Bonnieux, Provence

What feels like a very long time ago now, we woke up to our first morning in Provence.

The silver lining of having a baby as an alarm clock, is that you almost double your day. There’s no excuse not to get up early and get going, even on holiday.

Which means you can explore before it all gets too hot, and you get the local villages to yourself (even in July!)

Not everyone’s on board of course, some prefer to roll right over and go back to sleep, but the early birds gathered up their things and set off to earn their croissants.

Blue button up dress // Affordable pink option

Extremely comfy white lace up sandals

Lily’s Peter Rabbit romper

Mum’s wrap dress (sold out) // Braided sandals (on sale!)

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Bonnieux is a little village wrapped around the side of a hill.

It’s a bijou maze of winding cobbled streets and crumbling houses with pretty peeling shutters.

While tourists and locals alike buzzed around the boulangerie, eager for their morning pastries, we wandered the charming coral and ochre streets.

Winding our way higher and higher.

While the princess snoozed in her carriage.

There are 86 stone steps from the top of the village to the imaginatively named Vieille Eglise (old church!) and it’s well worth the climb.

The views out over the Luberon are second to none.

And the church is the perfect peaceful place to catch your breath.

^Lily couldn’t stop giggling at the Madonna & Child.

As the sun climbed higher, we descended back into the village.

I know what you’re thinking, great knockers…

We sought out the cool, inviting shade of La Louve, a beautiful contemporary garden which opens for visitors.

Created by Nicole de Vésian, a textile designer for Hermes, it’s widely adored and recommended by many a local and guidebook.

What they don’t mention however, are the opening times! Which change often, it’s French after all.

Be sure to check the website before you go, and even if it says it’ll be open… it may not be, so just cross your fingers and go with the flow.

With no garden to hide from the midday heat in, we opted for a spot of lunch.

And some icy rosé.

At Le Bergerie, a delightfully rustic affair in the cedar forest just outside the village.

You can sit inside beside the open fire or outside among the butterflies.

We oped to watch the chefs at work inside.

Smoked meat sizzling on the grill.

Herbs picked from the gardens, with their fragrance dancing through the warm air.

Pots of creamy gratin dauphinoise bubbling away next to a cauldron of ratatouille, while flames turn the fat in the smoked beef to molten rivers of pure flavour.

It’s enough to make anyone’s mouth water!

We started with burrata and local tomatoes, the kind you can’t get back home, the sort that actually burst with sunshine.

Along side courgette flowers stuffed with goats cheese and herbs.

Followed by some of the best steak you’ll find in Provence.

Smoked, then cooked on the fire for an incredible flavour and melt in the mouth texture.

All topped off with Edouard Loubet rosé for dessert.

Which we took outside and finished the bottle with our feet in the pool, while Lily snoozed beneath an umbrella.

Sight seeing, a serious walk, a spectacular lunch, with the whole afternoon left for playing cards at the villa! I told you there were perks to baby alarm clocks.