Section I · The Ranked Twelve
From best to twelfth.
Sorted by what each village does well at its price point. The number-one pick is the one we would book first given a free pick from all twelve.
No. I
The Gordes hilltop mas, six-bedroom.
Typical: 6 BR, sleeps 12. Village: Gordes. Peak rate: $48,000 to $80,000 / week. Usually included: housekeeping, pool and garden maintenance. Usually not: chef, daily housekeeping, driver.
Why it ranks here: Gordes is the icon of the Luberon, the tiered stone village that draws every photographer, and a restored mas on the slopes below it is the trip: the view back up at the village, a pool over the valley, and the Abbaye de Senanque lavender a short drive away. It clears the rest because the Gordes view and the quality of the restored estates here are unmatched in Provence.
What we would change: Gordes is the busiest village in the Luberon in July, and the rates carry the premium. For the same stone-and-pool dream with fewer tour buses, drop to Bonnieux at No. III or Oppede at No. VII.
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No. II
The Menerbes ridge five-bedroom.
Typical: 5 BR, sleeps 10. Village: Menerbes. Peak rate: $34,000 to $62,000 / week. Usually included: housekeeping, pool and garden maintenance. Usually not: chef, driver.
Why it ranks here: Menerbes, one of the official most-beautiful-villages of France and the village Peter Mayle made famous, sits on a ridge with long views over the vineyards toward the Luberon. A five-bedroom on the ridge here gives a group the postcard-Provence setting, the wineries on the doorstep, and a calmer pace than Gordes.
What we would change: the ridge villas can be exposed to the mistral. Confirm the terrace orientation and whether the pool area has wind shelter before booking for a windy stretch.
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No. III
The Bonnieux valley mas six-bedroom.
Typical: 6 BR, sleeps 12. Village: Bonnieux. Peak rate: $30,000 to $56,000 / week. Usually included: housekeeping, pool and garden maintenance. Usually not: chef, driver.
Why it ranks here: Bonnieux, the tiered village on the south side of the Calavon, is the quietly excellent base, central to the whole Luberon with good restaurants and the famous cedar forest above. A six-bedroom mas in the valley below the village gives a group space, a generous pool, and easy reach of every other village, at a rate below Gordes for comparable quality.
What we would change: Bonnieux itself is steep and parking in the village is tight. Confirm the mas has its own parking and is not reliant on the village lots.
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No. IV
The Lourmarin village-edge five-bedroom.
Typical: 5 BR, sleeps 10. Village: Lourmarin. Peak rate: $28,000 to $52,000 / week. Usually included: housekeeping, pool and garden maintenance. Usually not: chef, driver.
Why it ranks here: Lourmarin, on the south side of the massif, is the most sophisticated village in the Luberon, with the best restaurants, the Friday market, and a literary heritage (Camus is buried here). A five-bedroom on the edge of the village is the pick for a group that wants to walk to dinner and a serious market without a car every evening.
What we would change: Lourmarin is the busiest of the southern villages and the closest to Aix, so the summer crowds and traffic are real. Book a villa set back from the village center for quiet.
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No. V
The Joucas / Murs hillside six-bedroom.
Typical: 6 BR, sleeps 12. Village: Joucas / Murs. Peak rate: $30,000 to $54,000 / week. Usually included: housekeeping, pool and garden maintenance. Usually not: chef, driver.
Why it ranks here: Joucas and Murs are the quiet hamlets just north of Gordes, with the same Vaucluse-plateau setting and the Senanque lavender nearby, but a fraction of the foot traffic. A six-bedroom hillside mas here is the insider pick: Gordes-grade scenery and quality, ten minutes from the icon, without the buses.
What we would change: there is little within walking distance in these hamlets, so the week needs a car for every meal out. Right for a group happy to use the villa as the base.
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No. VI
The Roussillon ochre-country five-bedroom.
Typical: 5 BR, sleeps 10. Village: Roussillon. Peak rate: $26,000 to $48,000 / week. Usually included: housekeeping, pool and garden maintenance. Usually not: chef, driver.
Why it ranks here: Roussillon is the ochre village, its houses in every shade of red and orange from the old quarries, the most visually distinctive setting in the Luberon. A five-bedroom in the pine-and-ochre countryside around it gives a group a singular landscape and a central position between Gordes and Apt.
