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The motel appears to have been an old strip-motel that has been completely refurbished into a resort-type place. The rooms are paneled in lightwood. Our room had a comfortable bed with fluffy comforter, a very modern bathroom, a separate sitting room with television and mini bar, and a private patio. There is a swimming pool. Breakfast is served on a terrace in good weather and inside a breakfast room when it is too cold outside. It is the typical French breakfast, including croissants and jams, a buffet selection of yogurts and Muesli, and a choice of hot beverage. The motel is perhaps a mile outside the center of Sault. There are signs directing you to it from both directions along the main highway. Parking is ample.

Breakfast was not included, but for about $7 we were served fruit juice, fresh fruit, fromage blanc (like a mild yogurt), an assortment of breakfast breads, and choice of hot beverage -- the cocoa was excellent. This is good biking territory, and bikes are available for rent. The owners are very helpful about providing advice about biking, walking and driving routes, and even loaned us detailed maps for our daily bike trips. They had a secure shed for us to store the bikes overnight.

They can be reached by e-mail at charembeau@provenceweb.fr and have information on the web (albeit in French) with photos at www.provenceweb.fr/04/charembeau

The first day, I started with a mushroom omelet (cooked as only the French can cook omelets) and small salad, and my husband had cold slices of smoky ham with an herbed sauce and small salad. I had a huge bowl of mussels drizzled with cream sauce and fries done just the way they should be -- hot and crispy outside and tender inside. My husband had a big pot of lamb stew with artichokes, served with a generous portion of potatoes au gratin. I finished with a large slab of homemade crème caramel and my husband had a rather mediocre apricot tart.

The following day, the mussels were off the menu, but the rest was the same. The omelet was so good; we each repeated that as a first course. Then we both had venison stew. A very large casserole was set on the table for us to serve ourselves. The meat was tender and the sauce was rich with red wine. We were also served large portions of creamed celery, a rustic barley pilaf and more of the potatoes au gratin. My husband went for the crème caramel for dessert, and I chose chocolate ice cream. This is a real locals' place. There are only about 6-8 tables; the young server spoke no English and it is cash only. If you are in Provence to eat the way the locals do, this is hidden delight.

I had lamb in honey sauce, and it was delicious, perfectly cooked and tender. My husband had lamb cooked with olives, and his, too, was done just right. For dessert we had poached fruit with pepper sauce -- a sugar syrup with hints of pepper -- an unusual and tasty dish. One caution: the night we were there, the credit card machine was not working, so my husband had to make a dash to an ATM to get enough cash. While he did, the host served us a complementary after dinner drink to apologize for the inconvenience. English is spoken. Although I have noted reservations are ‘recommended,’ not ‘required,’ it is always a good idea to make a reservation at any place more 'formal' than a cafe.

And as for the name of the place -- it appears to be an idiom meaning something like, ‘the rabbit doesn't matter.’

I arranged the rental through Holiday Bikes, the rental agency, via e-mail and FAX, before I left and picked the scooter up at Moto-Culture, the Holiday Bikes agency in Forcalquier. I was given a choice of a small trail-type scooter or a larger, heavier model. I chose the lighter one and was delighted with it. Rental was 260 FF for a 24-hour period (about $36) and included a helmet and heavy-duty chain and lock. The shop owner, Christian LeCoint is very nice and speaks some English. The web-site for Holiday bikes is http://www.holiday-bikes.com/main_us.htm and the e-mail for the main office (not the Moto-Culture shop) is jcmouton@infonie.fr