Vacation rental apartments in the south of France

Large family home in the heart of a perfect French village.

Nearest towns, Pézenas, Beziers and Montpellier, Languedoc (region), Herault (department).
Each apartment sleeps 4/6, has a kitchen and terrace with reception rooms, garden and parking.

This house is the principal building of the ancient fortified village of Nizas. In front of the house is the medieval tower which has recently been restored and stands beside a sunny Mediterranean garden. Most of the house, which is a part of a fortified village (circulade), was built between the 9th and 16th centuries. There is evidence of much earlier building and the area is rich in pre-historic remains.

Nestling in a quiet valley, Nizas is the classic image of a southern French village. A short walk brings you to a unique plateau where the air is so clear you can often see the Pyrénees over 140 miles away.

The village is small (around 500 people), yet a busy and important one. Situated on the ancient (pre Roman) road from the Mediterranean to the only pass through the mountains to the North. Nizas has been host to merchants and pilgrims for thousands of years.

Nizas celebrates its past with traditional festivals from its patron saint on March 1st to the celebration of the new wines in October and November. Every festival is an excuse for the villagers to have a meal and to drink the local wines together and all visitors are made welcome. For example, the fête in August lasts three days and ends with a meal in the square for everyone. As usual wine is plentiful and good, you can eat drink and dance until dawn for a few francs (the ticket in 1997 was 60f).

Since the 19th century wine production has been the main occupation of the people in this region. The soil and climate are perfect for growing some of the finest wines in the world and recent investment and expertise are producing wines of exceptional quality and variety.

Within easy cycling range you have other villages, each with their own individual character and wines. Slightly further, 30 mins by car, are caves, grottos, and rock formations unique in Europe.

Sports for all tastes are nearby, energetic white water canoeing, paragliding and rock climbing or golf, hill walking and tennis if you prefer. You can even fly in to the airfield just outside Nizas on the plateau, or you can take flying, gliding or helicopter lessons at the local airclub. The Mediterranean beaches are a 30 minute drive and cater for all tastes.

Nizas is in the middle of one of the most beautiful regions in France. To the north is the Herault National Park with forests, mountains and lakes, to the south, the Mediterranean with miles of clean beaches and some of the oldest ports in the world such as Agde and Sête or new exciting resorts such as La Grande Motte and Cap d’Agde all within 45 minutes drive.

Although it is so close to the Mediterranean, mainly because it is such a successful wine growing area, Nizas has not become spoilt as a tourist village. The large village shop sells most things needed for the home and a good selection of fresh food and vegetables, the village café welcomes all and if you need help ask at the town hall (marie) just next to the café.

For souvenirs, cafés and restaurants Pezenas is only a 10 minute drive (4 miles) and is worth a visit. Beziers is 25 minutes and Montpellier or Narbonne 45 minutes drive.

Further afield, Spain is less than 2 hours drive. The Pyrenees, Andorra, Carcassonne, Toulouse, Nimes, Avignon and Marseille can all be visited in a day (not the same day).

View of the terrace (13734 bytes)
View of the terrace

Front entrance of the house (14735 bytes)
The front of the house. To the rear is a large terrace which has sweeping views over the vineyards.

Ground Floor - From the front (village) door you enter the reception area and arched hallway with cloakroom/wc. Ahead is the salon with french windows to the large south facing terrace giving sweeping views of the vineyards. To the right of the hallway there is the stone staircase to the upper floors and a passage leading to an old (15th C) icehouse, this has been converted to a wine cellar and gives access to the garden.

Apartment 1 - Two large and well appointed family rooms, each with a private shower or bath and WC. Each room can accommodate up to four people (two adults plus two children). The rooms are equipped with a double bed plus a sofa-bed as standard but we can supply extra single or children's beds if required. There is a large fully equipped kitchen/diner leading to a private and sunny upper terrace (south facing).

Apartment 2 - Two large and well appointed family rooms each with en-suite shower and WC. There is a fully equipped kitchen leading to the upper terrace (again south facing). Each bedroom has a double bed plus a full double sofa-bed as standard. Other arrangements can be made to suit your requirements (extra single beds, bunk beds, cots etc).

All the rooms are well insulated both from the heat of the summer (we have found air conditioning unnecessary with walls up to 3m (10’ thick) and from the cooler (but mild) winter. Central heating is provided in winter.

The sunny garden has a children's play area and small pool, there is a shaded barbeque area. We have secure off the road parking at the rear of the house for up to 5 cars plus public parking directly in front of the village.

This is a happy family home. Your hosts, Carole and Tony, live next door with their young family (ages 3, 9 and 12) and share the garden, but your privacy is guaranteed if you wish. We are on hand for any help or advice, baby-sitting, travel arrangements, car-hire etc.

The region is so much a part of the history of the western world that it is impossible not to feel close to the many people who came to live here over the centuries, people from Carthage, Ancient Greece, Rome, the Saracens and the Knights Templar.

The Templars and the Cathars built many magnificent fortresses and fortified towns, in this region, which can be visited. There are still ‘mysteries’ surrounding some of the sites.

Evidence of pre-historic iron age, bronze age and stone age settlements can be found all around Nizas, walks and trails are clearly marked.

Even older, 55 million years older, there are fossil beds in Nizas known to a few local people where you can pick up fossil oyster shells as big as your hand. Important finds are still being made - a nest of dinosaur eggs has recently been discovered nearby and you can visit this site all through the year.

Food is, as you would expect in France, good and varied. Being so close to the sea, local dishes are usually seafood or shellfish. But being in the middle of so many rich cultures you have the choice of different cuisines at very reasonable prices. France boasts a different cheese for every day of the year.

Car hire can be arranged locally although you can usually get a better rate by booking in advance through your own travel agent.

We can arrange to collect you from any local airport, Montpellier is the nearest (45 mins).

Although the house is old and the pace of life gentle, we have good communications facilities, fax, email etc. If you request it, we can put televisions in most rooms, all with VCR’s and we have a large tape library in French and English. We do not plan to have satellite TV.

All large towns have a market day and there are excellent shops and stores nearby, the banks are closed on Sundays and Mondays.

Upto 28/3	1300 FF
29/3 - 11/4	1600 FF
12/4 - 2/5	1900 FF
3/5 - 30/5	2300 FF
31/5 - 4/7	2700 FF
5/7 - 5/9	3000 FF
6/9 - 26/9	2700 FF
27/9 - 17/10	2000 FF
18/10 onwards	1300 FF

The charges are per apartment and are inclusive for electricity, water and gas, there are no hidden charges. Special rates are available for lettings longer than 3 weeks. We can arrange terms for periods that are not whole weeks. A 20% deposit is payable with the booking, the balance is due 4 weeks before the arrival date.