What an AMAZING day today!
We met our friend Frank, owner of All in Marseille Provence Tours, right outside the cruise terminal at 8:30 a.m. Our first stop was the quaint village of Lourmarin in the district of Aix-en-Provence — made famous by director Ridley Scott’s movie “A Good Year” starring Russell Crowe, based on the best-seller “A Year in Provence.”
Frank told us that since the mid-80s, when the rich and famous want to be seen they go to St. Tropez, but when they don’t want to be seen, they come here. It was beautiful to walk around — it really looked like an old French movie set! We actually crouched down to pass through this ancient passageway! Next, we visited the nearby village of Cucuron, which is starting to become quite popular and is now known as “the poor man’s Lourmarin.” The town is lined with majestic 200+ year-old sycamore trees — truly impressive! We then continued on to the very high-end wine resort Château La Coste. Not only is it a productive winery, but it also features a five-star hotel and five themed restaurants, including one with a Michelin star. We had lunch at one of the more casual spots — which even had a rosé fountain! We both ordered the onion tart, and it was incredibly good — the onions are oven-baked for eight hours before going into the tart. Magnifique! After lunch, we enjoyed a wine tasting and purchased three bottles of rosé. As we’ve learned from past visits, wine prices in Provence are unbelievably reasonable — their best rosé, which was outstanding, was only 15€! Frank then took us to the opposite end of the spectrum — a small, family-run winery called Château de Beaupré. This was our kind of place!
The estate has been in the same family for five generations, and they still live in the on-site château. We couldn’t take photos of their home, but the winery building itself was magical. With its gravel floors and centuries-old stone walls, it felt like stepping back into the 18th century. The on-site buildings date to the 15th century and are often used for weddings and celebrations.
The wines were outstanding — we purchased two rosés and even a white (we never buy white wine, but this one was too good to pass up). Our three bottles broke the bank at a grand total of 52€! Incredible quality for such a modest price.
Frank had us back at the cruise terminal by 3:30 p.m., well before our 4:30 all-aboard time.
If you ever want an amazing, fully customized tour while in Marseille or Toulon, let Frank be your guide! We highly recommend him — and his very comfortable Mercedes-Benz van!
Tonight was our first formal night, and for the fashionistas out there, I’d estimate only about 25% of guests dressed in formal attire. The overall vibe felt much more relaxed than last night.
Our dinner in the Sanctuary Dining Room was excellent—both the food and the wine.
We especially like the elegant table setup, and even the butter presentation felt elevated. The Captain made his way around the dining room, stopping at every table—a very nice touch!
Tomorrow, we’ll be in Genoa, where the forecast calls for rain.
