Watching grass grow has never been as breathtaking as in the South of France in late summer. From mid July through August, for as far as the eye can see, fields of lavender are in full bloom. It’s a feast for the senses, and New York Habitat can put you in a South of France villa right in the middle of it all.
Mentioned in the ancient Song of Solomon as nard, lavender got its current name from the Romans, who used it in the bath and thus called it after a form of the verb lavare, to wash. Today we are still familiar with bath products, potpourri and essential oils infused with the heavenly scent of lavender; European homeopaths are no stranger to its healing properties as well, particularly for burns and inflammation.
But leave it to the French to create a wide range of uses for the hardy flower, mostly culinary in nature. Here’s a tip about Provence: don’t be surprised if you find lavender popping up in tea, sugar, honey, candy, pastries, cheese and even chocolate!
While there are organized lavender tours throughout the South of France, nothing quite beats the experience of driving along a dusty country road and happening upon an explosion of color that seems like it was placed there just for you. And while we might be partial, renting a car also affords you the opportunity to really get away from it all to a true French country retreat.
We have plenty of South of France vacation rentals for you, starting with these ones:
If a more modern flair is your style, round up the gang and head to this 5-bedroom villa rental in Gordes, Provence Luberon (PR-766). It has all the amenities, a sleek elegance and plenty of room to chill out and admire the art inside – or the miles of beautiful views outside.
You may have seen photos, but pictures simply do not do justice to the natural phenomenon of lavender fields in full bloom. Do you have a favorite lavender product you’d love to find at its source? Tell us about it in the comments! And keep browsing our blog for more information about South of France.
I love to put a little pouches of lavender seeds in my drawers and closets. This technique gives a really nice smell to your laundry. And also it reminds me when I spent one month vacation in Aix en Provence.
That picture of the lavender field is beautiful! I would love to rent an apartment in this region of South France and get away from the city for a while.
Great article! Very interesting!
The Lavender fields in Provence what a wonderful idea for summer vacation!!
Great picture!
As you soon as sniff a bag of Lavender seeds I project myself in Provence. I love it!
I read the book A year in Provence wrote by Peter Mayle. Jut a fantastic novel. Really make me rent a villa for the summer. A wonderful Mas Provencal with swimming pool and the pine trees so close to heaven….
I was unaware that there were lavender fields in the South of France. For someone like me who adores lavender products these fields would be a great place to visit while on vacation and the villas advertised by New York Habitat look like a great place to stay.
I love the smell of lavender. I would love to go to the south of france at one of these beautiful vacation rentals to stay in the south of france.
I loooove lavender. We just started planting some this year in our yard, and when I’m going out the door to run errands or leave for work, I rub the lavender plant between my hands and the wonderful smell lasts for a few hours. When I can’t sleep, every once in a while (not too often because it can be dangerous if digested too frequently), I drink a glass of water with a couple of drops of lavender oil in it right befor bed and I sleep like a baby!
This is a really cool picture. I just did a project on france for french culture class and the picture makes me want to visit the “lavender fields” in france. I do not know really know anything about these fields but they seem very interesting:)