What we would change: the village itself is small and very busy in summer. The villas around it are the draw; the village is a quick visit, not a daily destination.
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No. VII
The Oppede vineyard mas five-bedroom.
Typical: 5 BR, sleeps 10. Village: Oppede. Peak rate: $24,000 to $46,000 / week. Usually included: housekeeping, pool and garden maintenance. Usually not: chef, driver.
Why it ranks here: Oppede-le-Vieux is the half-ruined hilltop village that the crowds skip, and the vineyard plain below it holds some of the best-value restored estates in the northern Luberon. A five-bedroom mas among the vines here gives a group quiet, a serious pool, and the wineries of the Coteaux du Luberon on the doorstep.
What we would change: Oppede has almost no village life of its own, so dining out means driving to Menerbes or Maubec. The trade for the quiet is real distance from a restaurant.
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No. VIII
The Goult valley four-bedroom.
Typical: 4 BR, sleeps 8. Village: Goult. Peak rate: $22,000 to $40,000 / week. Usually included: housekeeping, pool and garden maintenance. Usually not: chef, driver.
Why it ranks here: Goult is the understated village between Gordes and Apt, with a good bistro or two and far fewer visitors than its famous neighbors. A four-bedroom in the valley here is the smaller-group pick for a central position and a quieter week, with everything in the Luberon inside 20 minutes.
What we would change: Goult is pleasant rather than spectacular, without the trophy view of Gordes or Menerbes. It is the practical central base, not the postcard.
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No. IX
The Lacoste hilltop four-bedroom.
Typical: 4 BR, sleeps 8. Village: Lacoste. Peak rate: $22,000 to $42,000 / week. Usually included: housekeeping, pool and garden maintenance. Usually not: chef, driver.
Why it ranks here: Lacoste, the village beneath the Marquis de Sade’s ruined chateau (now Pierre Cardin’s), faces Bonnieux across the valley with one of the best village-to-village views in the Luberon. A four-bedroom on the hill here gives a smaller group the drama and the art-summer atmosphere at a mid-list rate.
What we would change: Lacoste is tiny and steep, with cobbled lanes and limited parking. Confirm the villa’s access and parking, which matters more here than in the valley villages.
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No. X
The Saignon / Apt-side five-bedroom.
Typical: 5 BR, sleeps 10. Village: Saignon. Peak rate: $20,000 to $38,000 / week. Usually included: housekeeping, pool and garden maintenance. Usually not: chef, driver.
Why it ranks here: Saignon sits on a rock above Apt at the eastern end of the Luberon, near the great Saturday market in Apt and the lavender of the Pays d’Apt and the Plateau de Sault beyond. A five-bedroom here is the value pick for a group that wants the lavender and the market town close and is happy at the quieter eastern end.
What we would change: the eastern Luberon is a 25 to 35-minute drive from Gordes and the famous western villages. It trades central position for a lower rate and the best lavender access.
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No. XI
The Cucuron / Ansouis south-Luberon five-bedroom.
Typical: 5 BR, sleeps 10. Village: Cucuron / Ansouis. Peak rate: $18,000 to $36,000 / week. Usually included: housekeeping, pool and garden maintenance. Usually not: chef, driver.
Why it ranks here: Cucuron, with its famous tree-lined etang in the village center, and neighboring Ansouis are the quiet south-Luberon villages near Lourmarin, the value end of the market with the lowest entry rate on the list. A five-bedroom here gives a group the full Provence stone-and-pool week at the friendliest price.
What we would change: the south Luberon is the farthest from Gordes and the northern icons, a 30 to 40-minute drive. The trade is the lowest rate and the calmest villages.
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No. XII
The Maubec / Robion valley four-bedroom.
Typical: 4 BR, sleeps 8. Village: Maubec / Robion. Peak rate: $18,000 to $34,000 / week. Usually included: housekeeping, pool and garden maintenance. Usually not: chef, driver, trophy view.
Why it ranks here: Maubec and Robion sit on the flat valley floor at the western foot of the Luberon, the least scenic but most convenient pocket, central to Gordes, Menerbes, and the Avignon TGV. A four-bedroom here is the contrarian value pick for a group that prioritizes a short transfer and a central base over a hilltop view.
What we would change: the valley floor lacks the view and the perched-village drama of the rest of the list. Book it for the convenience and the price, knowing the scenery is a short drive away rather than out the window.
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