THE AREA

Our house books are full of ideas and suggestions of things to do and places to visit in the area, with additional comments from previous guests, but just to give you a taste:

Pezenas

Located in the Herault department, Pezenas is a small market town in which most of the houses date from the 17th Century. An easily-followed numbered tour of the town can be made, to appreciate the variety of architecture.

Often called the little Versailles, Pezenas boasts a fine range of arts and crafts workshops and antiques markets.

The Festival of Arts and Music is held in the town every summer between June and September, including historial re-enactments, concerts and exhibitions.

Pezenas offers a wide range of bars, cafes and restaurants, with food to suit a variety of tastes and pockets - all within easy walking distance of Mas du Parc!.

There are several supermarkets in Pezenas supplying ingredients for BBQs and dining "al fresco" at the apartments.

The lively Saturday market is a colourful experience where you can buy local products, from tablecloths, baskets and pottery to cheeses, fish and shellfish. > more about Pezenas

Surrounding Area

The ancient Greek town of Agde now borders the cosmopolitan resort of Cap d'Agde, but other relics of Greek and Roman times are evident at the Oppidum d'Enserune, the villa of Loupian and the bridge at St Thibery.

There are many medieval towns nestled in the nearby hills amongst picturesque countryside, including the magnificent St Guilhem le Desert which is located near the Pont du Diable -the oldest medieval bridge in France.

Activities

Beautiful sandy Mediterranean beaches are only 20 minutes' drive, with watersports such as windsurfing and sailing also available at the inland Lac du Salagou. Swimming, fishing and canoeing are very popular in the River Herault, with the Canal du Midi offering numerous boat trips and cycling or walking on the towpaths.

More active visitors may enjoy walking in the National Parks, following the trail of the Cathares or searching out the Via Domita, exploring the scented garrigue or climbing Pic St Loup to enjoy the view.

The Leisure Park at Bessilles has acres of open countryside offering opportunities for cycling and picnics, tennis and swimming. Horseriding and golf are available nearby.

With so many activities on offer, Pezenas and the Languedoc are ideally situated to be enjoyed by the most active of our visitors. However, it's also easy to leave the car in our car park and relax, as recorded by some of our guests last year:

"Here we can appreciate what manana really means - tearing ourselves away from the lifestyle at Mas du Parc is so difficult that there are many planned trips still to do."

"We hardly moved from the pool during the first hot week except for our only visit to a beach."

The last word must go to the many excellent wines of the region, from Picpoul de Pinet to accompany your oysters to the generous reds and delicious rose. So many caves, domaines and chateaux waiting to offer you a degustation .....