Sylvain Lenoir: real estate advisor and vacation rental consultant

Even in the land of cicadas, so often explored and celebrated in song, a few paradises remain unknown to most; nature is preserved, the art of living intact, and the inhabitants welcoming. With me, discover this authentic Provence, where distances are measured in time... not kilometers. Based in the Luberon, I have worked as a real estate advisor and consultant since 2000. I am passionate about Provençal houses, their history, their charm, and their architecture... and I want to share my enthusiasm and my taste for quality with you. Provence Secrète® has been my trademark since 2002, and I decided to keep it as the name of my real estate agency, perfectly reflecting my philosophy and way of working: discretion, the small roads of the Luberon, old stones, location... so many criteria to help you find a wonderful real estate opportunity in Provence and discover your Provence home in the Luberon :)

"From the very first day, you will encounter twenty houses, each more beautiful than the last, each sufficiently dilapidated that you will immediately want to fix them up to your liking. Wait: you need to know why they were abandoned, why they are being sold. For some, it's a question of water, for others, it's the exposure, for some, it's more subtle... There are sterile houses. They have everything, except the ability to create happiness... The real houses are hidden. You won't find them on your own; you'll need someone to take you by the hand. But here's one..."

Jean Giono, Provence, Maisons en Provence, 1965

"A few years later, this old farmhouse has been restored and awaits you for a holiday in the Luberon"

As a specialist in Luberon houses and Provençal farmhouses, I travel the countryside daily, constantly searching for beautiful homes and quality properties around the hilltop villages of Gordes, Ménerbes, Goult, and Lourmarin. With an intimate knowledge of the Luberon's hidden gems, and as an experienced professional in charming and characterful real estate, luxury accommodations, and marketing, I am your ideal partner for finding or promoting a house, villa, farmhouse, or luxury property in Provence. Having been based in the Luberon for over 25 years, with offices first in Coustellet and then Ménerbes, in 2025 I changed my approach, closing my physical agency and joining the Propriétés Privées group to handle high-end transactions in the region. Alongside my sales activities, I am the exclusive partner of Villanovo in the Luberon, developing their collection of vacation rentals.

Originally from the Vendée region, I've been living in the Luberon since the end of 1999. After studying accounting and management, I turned to business and earned a Master's degree in Business and Distribution (BAC+5) in La Rochelle. My first professional experiences were in automotive parts distribution and in tourism at a ski resort, where I met a woman from Provence who would become the mother of my two children and introduce me to Provence and its hilltop villages. It was love at first sight for the region, leading me to start out as a self-taught real estate agent for an agency in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. The creation of my own company came very quickly in 2002 with the founding of Provence Secrète in Coustellet, which I moved in 2009 to the beautiful village of Ménerbes. It's been a long and wonderful adventure, starting with offices and a team, then some more challenging times—a midlife crisis, perhaps?... After selling my offices, I decided to operate differently and return to basics: mostly fieldwork and no staff. Around 2025, I joined the Propriétés Privées network for my real estate transactions, still focusing on the Luberon region and offering a selection of charming and characterful properties. At the end of 2025, the question of vacation rentals arose, along with the thousands of travelers I encountered. Not wanting to continue with seasonal rentals without a structured team, I approached Villanovo and its 2,800 properties in France and internationally to develop in the Luberon. I am now your contact for joining the Villanovo collection in this area. In parallel, in 2012, I created the Orgâmic by Vins de Copains winery in Goult, with a unique and collaborative concept: producing our organic wines together with friends. The adventure is evolving, albeit on a slightly smaller scale than before COVID, but you can still find our wines in our shops or online. A passionate lover of old houses, I have several major renovation projects to my credit: a vaulted apartment in Ménerbes, a village house in Gordes, my own house in Saignon, and a chalet in Savoie, always using high-quality, authentic materials.

From Ménerbes and Gordes in the Vaucluse (84), Provence Secrète radiates across a true Provençal paradise. It is here, between sea and mountains, between the Alpilles massif and Mont Ventoux, between Avignon and Aix-en-Provence... that the heart of Provence beats. A Provence sculpted in the mountains (Mont Ventoux, Dentelles de Montmirail, Monts Vaucluse...) which also offers immense plains and verdant hills where illustrious vineyards flourish (Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Gigondas, Vacqueyras, Côtes du Ventoux, Côtes du Luberon...). So many colorful landscapes that charmed Cézanne, Van Gogh, and Giono... In the south of the department, you enter the famous Luberon region: with an unaccented "E," the locals insist on this Luberon, undistorted by journalists and Parisians :). The villages here are charming, ancient, and most perched high on hilltops. In the land of cicadas, Provençal culture is everywhere: in the architecture (farmhouses, country estates, castles, stone houses, cabins...), the local produce, the crafts, and the traditional festivals. The Luberon offers a land bathed in light and wonderful historical and cultural sites to discover. Here, the people have a lilting accent. They are bon vivants and love to tease each other around a generous and delicious meal or on the pétanque court just before a Pastis... This is the picturesque Provence of Pagnol and Raimu. Many celebrities and VIPs own second homes here... Gordes, Ménerbes, Lourmarin, Lacoste, Bonnieux, and Roussillon have become, over the years, major tourist destinations frequented by an international clientele who love beautiful things, old stones, and fine Provençal cuisine. But above all, the Luberon is a place of unspoiled nature, vast forests, luminous ochre cliffs, and a natural park encompassing numerous towns and villages across the Vaucluse and Alpes-de-Haute-Provence departments. It can be explored in countless ways: on horseback, on foot, by bicycle, or even from the air, with many marked trails. Having become the symbol of Provence and a certain art of living, this distinctive region is literally overrun by tourists from all over the world. Fortunately, there are still some wonderful, less crowded spots to discover, even in the summer months...