I was in a group of 4 when I stayed in B&B's / Gites in France in May 2001. We stayed one night in Amboise, 2 nights in Cour-Cheverny, 3 nights in Lourmarin and 3 nights in Grasse. I know you are asking about Provence in particular but I cite all of these as my experience was the same. Breakfasts usually included: tea; coffee; fresh breads and/or baguettes, croissants; jams, preserves; cereals; sometimes fresh fruit salad; and yoghurt (French yoghurt is superb!). I do not recall having the choice of meats, cheese or eggs.

The helpfulness of the B&B operator may vary with the level of English spoken. That being said, we had always pre-booked at these places as we had a fixed itinerary.

In Amboise the host was a delightful gentleman who spoke very little English but we had a wonderfully entertaining conversation over a glass of wine: he in his limited English, I in my limited French, with lots of hand waving and drawings! He insisted on making our dinner reservations and giving us directions to our restaurant.

In Cour-Cheverny the hosts helped us with train timetables, directions, and provided us with cutlery, tablecloths, bottle opener, etc so that we could eat down by their lake and enjoy the impromptu picnic dinner that we had purchased in the town.

In Lourmarin, the lady host was lovely, and again in Grasse the lady went out of her way to give us restaurant recommendations, driving and parking secrets for visiting the beaches at Grasse and Nice, and lending us a beach umbrella!

The costs back then were in FF not Euro, and we were travelling in a group of 4, but I have the details in a page from my trip report. http://tinyurl.com/2svvc

:) Megan Brisbane, Australia