Tour Details/Dates/Prices Passport to Provence. Price $2,575 CAD*

Optional:Extended Stay in Paris
Saturday
Breakfast
Check Out + Transfer to Paris
A day in beautiful historic Paris – the city itself gives unparalleled opportunities for amazing first-hand gastronomic experiences.
Spend the evening at your Paris Hotel and return on Sunday (or stay longer…).

Hiking and Cooking Week

With Patrick's brand new Hiking and Cooking culinary week, discover some hidden treasures of the Luberon on foot and it the kitchen.  This week option combines both activities and is an excellent way to experience the Luberon area up close and personal.

Highlights of the week:

* 2 great hikes in the Luberon with your hiking guides Olivier & Linda who are young and energetic and will help explore the beautiful landscapes of Provence

* Wine tasting: wines of Luberon (Domaine de la Citadelle) & the famous wine of Chateauneuf du Pape (Cellar of Château les fines Roches)

* Dinner in le Château les Fines Roches ***

* Visit the Lavender Museum, Corkscrew Museum and Truffle and Wine House in Menerbes

* Hands-on cooking classes

* Cheese tasting (selection of the best cheeses from France and Provence) and Provençal olive oil tasting

* Explore the beautiful antique villages of Luberon

Custom Designed Gourmet Safari
If you’d like to spend more time in the kitchen we can easily arrange it for you. There is also a plethora of other activities in the area if you’d like to spend less time in the kitchen or if your partner doesn’t like to cook: from golf at a Luberon course, to tennis, to biking, to canoeing and kayaking, to wine tours, to fishing for trout, to visiting one of the many surrounding villages.

Little Extras
• Cookbooks
• Apron

Tour Length: 8 days/7 nights

Tour BEGINS: Goult, Provence - France (nearby Avignon & Marseille)

TOUR CONCLUDES: Goult, Provence - France

Tour Dates:
Culinary vacations are available from March 1st to November 30th.
All dates are subject to availability.

Tour Prices for 2011:

Please contact us for 2011 prices, thank you.

Tour Prices for 2010:
One Week Culinary Vacation

$2,575 CAD*

4 Night Culinary Vacation

$1,630 CAD*

Hiking & Cooking Week Vacation

$2,710 CAD*

*Double Occupancy per Person Prices in Canadian Dollars (excluding airfare)

Please note:

Solo traveller prices are available.
If you would like to purchase airfare please let us know and we’ll arrange it for you right away.
All dates and prices are subject to availability.
Prices may be affected by international exchange rate fluctuations.
Interested, or questions just contact us.

Payment:
Form of Payment.
We accept VISA, MasterCard, American Express, Diners, cheque or money orders in CAD $.
Place a Deposit on Your Dream.
A deposit of $700CAD per person is required at time of booking to secure your culinary vacation dates.
Please note: Your deposit is non-refundable due to the fact that our travel partners will be in receipt of monies, however in most instances the deposit can be applied to future travel.

Balance due.
Balance is due no later than 60 days before departure.

Number of Participants:
Minimum: 1
Maximum: 6

Travel Accessories:
Local Weather
Currency Conversion
Local time

Questions? Just email or call
E-mail: jackie@gourmetsafari.com
Phone: 416.238.9987 (local Toronto) or 1.800.839.5795 (toll free in North America)


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My Safari Notes.

Hospitality is spelled with a capital ‘H’ when you stay with Patrick. We immediately felt welcome when we first met Patrick and his wife Babeth. We visited Goult by night, a hillside village where Patrick’s Bistro and cooking school are located. The restaurant is full of charm, character, good taste and of course good wines - and it has an excellent reputation. We shared a glass of wine with our host and then went on to explore the kitchen where the classes take place. It’s very well-equipped, as you would imagine that a fully-functional restaurant kitchen would be. It’s a great place to inspire the creation of delicious Provençale cuisine.

The guest house is located right above the restaurant, with 3 separate rooms to accommodate 6 guests (and children if required). The rooms are comfy with lots of personal touches and each has its own kitchenette. It is very tastefully decorated and is full of antiques and objects from Patrick’s travels of the world.

We explored Gordes by night, one of the neighbouring villages and the most visited in the area. The view across the Luberon was spectacular and the city was lit up showcasing centuries of history.

We shared a gastronomic adventure at our host’s beautiful home, one of the best meals that I have ever savoured! The flavours and the scents of Provençal cuisine are ones that I won’t soon forget. We started our meal with foie gras made by Patrick that was delicious, Babeth made truffle salad, served with truffle-stuffed chicken – it was incredible. We were very fortunate that our visit in January happened to coincide with Truffle Season – the flavours are mouth-watering and well worth the cost of the ‘black diamond’ - the truffle.

The following day we toured many 16th-century villages built into the side of hills. They had beautiful winding cobblestone roads and were surrounded by breathtaking views of stunning patchwork quilts of vineyards, orchards, farmers’ fields and farmhouses. We were immersed into the history and I had a feeling of being very, very young to this world. We also passed vineyard after vineyard that produced excellent wines – I can attest to that.

What an experience this was – we felt so welcome and thoroughly enjoyed our time in Provence. It is a beautiful country and there is so much history here to explore. The Provencal cuisine is excellent, as are the wines. A highly recommended culinary vacation for those looking for a unique experience and wanting to get really close to the culture, to savour life as the locals do.

Jackie DeKnock – Gourmet Safari Founder (and Foodie)

Gourmet Safari Personal Memories.

Richard M. & Melissa M., Texas, US August 2006

We had a great time from the beginning of the vacation to the end.  Patrick was a great host as well as chef and guide.  The town of Goult was a highlight of our trip from the quaint shops to the ancient houses and ruins.  It was a great place to explore the villages of Provence.  We agreed that the town with the springs and fountains (i cannot remember the name of the town, it starts with something like fontaine) was our favorite.  The restaurants were great and the hike to the bottom of the canyon was filled with artist booths, gift shops and wonderful restaurants.  We also liked both markets we visited as it gives a glimpse into the daily living of people in the area.  With Patrick as our guide, we sampled wines, breads, cheeses and more wine of the region.  Again, I cannot say enough about Patrick- he knows the area very well and pointed out many things that we would have missed had we not had a guide.  As for the cooking school, I was pleased that it was a good mix of the gourmet and simple foods of the region.  Some cooking schools focus just on gourmet foods and it is not practical as most of the ingredients are hard to find back in the states.  With Patrick's recipes, we have been able to duplicate almost all of them back here.  The restaurant he owns served the best food we had for the week and we were able to eat there almost every night.  I would highly recommend this vacation to anyone from a seasoned cook to an amateur.  Thank you again for making this vacation possible and we look forward to going on more safaris in the future with you as our guide. 

Mike W., Toronto, Ontario, May 2005

Hi Jackie!

We had a fantastic time in France.  Provence was definitely the highlight, and meeting Patrick was a real treat.  Chantel and Regis at La Garance are two of the best people we have ever met.  They, along with Patrick and Babette went out of their way to make us feel at home and we couldn’t have had a better experience.

Dan Duran, Toronto, Ontario, January 2005

Patrick has amazing stories from living and cooking around the world.  He was the first to present truffles to my palette.  I feel somewhat deprived of all the things that he didn’t have time to teach me.