Avignon or Aix en Provence as a base?

I%26#39;m still trying to decide which is the optimal place to stay for 5 days. Initially, I thought Avignon but I%26#39;m now considering Aix en Provence. I realize it%26#39;s not as centrally located but I think from the descriptions I%26#39;ve read it might be more ideal for my husband and I who are in our 30%26#39;s and enjoy the liveliness of a town, like to walk out of the hotel and go for coffee but still like to get a good night%26#39;s sleep and like a bit of comfort while we%26#39;re on vacation. Would like to go to some good restaurants and go on a wine tour. Each town has so much to offer, it becomes confusing after a while. I would appreciate any alternate suggestions.

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For larger cities offering more services, I recommend Avignon particularly within the old city walls. Outside of here and Avignon suffers from urban sprawl.

http://www.ot-avignon.fr/

For staying outside of Avignon, I recommend Gordes particularly or perhaps Isle-sur-la-Sorgue.

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Check out Arles also - it%26#39;s an easy drive to most areas. We stayed in Aix -hated the hotel (St Christophe but liked the town - stay near the the promenade area-Hotel Augustins looked nice. We stayed in Arles also and found Arles to be more convenient in getting to places. We stayed at the Hotel D%26#39;Arlatan - close to Van Gogh%26#39;s Starry Night cafe - It had easy access to highway (once the hotel gave us the directions -ask)and most places we visited were no more than an hour away.(cassis, aigues Mortes, St Remy, Les baux, etc) The hotel is built near the Roaman ruins and abuts a square with very good restaurant,cafe choices.We loved the hotel - the rooms in the annex overlooking the pool were great. We did visit Avignon and were glad we decided to stay in Arles instead.

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Thanks. I%26#39;m still trying to decide. I think I%26#39;ve given up on the idea of staying in Avignon. I am no considering St. Remy vs. Aix-en-Provence.

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Avignon has alot of better restaurants.

St Remy is another good choice.

You can always do a day trip to the others whichever you choose,

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I%26#39;d go for St Remy or l%26#39;Isle sur la Sorgue, somewhere very quiet and relaxed.

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Thank you for all of your suggestions. Chic Chantal talked me into staying in St. Remy. I can finally start to make our itinerary. We%26#39;re going in week so there are many other details to sort out. I%26#39;ll post those again on the forum.