Béziers Flower Market

Béziers is a beautiful city and has the added advantage of being only 10 minutes from the beach! The new small airport serves most of Europe making Beziers and the surrounding areas very easily accessible. 

The Béziers flower market takes place every Friday, sunshine or rain. From 6am until 6pm the Allées Paul Riquet are filled with thousands of locally gardened flowers. The long tarmac walkway becomes a magical promenade. Pretty flowers and plants of all different colours are sold for very reasonable prices. 

If you are looking to brighten up your villas’ kitchen or living room, or even looking for a wee gift for a special someone, you can’t go wrong with flowers!

We recommend a spring or summer stroll through the market followed by lunch or aperitif at “Le Chameau Ivre”. 

Situated towards the end of the walkway you will find the park; “le plateau des poètes” which is ideal for having picnics or going to watch the geese, ducks and fish in the ponds dotted around. 




Did you know? There is a reason the flower market is placed exactly where it is today. In the 19^th century the backstreet brothels were placed just off the Allées Paul Riquet. Flower sellers saw the perfect opportunity to make money. Immediately after leaving the brothels men would buy their wives flowers that were conveniently being sold right in front of them!

We have a great range of beautiful holiday villas to rent near Beziers, in traditional wine making villages, towns and very near to the beaches just perfect for that summer holiday you have been thinking about!

La Vie en Rosé - Wines of Southern France

THE ROSÉ WINES OF SOUTHERN FRANCE ARE SOME OF THE BEST IN THE WORLD - NOW IS THE TIME TO BOOK THAT HOLIDAY AND COME TRY THEM FOR YOURSELF.

The recent rain followed by glorious sunshine means conditions have been ideal for the vineyards to get a favourable start to the growth spurt, the countryside is gloriously green with flourishing vines as far as the eye can see - the life blood of the Languedoc and Provence begins anew.

To savour that delicious pink nectar, two lovely stone built properties in the portfolio of South France Villas, offer you the perfect base to sample the delights of regional Rosé wines.  

In the Languedoc, close to Beziers, HE086A Bastide Pinede - a fabulous traditional stone built Bastide, with a contemporary interior, private pool and large garden, sleeping 8 in 4 en suite bedrooms, is perfect for that family holiday.  In this area the Wine Domaines of  Le Rosé de Bessan, Domaine La Baume and Les Crus Faugeres are all easily accessible for tastings.

HE086A Bastide Pinede

If you want to discover more why not let the experts take the strain and contact Languedoc Wine Tours  to book your place on one of their various programmes.

In Provence, VR014A Bastide des Vignes, a lovingly restored barn, renovated by the Owners with passion, offers 5 bedrooms, amazing interiors with stirking bespoke art, pool and extensive gardens - an oasis of tranquility.

This Bastide nestles amongst vines, which are part of Domaine de Rimauresq.  Rimauresq is a 'Cru classé, which produces Cinsault, Mourvedre and Tibouren for their rosés - it is one of the most prestigious vineyards in Provence and their 'R' logo is appreciated worldwide.  The vinery is a mere 15 minutes away from this stunning property.  From here access to the Routes des Vins is easy where you can taste the delights of Cote de Provence, Bandol, Coteaux Varios and Coteaux d'Aix en Provence.

VR014A Bastide des Vignes

Provence rosés are amongst the best in the world, Their pale rose petal colour, delicate aromas and explosion of sun filled fruit on the palate make them a perfect accompaniment to all dishes or ideal for that aperitif! 

Rosé is possibly one of the oldest known types of wine in the world and there are three major ways to produce rosé wine - skin contact, saignée and blending. 
So, enough of the lecture, time for some practical, simply contact South France Villas who will be delighted to book you a property so you can enjoy your personal "voyage a vin".

Skin contact - black skinned grapes are crushed and the skins allowed to remain in contact with the juice for a short period, normally 1-3 days, the longer they are left, the more intense the colour of the final wine. 

Saignée (the French word for bleeding) - when the winemaker desires to impart more tannin and colour to a red wine, some of the pink juice from the must can be removed at an early stage in what is known as the Saignée and this can be fermented separately to produce rosé.

