L'Orangerie

Perfectly placed where Provence meets the new French mega-region of Occitanie (formerly the Languedoc and the Midi-Pyrenees), this handsome holiday home puts you at the heart of one of the most scenic, historic and culturally rich regions in the whole of France. L’Orangerie has been tastefully renovated to create an inviting holiday home in an idyllic location, totally private yet within easy reach of all the area’s star attractions.

The house sits in a residential area near the little village of Blauzac. The décor is French country house with a contemporary twist, preserving the wooden shutters, wrought-iron balconies and open fire place, and adding fresh pops of colour against pristine white interiors. We especially love the dual aspect living room, which opens onto a large pool terrace at the rear and a garden complete with wisteria-draped dining pergola to the front. You can spend the day flitting lazily between the two, enjoying the sun or shade as the mood takes you. It’s an easy lunch location for can’t-sit-still-kids, and as evening falls, a few candles and a bottle or two of sunset-pink rosé transform the pergola into a magically romantic spot for dinner.

L'Orangerie is as practical at it is pretty, set in a 4600m2 fully enclosed plot. There’s space for ball games, badminton and boules in amongst the mature shrubs and trees, and when the kids have exhausted all these possibilities, you might like to treat them to a visit to the Haribo factory in nearby Uzès: a guaranteed hit for the under 12s and anyone with a sweet tooth. Uzès has plenty of adult appeal too; one of France’s designated Cities of Art and History, its medieval streets are lined with pavement cafes, shops and restaurants. 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 child-friendly paddling and 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.