Property Description
Le Gendarmerie is an amazing conversion of the old Police building in the well-known village of Bonnieux. From the outside it's an imposing building with a rich history of accommodating officers of French law, but as you step into the beautiful reception area, be prepared for a surprise!
No expense has been spared and as you'll see from the photos, the result is extremely successful. The style throughout the building is comfortable, modern and uncluttered. There is incredible attention to detail and where possible, the original features of the building have been retained and incorporated in the new design.
One of the biggest surprises is to find such a large pool, with a shallow part for young children, hidden from view of the village. Again take a look at the photos to get an idea of the great views and privacy of this area.
There are 6 apartments in total and this 2 bedroom property sits at the rear of the pool area in a separate building. It has it's own private terrace and shared use of the pool area
The Old Gendarmerie is the perfect location if you want to be in the heart of the Luberon and able to explore all the picture-postcard hilltop villages, great restaurant and surrounding spectacular scenery. It has the advantage of a village centre location, plus the luxury of a large pool and high quality interior.
Property Features
Kitchen:The modern, open-plan kitchen, on the ground floor, is superbly equipped and has everything that you’re likely to need on holiday, including four hobs, dishwasher, oven, kettle, toaster, coffee maker, microwave and cutlery/crockery etc.
Living Room:The spacious, modern living area has comfortable sofas, TV and DVD player and a dining table for 4 people.
Bedrooms: The two bedrooms (double and twin) are on the first floor and well furnished.
Bathrooms: There are 2 shower rooms, WC and sinks.
Other rooms: There is a communal laundry room, with two washing machines and an iron.
Outside: Outside the apartment is a lovely, private terrace, with garden furniture, overlooking the pool area. There’s also a shaded area near the pool, with garden furniture, which is perfect for sitting back and sipping a glass of the local wine!
Swimming pool: The swimming pool is perfect for taking a quick dip to escape the heat during the day, or simply doing a few lengths to burn off those hearty Provencal meals! It is open from May until the end of September.
Internet: WiFi connection is only available on the terrace, not inside this apartment, due to the very thick, stone walls - apologies. Wifi access is also available at some of the cafes in the village of Bonnieux or you can use a Dongle.
Winter heating: During the winter months, heating is included.
Gas, electric, & water: These are all included in the rental cost.
End-of-stay cleaning: The owner arranges end-of-stay cleaning, and this is included in the rental cost.
Bed & bathroom linen: This is included in the rental cost.
Children & Babies: There are a couple of baby cots and also a high chair if required
In France, it is necessary to pay a “Taxe de Séjour” for your stay. This is calculated on the number of adults in your party and number of nights you stay, payable when you make your reservation.
Damage deposit: The owner requests a damage deposit of 600 Euros and this is taken as a credit card authorisation before your arrival. If all is left as you found it, the authorisaton voids at the end of your stay. This avoids you having to arrival and leave with a large sum of cash in euros
Change over day: The change over day is Saturday during the high season, although during the low season flexibility is possible
Long weekend stays: These are not usually permitted during the high season, although flexibility is possible during the low season.
Other:Sorry, no pets allowed and no private parking available with this apartment.
About the local area
The village of Bonnieux has a rich and varied history and is considered to be one of the most beautiful in the Luberon.
In summer the village is really popular and therefore has some great restaurants and cafés. Although not very big, it has some useful and interesting shops, including bakers, butchers, grocery, pharmacy, post office and tourist information centre. There's also a local market on a Friday.
The winding roads of the Luberon, with spectacular views, are great to explore and you'll find loads of picturesque villages (Gordes, Menerbes, Maubec) on the doorstep and no doubt you'll want to stop and take some refreshments!
Just a short drive away there's a great Sunday morning market at Coustellet and the larger town of Apt is only 15 minutes away.
There's loads to do and see in the area; St Remy-de-Provence, famous for its Roman architecture, Les Baux with its ruined castle and unique rock formations, L'Isle sur la Sorgue, famous as an antique centre and market. Also within easy reach are Pont du Gard, Avignon with the Palace of the Popes, Marseille with its famous waterfront, the Amphitheatre at Nimes and the cultured avenues of Aix-en-Provence
If activity is your thing, this area is perfect for climbing, cycling, mountain biking, trekking, golf, tennis and swimming.
