a rental apartment. A tiled, spiral staircase provides access to the upper floors. Another aspect of being on the third floor is the charming and well-thought out space of being beneath the rafters of the house. Being tall people, this is always a concern but the minimum clearance is six feet and it soars to between 9-10 feet in the main living area and higher in the bedroom.
Of all the apartments that were available, we requested the Lin for its spacious and airy kitchen with plenty of work surfaces. We wanted to be able to use the kitchen liberally for dinners and avoid eating out as much as possible. The kitchen fits the bill. There is a nice stove top, plenty of sautee pans and pots, the key utensils, a typical European fridge, an oven that works like a dream, and for when we are really, really, really lazy – a dishwasher. The dining table has four comfortable chairs and a large, heavy antique table that could easily sit for people for a long dinner.
The living room is decorated with two love seats, one of which is a sleeper. The furniture is in excellent condition and very comfortable to relax on. There is a coffee table and a small television. Notably, there is no phone in the apartment, but in this day and age with everyone carrying a cell phone, needing a calling card even if there was a phone, or not wanting a phone at all when on vacation, it really has us non-pulsed.
The bedroom has a queen sized bed that is an absolute dream. After several visits to France in rentals with lumpy or soft beds, this firm mattress was a dream come true when we collapse into bed each night. The bedroom itself is large enough to walk comfortably about the bed and you can just catch a glimpse of where we stored our suitcases near the alcove of the Madonna. There are two small windows and a fantastic skylight just over the bed. The skylight has a linen shade that keeps a good chunk of the sunlight out for Jacob who likes to sleep in, but provides ambient light during the day so you do not need to turn the lights on.
Finally, there is by all standards a fantastic bathroom considering our previous rentals. It is large, well designed, and the shower is tall enough that Jacob and I don’t need to bend over backwards to fit since the roof of the shower follows the pitch of the roof. Plus, there is a substantial water heater that provides nearly instantaneous and enough hot water for two people to shower and still have enough leftover that the water never runs cold.
The bonus of this apartment rental has been the amazing breakfasts our hosts provide each morning. The drinks are to order – tea for Jacob and coffee for me. The tea is a high end darjeeling and my coffee is that lovely dark and robust that I expect while living in France. The orange juice is real. Orange juice is one of those things that I think East Coasters take for granted. With Florida just a long haul truck away, living on the East Coast we have access to the most delicious orange juice year round at a minimal cost. When traveling outside of the US, we have found it more difficult to get a premium orange juice and tend to avoid it all together. The juice provided with our breakfast in the apartment might as well have come from or own fridge at home when it comes to quality. But, enough about the glory of orange juice. The bread basket includes two croissants, two pain au chocolate, and two small pieces of baguette sourced from Le Fournil de Luberon. Fresh strawberry and apricot jam are provided along with some butter.
Everything but the baguette is consumed by the time we finish a leisurely breakfast at the table. With the leftover baguette and jam, we make sandwiches to take with us on the road each day. I feel five years old eating jam sandwiches again!
The decor and the ambiance are a delightful aspect of our apartment. Nathalie and Bernard are antique collectors/dealers. Nathalie puts considerable time and energy into creating decor that fits seamlessly together. I love the chocolate brown accent wall and poured concrete counters in the kitchen. I never thought that dove grey could look good in a bedroom, but the neutral palette scheme works in creating a soothing oasis from the riot of color that awaits us every time we leave the apartment and go adventuring. The furniture is just enough and each piece is purposeful. Bernard has clearly spent considerable time renovating their home and the apartments to have all modern features necessary to live for extended periods.
What we truly love about the apartment:
- An honestly good mattress
- A large water heater
- Lots and lots of sunlight even on a rainy day
- Enough room for two 6′ + people to stretch out and relax
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