Blending - the simple mixing of red wine to a white wine to impart colour. This method is discouraged in most wine growing regions, especially in France, where it is forbidden by law, except for Champagne, but most producers use the Saignée method.

Christmas Present List: Book a South of France Holiday in Languedoc

Traditional Festivities do, of course, vary from country to country and France is no exception, like some of its European counterparts the French have their main celebration on Christmas Eve - Le Réveillon de Noël - when the family gathers together for an evening of Gastronomic delights - often an enormous seafood platter to start, ending up with a Büche de Noël - followed by Midnight Mass.  

Expectant children leave their shoes in front of the fire for Père Noël!

Seafood Platter

Büche de Noel

Christmas Day too is a very important "foodie" event and will often include a more traditional menu perhaps rabbit or coq au vin.

Conversation throughout the day invariably turns to the memories of heady Summer Holidays spent on the coast and the planning of the next one, which for the French is usually in August.  So why not take advantage of this and come and enjoy the Mediterranean and its fabulous beaches in May and June when you can have them to yourself!

In particular, access to the undiscovered jewel of the south, the Languedoc region, around Beziers and Montpellier, has been made so much easier with the advent of No-Frills airlines. 

The airport at Beziers makes onward journey times short to get to South France Villas  rental properties near the beach where the sea is shallow, ideal for young families.  Starting from only £140 per person per week - great value for money - you can have the pick!

 Beachfront location (HE067A)

Room with a view

Right on the beach is Villa St Pierre (HE067A) in a family orientated resort, sleeps 8 and is as the French would say "pieds dans l'eau", with amazing views.

Or perhaps "la piece de resistance", the fantastic Les Rocailles (HE044A), which has the best of both worlds - direct access to the beach AND a heated pool!

HE044A Les Rocailles on the beach near Beziers

The Languedoc certainly has it all, sun, sea, sand 

and sensible prices - Happy Holidays!

The Famous 5 Day Feria in Beziers & Much Much More

Once the Languedocien stronghold of Catharism, the modern day Beziers offers you festivals, history, the Canal du Midi and Mediterranean beaches just 6kms from the town, what more could you want!  

Peyrepertuse Cathar Castle

(Our property La Garenne ( HE029A) is ideally placed to explore all of this and more).

The Cathedal in the centre of Beziers - Sainte-Nazaire rises above the cobbled streets the panoramic view over the Orb River is stunning and the town boasts boutiques galore and a plethora of restaurants including the L’Ambassade, which recently got a good review in the local Anglo/French Magazine – the Herault Times.

Cathedral at Beziers

This region is also a prolific wine producing area offering a vast array of wonderful wines for you to enjoy - Check out: www.languedoc-wines.com 

People come from far afield for the famous 5 day Feria of Beziers held around 15th August every year – bull fighting may not be to everyone’s taste, but the spectacle is amazing and the street party atmosphere with open air bodegas and live music is enthralling and definitely worth a visit - www.ville-beziers.fr

Beziers Feria

Pezenas - Famous for Moliere, Bite Sized Tower Shaped Pies & Saturday Markets

The lovely town of Pezenas , only 20 minutes from the Mediterranean beaches and Beziers, offers history, lovely architecture, culture (Moliere lived there for a time),  restaurants and bars galore, cafes and boutiques plus a fantastic Saturday market.

The town is with walking distance of  Les 3 Pins (HE042A) which has  it’s own tennis court
and is also only 6kms from the fabulous luxury property,  Chateau du BeauParc  and just 8kms from the lovely Maison de Maitre (HE030A).

Chateau du Beau Parc
(HE068A)

HE030A Le Manoir

Don’t forget to try the “Petit Pate de Pezenas”  (bite size savoury tower shaped pies) originally brought to the area by Clive of India!          

 To top up your tan, the family resorts of Grau d’Agde and 
Rochelongue  and Valras Plage are easily accessible -

MARSEILLAN

The Rive Gauche in Marseillan - www.marseillan.com is a lovely spot to while away those long holiday lunches, sit on the port and enjoy tapas or oysters in the array of restaurants lining the port.  Noilly Prat is opposite so why not take the tour – it is fascinating!