REVIEWS
It was perfect, lovely. Christian was a great host. We liked the (good) size and contemporary finish AND great location in centre of Bonnieux.
PL August 2023
Excellent comfortable beds, beautiful views, central quiet location, communal pool area , beautiful decor choises, having a laundry to use, excellent wi-fi, modern stylish fittings, friendly helpful welcome, loved having the courtyard and private access, parking, it’s is very close to Sun-e-bikes which we used a lot.
Absolutely wonderful, better than we expected, Christian is so kind and friendly & helpful.
FmC, New Zealand, August 2018
We had such a wonderful holiday at The Old Gendarmerie. It was just perfect for our family and everything was made very easy for us with our newborn baby. Special thanks goes to Christian who went out of his way to help with any query we had whilst we were on holiday and did his best to ensure we were comfortable. He`s such a lovely man!
Thanks to you as well for helping with the booking and for your friendly help with all of our pre-holiday questions! We will definitely consider staying at The Old Gendarmerie again.
CM,London, Aug 2018
The accommodation is perfect for us and having your own patio/garden area with direct access to the pool is a definite plus.
We love the whole of the Old Gendarmerie but this newer addition to the complex is our favourite, hence why we have just returned from our 5th visit.
Helen is always quick to respond to any queries and most helpful.
CT, May 2018
Excellent, wonderful location in the town and representative of the architecture. Pool could have been warmer but kids still loved it anyway. Providing a tea towel would have been handy, but we came prepared.
Dr F, Australia, Sept 2017
Nous avons été enchantés de notre séjour à Bonnieux, l`emplacement est idéal au sein du village, pour en apprécier les commodités sans reprendre la voiture (commerces, restaurants...).
La location était tout à fait conforme à l`annonce, propre et bien décorée, la terrasse privée bien entretenue.
L`accueil et la disponibilité de Christian nous ont ravi.
Nous y reviendrions avec plaisir.
Mr M, France, August 2017
We love the property so much and the holiday experience it provides us with, that we will be returning for a 5th time in the near future, hopefully. It should also be noted that Christian, the new caretaker since the very capable Claude retired to pursue other interests, is doing a fantastic job. Extremely helpful and doing a fantastic job of looking after the guests needs.
Mrs T, UK, June 2017
Great proximity to the village, parking guaranteed and the pool and on this occasion we had the services of Christian who was excellent.
Ms D, Belfast, June 2017
We stayed off season for six weeks and it was an excellent choice, as it is in the centre of the year round village, and has well chosen liveable accommodation. We would recommend it to anyone.
Mr R, London, October 2016
The accommodation was very comfortable and superbly located in gorgeous Bonnieux and easily accessible to other villages in the Luberon region. We would highly recommend Joie de Vivre and The Old Gendarmerie
Mr K, Australia, Sept 2016
We absolutely loved our time in bonnieux. The old gendarmerie was perfect and exceptional value for money, thank you. Mr C, July 2016
Lovely appartemente and well equipped. Being greeted with a bottle of Rose; is a nice touch :-)
Mrs E, Frankfurt, Germany, June 2016
Incredible. We loved it. The best place we stayed on this trip (used airBNB in Paris and London and were not nearly as satisfied). we gave it a 10/10.
Ms F, California, June 2016
The stay was fantastic - we all thoroughly enjoyed it. The accommodation was lovely, Bonnieux beautiful, the residents very friendly and Provence is marvellous. However, the 2.5 hours spend struggling up Mont Ventoux on my bike on the Tuesday afternoon were a little less pleasant! All in all we loved it.
Dr B, Yorkshire, UK, June 2016
Beautiful accommodation. Comfortable beds and amazingly comfortable pillows (please tell me if these come from the uk as I"m buying them!!). The furnishings were lovely and plenty of dishes etc. Some tea towels and washing up liquid would be handy but that would be my only suggestion. Also, it might be worth mentioning that Claude doesn"t speak any English. It wasn"t a problem but it could have been as we were supposed to call him in event of a problem and that might have required some advance use of google translate!
