Bandol Wine Tour - 4 hour Private tour

This tour was the highlight of our trip. Laurent was very accommodating with pickup and drop-off and communication through email was clear. He took us to local wineries that were a bit off the beaten path and the experience was super authentic. Laurent is very knowledgeable about the region and even took us through the national park. Definitely recommend!

Booked a 4 hour wine tour, this was not communicated to our driver. We drove an hour before our first sight seeing stop at which point we asked the driver when we would get to the wine tour. He called back to speak with the coordinator who advised him to go to one of the vineyards, buy a couple bottles then take us somewhere to drink. The tour was advertised as stopping at 2-3 vineyards for tastings. The driver tried his best to recover from the lack of communication, but he was not able to make up the lack of planning. We went to one winery and the driver paid for two bottles to take back on the ship with us. Overall a huge disappointment and not worth the money. We did not sample any wines and were riding in a van for four hours.

We booked this tour as a cruise excursion and we didn’t realize we were arriving at Toulon and not Marseille until that morning. But lucky moment #1, Laurent was flexible and accommodating and came to pick us up at the other port in an hour. He informed us it was a holiday in France and most places were closed. He would try his best to get us into a winery that was open until noon, but it was going to take a little luck to get us there in time. Lucky moment #2: they were open when we arrived. We tasted two old vine Rhône blends and a 92-point rose. All delicious. The kind owner stayed open an extra 25 minutes for us, lucky moment #3. Then because we wouldn’t be able to make it to any other wineries, we had to pivot. We bought 3 bottles of wine and a salami that the owner sliced for us and put into a paper bag. Next stop, the bakery was open! Lucky #4! We purchased two baguettes. Then off to the charming town of Le Castellet, with its narrow cobblestone streets and centuries old buildings. Lucky moment #5: we got a great parking spot and set off to explore. What to do on a national holiday when shops and restaurants are closed? Head to the National Park and have a picnic! But not just anywhere, Laurent’s secret spot at the top of the mountain. I can’t say where it is because we were sworn to secrecy. Just as we arrived, another car pulled in. Would they beat us to a seat at the best view in France? Nope. Lucky moment #6, they went the other way and the secret spot was all ours. A fresh French bread and salami sandwich washed done with a great Mourvèdre while gazing down at that amazing blue of the Mediterranean. This is the essence of travel—connecting with a stranger who takes you through his country as though you are a friend and you become exactly that. You talk about life and politics and food and wine and culture. We wanted to have 7 lucky experiences because after all 7 is the luckiest number, but our #7 became our #1. Because the luckiest thing that happened to us was that we had our friend Laurent sharing his world with us for one unforgettable day.