The prettiest cottage in the South of France: La Miette
I will always admit that instagram sells a lot to me and La Miette is yet another one of my insta-finds. Let me tell you about the prettiest cottage in the South of France: La Miette. It is one of a kind and I am yet to find one more beautiful that is packed with so much history.
While I understand that beauty is subjective, this one is universal lol. Looking at my saved folder, the first time I saved it was in 2021. Since then, I’d been looking forward to seeing it in real life. It was not just about the cottage to be honest, I think I fell in love with the whole village.
Brief History of La Miette
As the most photographed cottage in South of France, it gets a lot of visitors daily. Going back in history, La Miette is a 12th century cottage in the centre of the medieval village. It became more famous when writer, Jacques Prevert rented it with his wife Janine in 1941. It is said that Prevert “discovered” the village and soon, other creatives would join him there. He rented the beautiful cottage for about 15 years and produced some of his best work living there.
Booking La Miette
I booked it a whole year ahead because I knew it sold out quite quickly. Even as early as when I booked, I could already see that summer dates were slowly filling up. We booked La Miette on Air bnb with a reservation deposit of half the price. Then, the balance was paid a week before we were due to stay there. Considering we booked it a year in advance, I must say that the price was decent for what I think the cottage represents. Once we booked it, it was now time to plan a South of France trip around it; and that is exactly what we did.
Once things started to fall into place, the excitement kicked in. It is not everyday that you get to stay in the prettiest cottage in the south of France, La Miette.
How to get to La Miette
La Miette is in Saint Paul de Vence, a little quaint village only 15 mins from Nice. We drove from Cannes as we were already in the South of France; however it is a popular day trip from Nice.
La Miette is located within the medieval village walls so it is a little tricky to drive to. However, we already knew how tight these roads are so our car hire was a small Peugeot 308. In reality, it was still big for the tight roads where a fiat is more common. We managed to drive into the village thanks to the step by step information the owner left for us. There is free parking by the cottage which is not really marked or specifically assigned. We were lucky to find one free spot and made a note not to drive out until we were ready to checkout lol.
If you stay in La Miette, the lovely owner, Katie will send a very detailed PDF document which explains everything.
The prettiest cottage in the south of France: La Miette - All the details you need to know.
The entrance
Now, we all know that this is why we are here. The reason I am guessing that everyone books this property is that incredible front view. It is the reason I booked it. I’m not even sure that I had seen what the interiors looked like when I reserved it lol. Yes, it is as beautiful as in photos and it makes sense why everyone is obsessed with getting a photo in front of it. I also think it is what makes it the prettiest cottage in south of France.
There is a little porch in front of the door with a table and 2 chairs which I thought was very cute. I had my coffee there in the mornings; and once the day trippers and photo takers left, we sat there in the evenings while reminiscing. It is a very beautiful spot and since we were there beginning of summer, it smelled incredible. We later found out it was jasmine flowers that filled the whole village. The jasmine scent followed us all around and lingered even when we were indoors.
The bedrooms
There are 2 bedrooms in La Miette so ideally it sleeps 4 people. It is actually big for a cottage and looks so unassuming from outside. The rooms are big and I can imagine it will comfortably sleep a family of 5. However, it is advertised as a 4 person property. The rooms are designed boho style with the feel of Provençal chic. Our toddler had a cot which was provided for free and we let it sit in the bigger bedroom.
The bathrooms
There are 2 bathrooms within the property. My favourite was of course, the roll top bath that was on the other side of the cottage. It felt like a different part of the house and you could just get away from everyone for some minutes of peace in there. The second bathroom is interestingly placed within the 2nd bedroom. It had beautiful tiles that remind me of the ones I had seen in Porto.
The living area
Once you walk into the property, the living area is the first thing you see. Beautiful beams adorn the ceiling and there is a fireplace that sits just at the heart of the room. As you walk up the stairs, there is a dining area and a small kitchen. I could imagine Mr Prevert entertaining in this space as it is built for entertainment. The kitchen is fully equipped with a fridge, Nespresso machine and a kettle as well. We had pots, pans, crockery and glassware – everything we needed to have our lovely meals indoors.
Books by Jacques Prevert are stacked on the side tables and there is a photo of him there as well. There is a guest book which I was sure to sign – in my mind, I was etching my name in a part of history lol. It is a very beautiful space and not at all what I assumed considering I was sure it was a really small property.
La Miette is everything I hoped it would be. I have never anticipated staying in a property as much as this one. It was the last place we stayed on our south of France trip and the perfect end to our trip. One we will be thinking about it for a very long time to come.
Things to note about La Miette
- It is a recommended site to visit so be mindful that during the day, there will be people walking by, taking photos etc. There is a reason why it is the most beautiful cottage in south of France. It is very popular but this did not bother us at all because we anticipated it. I woke up early and enjoyed my coffee on the front porch and took all the photos before 9.30am. Once I noticed a huge group approaching, I knew the first group tour had landed lol. This is the same for the whole village as it is pretty small so afternoons could get busy. Thankfully, when you are indoors, you don’t hear much of the outside world.
- Parking can be tricky depending on what time you arrive and simply, luck. When we received the instructions, we got to the space which was nearest to the property and it was full. The instruction sheet did say there was no particular markings and gave information on alternative spots. Thankfully, a car drove away and we took its place. There is a possibility that you won’t find the spot empty.
- It is a very popular cottage and gets booked up a year in advance. If you want to stay here, look way ahead of time and reserve it asap.
FAQs - The Prettiest Cottage in the south of France
Is La Miette Child Friendly?
La Miette is a very old cottage so there are uneven and steep stairs inside. Although kids are allowed, you will need to watch toddlers especially to avoid accidents. As it is a historic property, it is not designed for kids. We went with our toddler and we had no problems at all but this is something to note.
Are there places to eat nearby?
Yes, it is situated in a quiet street; however, it is just off a row of restaurants. Saint Paul de Vence is small and everything is next to everything else. You will find cafés, bars, alfresco and indoor restaurants with different cuisines.
Is staying in La Miette worth it?
For someone like me who loves history and beauty, this was my dream. I don’t think anyone who has stayed in La Miette has regretted it. We even saw the guest book in the house and read the stories. Everyone loved their stay so I will say it is worth it. At least, personally, it was a thousand percent worth it for us.
The prettiest cottage in the South of France: La Miette
A lot of accommodations in the South of France are very dreamy. If you are after something with history and character, looking in the smaller villages is the best thing to do.
La Miette was a bucketlist stay for us and I am glad I have ticked it off our list. Would I stay there if I return to South of France? Probably not. This is not because it was not an epic stay; it absolutely was. I genuinely don’t think I will ever get over the time we spent in this village. However, there are just too many other places I have on my list; so this is a one and done and hold in my heart forever kind of stay.
For more on the gorgeous town of Saint Paul de Vence, see the best things to do in Saint Paul de Vence.
Bisous, Bugo x
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