Meli Melo Travel

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Bonjour!

If food, wine, and wellness appeal to you, you'll love our small-group tours! Meli Melo Travel typically hosts about six guests at a time and hires local guides in every locale, providing a uniquely authentic, thoughtfully crafted travel experience. Meaning “a little of this, a little of that” in french, "Meli Melo" tours feature culinary and cultural learning as well as time off to move a little - maybe hiking up to a breathtaking view, practicing yoga on the beach, or strolling in a medieval village.

First Stop: Provence!

We are now booking the following culinary and cultural tours in 2020:

Joie de Vivre Tour in Provence: Sept. 28 to Oct. 6 (Melodie's group), Oct. 8 to 16

We are also looking ahead to spring and fall 2020, when we'll head back to the stunningly picturesque, traditionally Provençal village of Saint Remy. From there, we'll shop at colorful outdoor markets, visit wineries and olive oil mills, cook Provençal specialties with a local chef, learn to play Boules, walk the Van Gogh trail, and generally enjoy the joie de vivre that life in the South of France is known for.

Also in 2020, we'll head to the heart of Burgundy, stay near the exquisite village of Beaune, and taste and tour our way through this gastronomically rich region. These tours will include extensive walking, some biking, and possibly a hike or two.

All tours feature local guides, a cooking or baking class, and guaranteed laughs.

Sign up now to secure your spot!

Just ask Meli Melo Travel...

We also offer travel-planning services for those of you who might like help plotting out your own vacation. We will gladly provide references from clients for whom we have designed itineraries and booked hotels, restaurants and local guides for their vacations in France and Portugal.

Farmer's Markets

Every Meli Melo tour includes shopping at outdoor farmer's markets. These markets are often the heart of village life, and they are not only a place to purchase regional foods and artisanal products, but also to observe and participate in an important and enormously satisfying daily ritual.

Cooking Lessons

With such beautiful, fresh ingredients so readily available, we will, no doubt, feel compelled to don our aprons and get into the kitchen. Many Meli Melo tours will include a cooking class or two - and hopefully inspire guests to recreate the recipes back home!

Stay in Style

Meli Melo Travel guests stay at the finest accommodations in each location - boutique hotels with modern amenities, superior service, character that reflects its environs, and typically, a restaurant with standout authentic cuisine made with fresh, local, seasonal ingredients.

Shown here is "Mas de Carassins," our charming hotel in St.-Remy-de-Provence with a garden so inviting it's hard to leave!

Blog

February 20, 2019 Beyond Lobstah and Whoopie PIes: Food Tour in Portland, Maine

Why didn't I think of that?

When we moved to Portland, Maine, last summer, we were excited about trying out an urban lifestyle - yet a gentle one at that. Portland is a small, friendly, and very walkable city with close proximity to spectacular natural beauty (Eastern Promenade!) and an abundance of outstanding restaurants. (So many, in fact, that Bon Appetit Magazine named Portland the "Best Restaurant City in the US" last year.) My husband, Bernard, who grew up in France, said half-jokingly that his primary requirement for choosing a new hometown was the ability to "walk to a bakery." Well, he can walk to at least 10! Walking at a brisk pace, it takes him just under four minutes to walk to his fave: Standard Baking Company. Good thing that we can also walk to a gym!

So when friends, many of whom are alums from our Provence tours, suggested we host food tours in our new hometown, it made perfect sense.

And so we did! In early April, we hosted our first Portland tour, and it was a huge success. See posted reviews. To inquire about bringing your own group to Portland for a culinary tour, either for a day or a weekend, contact Jenn at melimelotravel@gmail.com.
November 08, 2018 The South of France: It never gets old

The Meli Melo Travel team is just home from its fifth culinary and cultural tour of Southern France, and once again, we had a wonderful time. Our cozy group enjoyed three nights in the Mediterranean fishing town of Sete and four nights in the quintessentially Provençal village of Saint Remy, which lures us back again and again.
November 01, 2017 Walking on Clouds
We're excited to share that Meli Melo Travel just completed two wonderful back-to-back tours in Provence - and we are still walking on clouds from the experience! Read More...
January 30, 2017 What's New
I’m writing to share the exciting news that I am expanding my tour business, and that Bernard and I will be hosting tours together, read more...