Surviving the South of France on a budget.

Everyone loves a good holiday, but not at the cost of your life savings. So here's a guide for low budget holiday ideas in the Languedoc region.

First of all, choose the right property for you. On our website we have properties that suit every possible need, so you're guaranteed to find something suitable for yourself. Even our budget friendly properties are absolutely gorgeous, beautifully decorated and wonderfully located.

Once you've found the right property, there are tons of things that you can do in the Languedoc area that are either free or cost very little!

1. Spend the day at the river, Roquebrun is the perfect place for this, there is a beautiful river open to the public where you can lounge around, swim in the water, or just gaze at the beautiful hilly surroundings and waterfalls. There is also a Mediterranean Garden in Roquebrun which is gorgeous to wander around. You can finish off the evening by eating at one of the cheap local restaurants overlooking the river, our personal favourite one is Le Petit Nice.

2. The beach! Of course, the beach! Free for all and the best day out you could ever wish for. There are so many beaches all around the Languedoc, the best ones are Cap d'Agde, Grau d'Agde, Portiragnes and Valras (my personal favourites). Money-wise, if you're thinking of grabbing some drinks or some food after your day of sunbathing, I would choose either Portiragnes or Valras, as they have a lot of affordable places to eat.

3. Walk along the Canal du Midi. I think that every local in the Languedoc has done this at some point as it is such a nice day out, surrounded by beautiful views and fresh air. While walking along the dirt road, you'll come across some picnic tables. Make a day of it and pack a picnic to enjoy while gazing over the river,

4. Visit marinas. There are a lot of marinas in the South of France and for some reason it's always been one of my favourite things to do. You can wander along the Valras-Plage port, admiring all of the beautiful boats, If you're lucky and there at the right time, you can watch the fishermen come back with the fish they've caught, and if you're extra lucky they might have caught something big like a tuna fish which they will then display on a hook before taking photos.

5. Visit a wine cellar. I don't need to tell you that wine cellars are pretty common in the Languedoc, you'll find one in pretty much every village and city that you visit. You can just walk in and ask for a free degustation. They will let you taste the wine, take you on a tour of the cellar and you might even get a bottle of wine to take home! It's a really interesting day out, and you can learn all about how wine is made. I enjoyed this so much as a little girl so be sure to bring the kids along, it's a great experience.

6. Go to a waterpark! Now this is a bit more expensive but definitely worth it if you've got little children with you. Aqualand in Cap d'Agde is probably the most popular waterpark in the region, it has so many slides for young and old, and the atmosphere there is incredible. Everyone is in good spirits riding down the slides! It costs 30euros per adult to get in, but if you bring your boarding passes with you they should allow you a discount. Bring a picnic though, the food is very overpriced and not very nice. There are lockers where you can store your things, so you can bundle everything inside of them and race each other down the slides.

7. Watch the sunset on a deserted beach. There are countless beaches in the Languedoc, it's only fitting that some of them are rather 'undiscovered'.Often, if you go to a popular beach but drive right down to the end of it, there will be next to no one there. It'll be lovely watching the sunset on a golden sanded beach.

8. Go on a day trip to a big city, Montpellier has always been my favourite city in Languedoc, thanks to its beautiful buildings, students roaming around and incredible shops and architecture. It might cost you a little bit to get there depending on where you're staying, but once there you can spend the day exploring the beautiful city. Stear away from the tourist spots and just allow yourself to get utterly lost in the hundreds of little side streets; you'll discover absolute gems. The tram isn't very expensive at all, so you can just buy a ticket and zoom around the different parts of Montpellier. I don't think I've ever come across an ugly part of this city.

9. Go to a Festipal! During the summer there are so many festivals it's become too hard to count. One of the most popular ones is the Pezenas Festipal. The city centre gets completely transformed with decorations and tables, food stalls show up, live music comes at you from every direction and couples dance with their families. It's an utterly amazing experience and the food on offer is delicous!

10. Spent the morning roaming around a market. There are so many markets in the Languedoc it's hard to choose. I definitely have 3 favouites which are St Pierre sur Mer, Pezenas and St Chinian. Get there early to insure a parking space and just lose yourself in the midst of all of the different stalls. Try some olive tapenade, juicy strawberries and delicious seafood, pick from the cheese and meat platters and to finish off, buy a delicious roast chicken and ratatouille for lunch.

So there you have it, just 10 cheap or free things to do in the South of France during the summertime. My family and I do every single one of these every year, as they are so much fun and really make a great day out!

Beziers Christmas Market.

It's November, which means that whether we like it or not (and let's face it, we do), Christmas is upon us! One of the best things about Christmas time, is going out and choosing gifts for your family and friends, and the best place to do that in my opinion, is a market. Sure, you'll have to actually leave the house and search for the perfect gift, but I find that so much better than just clicking on a web page like Amazon and then putting in your credit card details.

Languedoc events during November.

Contrary to popular belief, the festivities don't abruptly end the second that the sun disappears. Sure, lots of restaurants and businesses close and beaches resemble ghost-towns, but the events don't stop! There is so much to do during the colder months, you just have to know where to look!

Here is a list of events going on in the Languedoc region this November:

1. HAUT LANGUEDOC CHESTNUT FESTIVAL

Autumn is here!