If you are staying at at one of South France Villas properties in the Herault, Languedoc Roussillon, such as HE011A Villa Ramistan, the village and port of Marseillan are just a stone’s throw away.

OUVEILLAN - Festival of the Harvest

Ouveillan's 'Fetes des Vendanges' (Festival of the Harvest) is a festival of Wine and Craft. This old tradition continues every October and is one of the highlights of the Languedoc calendar, with its many parades, festivities and markets. These markets range from amateur car boot sales, to flea markets, to professional craftsmen and women offering their hand-crafted wares, folklore and music. The festival has a lovely atmosphere of the old and the new, with old traditions continuing strongly, whilst still welcoming new innovations and skills.

Locals dressing up for a parade

The festival's history is rooted in the traditional festivities of the end-of-harvest season. The end of the harvest was often a busy time, with field workers often working frantically and long hours to get the crop in for the year. Exhausted by their efforts, the workers would celebrate the close of the season, with festivities which evolved into the present-day Fetes des Venanges. The mood was not simply relief that a busy time had now passed, but also to thank each other for the hard work that had been put in, to celebrate the success of the crop and to farewell the end of the agricultural year. A large part of their festivities was to put on a big feast of cassoulet, poultry, mutton and plenty of wine. The atmosphere was boisterous and everyone sang loud drinking songs, accompanied by the rhythmic banging of tables and stamping of feet. Today, the festival has grown to encompass more than a big dinner - but the cheerful spirit is still very much a part of the Fetes des Vendanges.

Yum, Cassoulet!

Wine Barrel at the festival

Ouveillan is a short distance from Narbonne and Beziers. This charming town began as a 'retirement village' for romans looking to spend their final days pottering around the garden, tending grape vines and drinking good wine. The town may have become a little more lively since then, with people of all ages now inhabiting the town - however the focus on wine hasn't changed. In this town of one butcher, a couple of bakeries and food stores, two doctors and dentist - we also find several wineries. Keeping the villagers thirst at bay seems to be much more of a priority than looking after their teeth! Even if you miss the festival, Ouveillan is still worth a visit - it has markets several times a week, roman ruins and - as mentioned above - several wineries!

For Beautiful Villas in the Languedoc visit our website www.southfrancevillas.com
Contributions by Katarina Byrne

GOLFING in Languedoc

A golfing holiday in the South of France is a great option, as the warm climate and gorgeous scenery can only add to the pleasure of the sport. Some of the world's best golf courses can be found in France - more than 25 of the top 100 courses in Europe are in France.

One of our favourite courses is in the Beziers region of the Languedoc - Golf Saint-Thomas. This 18-hole course is set in typically Mediterranean scenery. The still lakes and the quiet of the surrounding area makes the course perfect for a relaxing game of golf. The feeling of being surrounded by nature is enhanced by the abundance of wildlife wandering around - you will see ducks, partridges, hares and rabbits, confirming the impression of a place of natural interest.


Although the Course is suitable for those without much experience, it also contains alot of variety and enough challenges to keep even the experienced entertained. The 15th, 16th and 17th holes in particular are quite tricky, with those calm, peaceful lakes ready to mischieviously swallow your golf balls given the slightest opportunity.


There is also a restaurant at the clubhouse, which features an inventive menu of simple but tasty fare. A selection of local wines are also available to accompany your meal.


Where to stay?

We have two beautiful villas on the Golf Course.

HE038A Domaine du Golf is a luxurious country house which is right on the Golf course - exceptionally convenient for avid golfing fans! It is two minutes walk fro the clubhouse and restaurant. It houses up to 14 people and has 7 bedrooms. This beautiful vacation home has recently been refitted and furnished up to a very high standard. It includes Air conditioned bedrooms, a fantastic large roof terrace, and a swimming pool, plus flat screen TVs in all bedrooms, a well equipped children's play area, and some services like baby sitting are available on demand.

