For a few years now, we have been welcoming a new kind of traveller: those who no longer simply book a week's holiday, but who bring their laptop and set up their office, for the length of a long stay, looking out over the hills of the Luberon. The workation — a blend of "work" and "vacation" — is no longer a passing trend; it is a way of living work differently. And we understand the appeal: opening your screen in the morning with the song of the cicadas as a backdrop, then closing your laptop in the evening to dive into a heated pool, changes everything. Here, as hosts who live here all year round, is what we have learned about working remotely in Provence.
Why the Luberon is an ideal setting for a workation
Working remotely calls for something that sounds simple but is decisive: a setting that soothes without isolating. The Luberon ticks both boxes. A ten-minute walk from the village of Gordes, you are at once at the heart of one of the most beautiful hilltop villages in France and far enough away not to be distracted. In the morning, the silence is complete; at midday, you walk down to buy a loaf of bread and a few tomatoes in the village; in the evening, the golden light on the dry-stone walls is enough to wipe away the tiredness of the day.
Unlike a big city, you waste no time in commuting or in noise. The Provençal pace is slow, and that is precisely what makes hours of focus more productive. Many of our guests tell us as much: they get through in four morning hours what used to take them a whole day at the office.
What a remote worker really needs
A beautiful setting is not enough. For a workation to live up to its promise, the practicalities have to be flawless. Here are the things we would check ourselves before booking a long working stay.
- A reliable, fast connection: this is the non-negotiable criterion. Make sure that fibre optic is genuinely installed, and not just rural ADSL that collapses the moment a video call begins. Ask for the actual speed, both upload and download.
- A genuine workspace: a table at the right height, a comfortable chair and natural light. Working eight hours on the corner of a garden table is paid for in back pain by the third day.
- Air conditioning: essential in summer in the Vaucluse, where temperatures often top 35 °C in July and August. A cool room means a clear mind in the middle of the day.
- Acoustic calm: no busy road or noisy neighbours, so your work calls stay relaxed.
- A fully equipped kitchen: on a long stay, you cook for yourself, and the Provençal market becomes a daily pleasure rather than a chore.
These criteria largely overlap with those of a successful rental in general; we go into them in our dedicated article on renting a villa with a pool in Gordes: our advice.
Striking the balance between work and discovery
The secret to a successful workation is not to turn your stay into a simple relocated office. The guests who get the most joy out of it are those who shape their day: they work intensely in the morning, enjoy the afternoon and keep whole weekends for exploring the region.
Breaks that truly recharge
At midday, nothing stops you from walking to the Village des Bories, those dry-stone huts about three kilometres from Gordes, or going on as far as the Sénanque Abbey, four kilometres away, whose lavender fields blaze blue from late June into July. An hour of switching off in this setting clears the mind far better than a coffee break in front of a screen.
Weekends for roaming
Gordes is an ideal base for the whole Luberon: the ochres of Roussillon, the hilltop villages of Ménerbes and Bonnieux, the Tuesday-morning market on Place du Château, or art towns such as Avignon and L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue. A long stay finally lets you do everything without rushing, unlike a frustrating short weekend. To plan your travel and your arrival, our guide on how to get to Gordes: by plane, train or car gives you all the useful pointers. And if you are travelling as a tribe, combining remote work with family life takes a little organising: we talk about it in our article on Gordes with family: what to do with children.
The advantages of the low season
This is probably our most valuable piece of advice: for a workation, favour the off-season. Working remotely frees you from the constraint of the school holidays, so make the most of it and come in spring or autumn.
- April to June: our favourite time. Soft light, poppies and cherry trees, villages still peaceful, and the lavender starting to rise from mid-June.
- September and October: the grape harvest, pool water that is still warm, autumn colours over the vines and a regained calm after the summer.
In the low season, the villages can breathe, the terraces are not packed, the roads flow freely, and you reach the sites without the summer crowds. Long stays are also better rewarded here: a stay of several weeks out of season offers an incomparable rhythm of life, where you really have the time to settle in, fall into your habits in the village and feel, for a few weeks, a little bit Provençal. It is in this spirit that we wrote our practical guide to staying in Gordes, designed for stays that take their time.
Making Le Clos de Manon your Provençal office
When we host a remote worker for several weeks, we know that their professional success depends as much on comfort as on the setting. That is why we have brought together at Le Clos de Manon everything you need to combine work with the art of living: a reliable connection, spaces where you can set up your laptop in natural light, air conditioning for hot days, the silence of an unspoilt environment, and the private heated pool to round off each day of screen time with a real breath of air.
If the idea of swapping a few weeks of a grey office for the hills of the Luberon appeals to you, we would be delighted to talk it over. Write to us to discuss the length of your stay and check our availability for a long stay at Le Clos de Manon: booking is done directly with us, and we are happy to adapt the terms to a remote-working stay of several weeks.