La Petite Orangerie

This handsome holiday home sits in a residential area near the little village of Blauzac, in the heart of one of the most scenic and culture-rich regions of France. The villa has four bedrooms, but is also available for couples in its ‘petite’ form as one-bedroom house outside the peak season weeks, allowing you to enjoy its spacious public rooms and beautiful grounds at a considerably reduced price.

La Petite Orangerie is tastefully renovated and totally private, yet still within easy reach of all the area’s star attractions. It’s decorated in classic French country house style with wooden shutters and iron balconies. We love the large living room, which opens onto a pool terrace at the rear and a wisteria-draped dining pergola to the front. You can spend hours happily flitting between the two, enjoying the sun or shade, and as evening falls, just add a candle and a bottle of perfectly chilled rosé and you have a wonderfully romantic spot for dinner.

For dinner out without the car, you’ll find a popular, traditional French restaurant in Blauzac, just a ten-minute walk away.

Local Area

Blauzac village (10-minute walk) has an épicerie for basic food shopping, and if you want to do a big stock up, there’s a supermarket in Uzès (13-minute drive). Uzès is the closest of many beautiful historic towns in the area; once you’ve wandered its attractive, honey-coloured streets, the tranquil medieval garden is a lovely shady spot on a hot day. This is the heart of Roman France, with Nimes (25 mins), Avignon (50 mins) and Arles (1 hr) all within an hour’s drive or less.

For more active pursuits, there’s wild swimming at the Gorge du Gardon or swimming beneath the impressive Roman arches of the Pont du Gard (25-minute drive). There are many other river swimming and canoe hire spots in the area, and if it’s not too hot, the Cevennes hills are full of hiking, biking and horse-riding trails that will take you far off the beaten track. Although this is not a beach destination, the coast is very doable for a day; the walled town of Aigues-Morte on the south coast combines well with trip to the beach at Espiguette. The flamingos and wild horses of the Camargue are an hour’s drive, and vibrant Montpelier is just a little further (70 mins drive).

Our choice of French properties is diverse, ranging from simple charm to genuine luxury and style. Much of our portfolio is privately owned, and price alone is therefore not a universal guide. We contract all our accommodation in person, and each property has its individual appeal.

To help you make the right choice based on your own priorities, we have devised a simple grading guide to be considered in conjunction with each individual property description, awarding up to a maximum of five stars for the below categories.