Mrs O
UK, July 2015
We had a fantastic holiday in Provence and we were highly satisfied with our accommodation at the Old Gendemarie
Mrs H, Cleveland, UK, May 2015
We LOVE these apartments mostly bc they don"t feel like u r staying in some strangers personal home. They are nicely appointed and have everything you need. We"ve stayed before and absolutely plan to stay there again. If you could only control Le Mistral
Ms E, Batavia,USA, April 2015
Lovely apartment with a gorgeous view. Very well equipped and comfortable
Mrs S, Stalybridge, UK, Oct 2014
Loved it!
Mr W, Florida, USA, October 2014
Great place, had lots of fun Many thanks!
Mr K, USA, Sept 2014
We really enjoyed our stay. Great location. Comfortable accommodation. Everything worked! We would like to have stayed longer.
Ms S, Devon, UK, Sept 2014
Wonderful (we"d been before, so we were obviously happy with it)
Mr H, Australia, August 2014
Excellent. With the exception of a kettle (!!) the apartment was well equipped, beautifully decorated and exceeded our expectations
Ms G Gloucestershire, August 2014
Very nice ,everything we needed..great location in village with pool Few more photos to show how good property was... Air Con would of been nice but not really a problem.
Mr D, Kent, UK, July 2014
As we knew the Old Gendarmerie already, we were confirmed again that it is a wonderful, authentic place to stay, charming, with a wonderful view in a lively surrounding in the middle of the village, however with a wonderful view.Thank you very much, Helen, for the really friendly, patient and helpful contact and the answering of all our questions before and after the booking!
Mrs H. Germany, June 2014
Very good, more than adequate for our family of 4 , position in Bonnieux was wonderful, close to all you needed and wonderful views of the Luberon Vally across to Lacoste.
Mr W, Australia, June 2014
Wonderful. Charming clean comfortable apartment in the centre everything in the beautiful perched village of Bonnieux.
Mrs M, Canada, April 2014
Just a little e-mail to tell you that we had a wonderful stay in the old gendramerie. All my family was so happy, and enjoyed the situation, the pool, the friendly Claude. We will come back for sure next year.
Mr C, France, August 2013
Exceeded expectations. Excellent. Clean. Very well equipped.
Mrs H, Wigan, UK, August 2013
Excellent; very comfortable - exceeded our expectations
Mr P, Kent, UK, August 2013
Very good - clean, well maintained, great location.
Ms M, Lebanon, August 2013
Bonnieux is a very pretty town, and being in the middle of it made life very easy. The apartment was very nice, especially with the pool on very hot days.
Mr W, France, July 2013
Excellent location, efficient staff, property in good repair, kitchen very well equipped, good value.
Mr and Mrs F, USA, May 13
Excellent...comfortable, great location in village to food shops. Parking was perfect.
Mrs W, Australia, April; 2013
Excellent apartment and as described. Clean, great location and comfortable. Some of the equipment, such as the dishwasher and the DVD player, seemed a little old and did not work brilliantly well, but overall we thoroughly enjoyed our time in the Old Gendarmerie and would definitely visit again, and recommend to family/friends.
Mr A, East Sussex, October 2012
Excellent, would definetly return again, the best of our 7 week trip
Mrs H,Kapiti Coast, New Zealand, September 2012
Excellent - the view from the balcony of the apartment on the 2nd floor was excellent! So good we decided to stay a second week rather than travel elsewhere as originally planned. The apartment in the second week didnt have as a good a view but was more spacious in the kitchen/dining area and bedrooms
KT, London, UK, Sept 12
Just wanted to drop you a line to say thank you so much for another truly wonderful holiday, everything was just perfect and it was such a pleasure to spend time there again.The children were just as delighted to return and we all agreed it felt like coming home. It definitely has a very special place in our hearts!
Second visit from Mrs T, Essex, July 12
Accommodation was terrific, clean, well equipped, very good large beds (I am 1.90)
Mr G,Nederland, July 2012
Wonderful apt centrally located.
Mrs F, NY, July 2012
The beds were comfy and the kitchen had all we needed. Great restoration of the building and a fabulous location! Loved having the electric fans in the bedrooms! Would definitely return again.
The Old Gendarmerie
