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LE PORTAIL VIEUX

Note: Occupancy at Le Portail Vieux is limited to nine adults, or eight adults and four children.

Le Portail Vieux is a veritable maze of rooms and stairways with pleasant surprises around each corner. With its multiple bedrooms, sitting rooms and terraces, it is a house where a large group of friends or several families can find independent places to relax or gather all together in bright and comfortable surroundings. Adding to the charm of this rambling Provençal home is its location directly in Mormoiron, a busy little village in the heart of the Côtes-du-Rhône and Côtes-du-Ventoux wine-producing regions.

The original structure, comprising the front part of the house and the main stairwell, is more than 200 years old. Various additions over the years have provided an extra staircase here and an extra doorway there. One can imagine how imposing this structure, clearly the home of some wealthy merchant, must have been to local farmers two hundred years ago when it loomed up before them as they crossed the last hill on their way to Mormoiron. Turning to look north they would have seen another impressive sight - the limestone cap of Mont Ventoux, the highest peak in Provence and the great landmark of the region.

The principal entrance is by le portail vieux itself - a venerable door of antique wood, shaded by a large plane tree, that opens onto the parking area in front of the house. From the foyer a wide tile staircase leads to the first level and the principal common areas. On the front side of the house is a large living-dining room, the kitchen and, opening off the kitchen, a spacious outdoor terrace. Up yet another level, on the rear of the house, is a second living room with comfortable sofas (Americans might refer to this room as a den) and access to the swimming pool. On a mezzanine above this room is an open area with a large pine table and a loveseat. Four bedrooms are located off the main stairway and three others open from the upstairs den. Throughout the house are terra cotta floors, white walls, and colorful quilts, curtains and upholstered fabrics, all tastefully chosen, that create a warm and homey feeling.

The formal living room has two sofas grouped around a coffee table and a huge stone fireplace. An attractive oriental rug is a pleasing contrast with the white tile floor, which continues into the dining area. In one corner is a stereo system with CD player and radio (no cassette deck).

The dining room includes a mammoth dark wooden table from North Africa, and 12 matching chairs. A family of 10 could keep several courses on the table at the same time without running out of space, or several couples could share an intimate candle-lit dinner in elegant surroundings. Several good-quality antique side pieces in darker wood, mixed with the orange-patterned curtains, lend a feeling of intimacy to this space.

One of Le Portail Vieux's most pleasing features is its wonderful Provençal-style kitchen, where brightly painted cupboards, counters tiled in an attractive aqua color, a table with benches for up to eight and all modern appliances create an inviting place to prepare family meals with local products. The kitchen is exceptionally well equipped with gadgets and utensils for all cooking needs, and appliances include a huge stovetop with six gas burners (a grill covers two), two gas ovens, large two-door refrigerator, dishwasher, microwave, double sink, utility sink and washing machine (there is no dryer). There are also plentiful serving bowls as well as an abundance of dishes and flatware. While group meals can be taken in the dining room or at the kitchen table, in warm weather guests will generally want to dine outside on the large terrace that opens off the kitchen.

Because of the unusual floor plan Le Portail Vieux has taken on as different rooms and levels were added over two centuries, placement of the bedrooms is somewhat difficult to describe. Going level by level:

Ground floor

Opening off of the foyer on the ground level is a large twin-bedded room with a very high ceiling and non-working fireplace. This bedroom has an ensuite bath with tub and hand-held shower. The bedroom and bath are scheduled for remodeling in preparation for the 2000 season.

Second (main) level

Up one flight of stairs, on the same level as the public rooms, is a large and recently redecorated bedroom that opens off a stairway landing. This bedroom has a four-poster queen-sized bed, a comfortable armchair, a wall of closets and a non-working marble fireplace. All of the bedrooms at Le Portail Vieux have bedside tables with lamps that provide good illumination for reading in bed. This bedroom, which can also be entered from the kitchen terrace, uses a large bathroom that is up a flight of stairs on the fourth level.

Third level

A half-level further up, on the front side of the house with a distant view of the mountains, is another large bedroom with a queen-sized bed and a single bed, both in pine frames. Furnishings include a rack for hanging clothes, a small chest of drawers and a big mirror over several bookshelves. This bedroom uses either a white-tiled bathroom across the hall that has a stall shower (but no tub) and WC, or a large bathroom up a half flight of stairs.

Fourth level

Another half-floor up is a smallish but comfortably furnished bedroom with a single bed. There are an armchair, two small chests of drawers, generous-sized in-wall closets, a coat rack, attractive curtains and a blue plaid area rug. Next door is the large bathroom that is shared by the bedroom on the second level. This bathroom, quite spacious, has a bathtub with wall shower and curtain, closets filled with good-quality towels, and a WC.

Also on the fourth level is the previously mentioned sitting room or den, a large, bright and very warmly furnished room with exposed beams and two long and comfortable sofas upholstered in a reddish-pink brocaded fabric. For relaxing there is a big color television and a wall of bookshelves filed with books and magazines in English. Plaid ottomans and pillows, a colorful area rug, wooden end tables, several windows, soft peach walls and a massive antique armoire make this a welcoming space for children and adults alike.

Opening off the sitting room are two simply furnished bedrooms, each with a 140cm (55" across) double bed and its own ensuite bath with stall shower, sink and WC. These rooms, both small with slanting ceilings, are most appropriate for children.

Fifth (top) level

A solid wood staircase leads from the sitting room to another open room, called the mezzanine, that can be used for games or letter-writing. On the mezzanine level, but separate from the open games room, is a large bedroom with high slanting ceilings and a king-sized bed in a pine frame. This room has a built-in closet and bookshelves. Next door (but not ensuite) is a good-sized bathroom in white tile that has a stall shower (no tub) and WC.

The swimming pool and garden

On the rear side of the Le Portail Vieux, surrounded by gardens, is a rectangular swimming pool, which can be heated. The door to the pool is on the fourth level through a small dressing room with stall shower and WC. The door (which can be locked) from the dressing room opens onto a stone stairway that leads several steps down to the pool terrace, which has a wrought-iron table with benches. (While unorthodox, this configuration allows parents control over children's access to the pool.) Beyond the terrace is a grassy expanse bordered by flowering bushes and small trees. A rock wall separates the pool from the street, and taller walls bordered by cypresses separate the pool area from neighboring properties.

Le Portail Vieux's great assets are its harmonious blend of antiquity with modern comforts, its labyrinthian but convenient array of pleasantly furnished bedrooms and well-appointed bathrooms, its superbly equipped kitchen, heatable pool and its ability to accommodate up to 11 persons at an eminently reasonable price. Another advantage is its situation in Mormoiron, which has several bakeries and butchers, a small but well stocked grocery store, and a cave coopérative where excellent wines of the Côtes du Ventoux appellation can be purchased at astonishingly low prices. These attributes all make Le Portail Vieux the ideal vacation home for a group of couples or large family eager to experience first-hand the character and rhythms of French country life in a peaceful Provençal village surrounded by mountains and vineyards.