For more details, please click on the above links to the villas. We also have many more lovely villas in the vicinity - please visit our website for more information.


Contributions by Katarina Byrne

Welcome to the new South France Villas Blog!

Southern France is one of the most beautiful regions in the world. But I'm sure we don't need to tell you that! From television footage of the Cannes Film Festival on the News, to photographs of lavender fields, to the paintings of Van Gogh and Cezanne: even if you have yet to visit, chances are you've already glimpsed some of the beauties that are to be found here. Yet in order to really experience the South of France, there is no substitute for spending some time living here. Even if the commitment of moving permanently to another country is out of the question: you can still absorb much of what is on offer by taking up residence even for a short amount of time. The perfect way to do this is to rent your own South France Villa - more authentic than a room in a high-rise hotel, it enables you to live in a truly French manner, if only for a week or a month.



To kick off our new blog, we'd like to begin with one of our favourite cities in the South of France: Béziers.

Béziers is often neglected in the standard tourist itinerary, which is both an enourmous oversight but also a blessing -- compared to some other more famous cities in Southern France, Béziers remains much more authentic. If you are thirsting for a taste of the real Languedoc, then you may well have just found the place to satisfy your thirst. Indeed, if thirst is in fact something of a concern for you, then you're in luck - Béziers and the surrounding region is host to some of the best wines that can be found in France.





Wine
Béziers is often called Southern France's Capital of Wine. Now that's quite a claim - but Béziers has had such a long tradition of wine-making that it's no wonder that the wine has become so highly respected. The region began its romance with wine when it was a thriving Roman colony. The Romans exported white wine and olives from Béziers back to Rome. It was during the 19th century, however, that Béziers really began to make its name as a wine-making region. Better transport meant that the winemakers could begin to export their wine far and wide, and Béziers became something of a boom-town. The overproduction which caused the Winemaker's revolt around the turn of the 20th century briefly halted the progress of the wine industry in Béziers, however now the region is back with a vengence - its wine is better than it's ever been. The wine in Béziers is, quite logically, designed to match the local diet. Being so close to the sea, the cuisine is largely based on seafood, which is reflected by many of the wines produced here.

Bullfighting
Yet wine isn't the only big drawcard in Béziers - it is also host to arguably the best festival in Languedoc. Every year in August, Béziers' 'Feria' attracts over a million visitors. It features five days of fireworks, music, street entertainment, a soccer match, wine fair and parties. The main attraction of the Feria, however, is the bullfighting. The Iberian-influenced bullfights which you can find in Béziers are full of spectacle and flair. They are rich in tradition and ceremony, and include lots of showy choreography.

History
As one of the oldest cities in Europe, Béziers has a rich history. Even before the Romans arrived, Béziers was a Phoenican settlement. Its Roman heritage can still be seen today, in the ruins of a Roman amphitheatre. Béziers also had an important role during the crusades as a stronghold of Catharism. Perched at the top of a hill in the medieval quarter of the town, you can find a magnificent Gothic Cathedral, which was rebuilt after being destroyed during the crusades. The Canal du Midi is also an important site in Béziers. It is a UNESCO world heritage listed site, and contains many intricate locks, bridges, dams and tunnels. Also of interest is Béziers’ Old Bridge (Pont Vieux) built across the river Orb in the 12th century.

What else?
Yet Béziers still has so much more to offer. It is close to the beach where you can soak up the sun on the sand, or engage in many water activities such as jet skiing, windsurfing and sailing. Cycling, horse-riding, hiking and golfing are also popular leisure activities. For the more adventurous, there is caving, bungee jumping, 'acrobranching' (treetop adventure course), mountain biking and quad biking. It is also the perfect base from which to explore the wild, rugged Languedoc region.

Other Interesting Facts:
- Béziers now has 107,800 hectares of vineyards, making it the biggest wine producing area in the world.
- "Labyrinth", a novel by Kate Mosse, draws on the history of Béziers.
- On average, the Languedoc region has 300 days of sunshine a year.


To Rent a Villa in the South of France, please visit our website and browse through the many top quality villas which we offer.


Contributions by Katarina Byrne