For me, Autumn is one of the best seasons to spend in the South of France. Don't get me wrong, the summer is by far the best, but Autumn is a close second.

Halloween is coming...

Jake's pumpkin from last year. 

In my opinion, Halloween is one of the best holidays during the year. It obviously can't top Christmas or New Year, but it's a close third. I absolutely love seeing all of the shops, restaurants and houses decorate their windows with ghosts, witches and demons. Being a horror-movie lover, this doesn't really come as a surprise.

Esprit Plage - Vendres-Plage.

Hiya!

So in the last blog post I spoke about Sanders dad coming to stay for a week, one of the many things that we did with him was go to the beach. I've been to a lot of beaches in the South of France, most likely every single one; so when everyone asked me which one we should go to, I was kind of speechless because that really depends on what you're looking for. They just wanted to relax on the sand and splash about in the sea, so we went to Vendres-Plage.

We parked the car and had to walk along a boardwalk path, through loads of vegetation to even get close to the beach. The walk there is stunning though, the bushes are so thick you feel like you're walking through the prettiest swamp you've ever seen in your life, it feels really magical. 

Once you arrive at the beach, there's a massive sign advertising the beach bar on this part - Esprit Plage. The bar is great, one of the better ones I've seen in this region. A lot of places feel a bit too beachy for my liking, it feels like you're not really "off" the beach when you set foot in it, but Esprit Plage is completely different.

Béziers Cathedral and Colombiers for dinner.

Béziers Cathedral

A couple of weeks ago, Sander's dad came out to the South of France to visit us. One day during his holiday, we decided to visit Béziers. Having lived here for so many years, there's not much that I find interesting about it anymore, except the cathedral. We went up there and saw some amazing views, so we were up there for quite a while taking photos, and the results were beautiful.

A trip to the past - Carcassonne.

Some of my family's very best friends came to the South of France to visit us the other week, and we pretty much went out every day. One of the places we went to was Carcassonne - the medieval city. I've been there hundreds of times (it's a great day out so whenever we've had guests we've taken them there, which means that my family and me have been there countless times) but it's always fun and the last time I went was about 3 years ago, so there was a lot I had forgotten about.

The drive there is pretty straightforward, you just go on the motorway and then follow signs to "Cité" and then to the car park (there are a few so you can take your pick).

Trompe l'oeil.

Trompe l'oeil.

Have you ever looked at a building and thought "Wow, that's really pretty!", and then realised that it isn't in fact a building at all, but actually a painting on the side of a building?

Montpellier - Where to shop?

Montpellier is a really popular place in the South of France, it's like the capital of the South. The city is full to the brim with students because of all of the great schools there (I was one of them), during the summer full of tourists and full of locals on a regular basis. Loads of people go to Montpellier purely to go shopping, because it's got all of the best shops all in one place. If you've never been there before then it can be quite overwhelming because you'll have absolutely no clue where to go; that's where I come in.

Le Pont du Gard

I'm sure you've heard of the Pont du Gard and how amazing it is, but you have to be there and see it for yourself first hand in order to understand what everyone is talking about.

Bulls and beaches.

Ever heard of a Toro Piscine? No, I didn't think so. Now, if you just google translated that, it should've come up with something along the lines of "Bull Swiming Pool", and you're probably really confused right now, so let me explain.

Storms? In the South of France?

As everyone knows, one of the best things about France is the sunny weather. Having said that, when a storm comes along, it hits you with everything its got, and is the most amazing thing to witness.

A review of Andorra

There are few places, in my opinion, more spectacular than the Pyrenees mountain range. Since living in Herault, I am fortunate enough to be able to view the Pyrenees from the French side, the Spanish side, and in Andorra - one of the world's smallest countries. And boy, what a view!

Following in the life of a holiday villa rental agent...

We've had quite some experiences over the years, and sometimes it's nice to reminisce about some of them. You know the stories I'm talking about, the ones that are tragic and awful at the time, the ones when some idiot (usually me) says "we'll be laughing about it this time next year!" . Well, young, idiotic me was right, and now even 3 years on, we're still laughing about it.

As a business, we rent holiday villas in the South of France, but there are other services we offer too - such as visiting our owners' properties on a regular basis to ensure all is well...or not...

Why you should rent in Valras-Plage.

There are countless beaches in the South of France. No, really. Literally countless. But one of my all time favourites is Valras-Plage.

We have quite a few villas there, one of our most preferred properties is in a residence in Valras itself.

A review of Capestang.

There are so many different villages and towns in the South of France, and every single one of them has something different to offer! We asked one of our property owners to describe life in Capestang for you, so you can get a really solid idea of the wonderful town itself. If you would like to see his property, click HERE!

"The village of Capestang is situated in the beautiful wine growing region of Languedoc, 25 minutes by car to the nearest Mediterranean beaches.
A typically Frencg working village quite unspoilt by tourism, which has a selection of bar sand restaurants, all within walking distance of the house.

7 Things to know before you book your holiday.

Holidaying in the South of France is just as amazing as it sounds. The sunny days, sandy beaches and crystal clear swimming pools aren't all myths, but there are some things that you need to be aware of before booking your holiday; just small things that you wouldn't usually think of, so I'm here to help!