Lovely Var Holiday House with Private Pool, Provence Verte, Barjols Reviews

The house felt like a home, not a rental property and we enjoyed it all the more for that. In size, it was perfect for two adults, but would obviously cope with a family. I'm less sure about 4 adults. The forest setting is wonderful with the house, garden and pool sitting on a terrace carved from the steeply sloping woods above barjols. Lots of lovely things to see and do although we didn't feel the need to stray far. There are a few houses being built immediately below the property which created a bit of noise but I'm pretty sure they will be completed before next season. Once finished they won't intrude. Judging the house on its own, it was a clear 5 stars. The reason for a 4 star overall rating from us is that it lies above a less attractive residential end of barjols which just slightly took the edge off an otherwise perfect holiday.

An attractive and comfortable house, much as we expected from the website and owner's description (they were also most helpful in answering any questions before & during our stay). It's well equipped and provided virtually everything we needed for a most enjoyable 2 week stay. The pool was regularly and diligently maintained throughout and the property and grounds provide pleasant, elevated views towards Barjols and pretty hills in the distance. Barjols itself is an attractive large village with an impressive collection of fountains, narrow streets and pretty houses. There's a good boulangerie and an Intermarche within a 5 minutes drive of the house and another small supermarket the other side of the village plus independent shops in Barjols center.

We fell into our usual pattern of alternate days out and days at home enjoying the pool, house & location.

For shorter day trips, there are numerous attractive towns and villages within easy striking distance. Too many to explore in a single holiday. Most boast at least a few restaurants plus interesting and attractive old buildings to visit and explore. It doesn't take long to work out that the countryside in this area can quickly change from forested to open, hilly to flat, cultivated to wild - all of which adds to it's charm and interest.

We also struck out on some longer day trips:

- St Tropez - prettier, with a nicer atmosphere than we'd expected - best approached along the attractive coast road from the west to avoid jams,

- Verdon Gorge - very scenic - requires a complete day to do it justice - one scarily high road bridge,

- Mount Ventoux - the climb from Sault is attractive and not too steep - what a view from the top!!

- Avignon - really, it needs more than a day, loads of history,

- Monte Carlo - lots of hustle and bustle, a set of streets you simply have to drive, and a harbour you have to walk.

- The Camargue - Saintes Maries-de-la-Mer and especially Auiges-Mortes are well worth seeing.

At the end of each long day it was great to get back to the house. We slept well there, nights being cooler than days.

So, it's a great base for exploring the area - the east-west motorway (within 20km of the house) making some longer trips possible.

You really do need a car to explore this part of France although we avoided the largest cities of Nice, Toulon and Marseille because even their outskirts were busy. For these, public transport might be a better option.

A great base for exploring.

We have just spent a wonderful week at Maison Genet. The house was very comfortable and the pool was the perfect refreshment as we had temperatures in the 30s every day. The view from the house is beautiful, especially from the relaxing reading area at the bottom of the garden, where there was less foliage and so uninterrupted views of the nearby hills. We would highly recommend visits to Cotignac and Lac St Croix and Moustiers, plus Tourtour with its stunning views of the mountains. The house is the perfect base for a family of four to enjoy the delights of Provence and we hope to return at some point. Thank you Richard and Jenny (August 2016)

We loved our stay in Maison Genet. The house has a relaxed feel and is well and thoughtfully equipped; even the knives in the kitchen seemed to have just been sharpened! The pool is well maintained and very much appreciated in the 35 degree heat that we had during our stay. The property was clean and everything we needed was to hand.

One of the things we most enjoyed about the property was the outside space; a comfortable lounger is parked at one end of the garden in the shade which makes a perfect place to read and admire the view. There is even some space to play Petanque, which was a lot of fun. The owner Richard was very helpful throughout.

Barjols has a lot of charm and is only 20 minutes walk away. The excellent Patisserie is even closer. There are beautiful villages not too far away in the car - Tourtour was one of our favourites.

Finding somewhere so comfortable and so private is a rare treat and we will definitely be back.

We loved our stay in Maison Genet. The house has a relaxed feel and is well and thoughtfully equipped; even the knives in the kitchen seemed to have just been sharpened! The pool is well maintained and very much appreciated in the 35 degree heat that we had during our stay. The property was clean and well maintained.

One of the things we most enjoyed about the property was the outside space; a comfortable lounger is parked at one end of the garden in the shade which makes a perfect place to read and admire the view. There is even some space to play Petanque, which was a lot of fun. The owner Richard was very helpful throughout.

Barjols has a lot of charm and is only 20 minutes walk away. The excellent Patisserie is even closer. There are beautiful villages not too far away in the car - Tourtour was one of our favourites.

Finding somewhere so comfortable and so private is a rare treat and we will definitely be back.

We loved the house and garden . It was great for a family stay . The pool was lovely big enough for a swim and well kept and clean .The terrace out side the house was a lovely place to sit and eat .

The owners gave us loads of helpful information before we arrived and were helpful about the booking . At the cottage there was lots of maps and books and up to date leaflets for use while we were there.

The house was clean and nicely looked after . The village of Barjols was within easy walking distance and had plenty of food shops and a fab boulangerie as well as a lovely walk to the gorge and falls. It was within easy access distance to lots and lots of places to visit- we went to Aix en Provence, Avignon, Vernon Gorge , Reis, and Marseille. there were lots more we could have visited.

We would definitely recommend to any one!

Perfect for our family of four, children happy with pool and bedrooms with lovely views. Clean and tidy on arrival, had everything we needed. Good fully equipped kitchen and a great selection of maps of the area to explore.

Lots of wildlife to watch. Great boulangerie down the road selling good pizza!

The owners were always extremely helpful. Thank you for a lovely stay.

The villa was lovely, offering everything we needed, a clean very well equipped kitchen, cozy living room, and two comfortable bedrooms.

The views from the gardens were spectacular, a lovely quiet reteat.

We all enjoyed the pool.

A real treat was fresh croissants each morning from the bakery ten minutes away.

Beautiful villa with a super pool. Lovely private pool area and garden with an attractive covered eating area. The villa was well equipped and comfortable. The owners were flexible in our arrival and leaving days which really helped. Thanks for a great holiday.

We had a lovely two week stay in the cottage. It is cosy, secluded and well maintained with a great swimming pool and just 25 minutes walk from the main square in Barjols. An ideal hideaway for a couple or foursome. It is a perfect base for visiting markets as in Aups and Cotignac hilltop villages like St. Martin de Pallière, St. Jean de Montaigne, Fox Amphoux, Tourtour, chateaux interiors at Verdiėre and Entrecasteau, and the faience villages of Varages and Moustiers Ste. Marie to name but a few of the attractions.