Les Esplanes

My spouse and I took an 8-week road trip in France this fall. An unexpected change in plans landed us on the doorstep of Blandine, the owner of Les Esplanes in La Garde-Adhèmar. La Garde-Adhèmar is a tiny medieval village in the Drôme Provençale department in SW France that sits atop a hill. Les Esplanes is located a few minutes away and offers guests two B&B rooms or a self-sufficient gîte. We chose to stay in the spacious and airy gîte that is nicely furnished in mid-century modern. The small, serviceable kitchen has a great territorial view. (We did not miss having a microwave and oven.) The living area has two comfortable sofas, and a dining table sits four. (There is no TV.) There is a large separate bedroom with a king-size bed. While we were there, the weather turned stormy and chilly, and the gîte’s heating unit kept us warm and comfortable. Blandine checked in on us periodically and recommended and made dinner reservations for us at restaurants in nearby Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux that were splendid. There is a large swimming pool on the property that looked welcoming but not in November! We highly recommend staying at Les Esplanes with one caveat – the wifi is spotty out there in the countryside. So, for those who want to get away and unplug, Les Esplanes is a calm, comfortable retreat.

... yes, the setting is peaceful, off-the-beaten-path, and appealing despite its proximity to a major nuclear plant. But essential modern amenities are missing. We stopped by in January and found the rooms were sparely heated @20°C. An ecological choice or a cost control measure (?) but were cold everywhere, in our room as well as in the common dining area. Huge problem for us was the lack of WIFI connection just about anywhere since the "Router" is located in the host's home and does not reach the guests' outbuildings. Imagine you rely on WIFI for work or your kids want to watch their favorite Netflix Show. The pricey yet uneventful, somewhat dull, homemade cuisine lacked inspiration and 'volonté creative' . The host was pleasant as well as the other couple visiting. The grounds are well kept, the rooms are no-none-sense functional but again lacking of what makes France such a desirable destination: charme, artsy originality and authenticity. Try this place in the summer months and enjoy 'le radis noir'.

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