Just yards from the luxurious Mediterranean beaches of Le Grau d'Agde, and a 15 minute drive from Beziers Cap d'Agde airport, our delightful gated villa has a fab pool and poolhouse in the garden, with terraces and even a shaded boulpdrome for playing the traditional game of petanque under the leafy trees.
Discover a fabulous modern 4-bedroom family house and swimming pool with large walled garden - close the prestigious beaches of Le Grau d'Agde - the best kept secret on the Languedoc coast:
Bienvenue and welcome to an authentic Mediterranean rendezvous where the river Herault meets the sea and where dining out is always an occasion.
Here mornings are spent on the sands and in the shade of a cafe, afternoons at the quayside fish auction or under veteran trees in your own garden, raising a glass of the local Chardonnay or Cabernet and toasting the long lazy days that lie ahead.
Laziness is an art at in Grau d'Agde.
Where the neighbouring Cap throbs in a fashionable frenzy, and the old city hustles and bustles through narrow ruelles and unexpected squares, Le Grau takes life at the proper pace for a lifetytle where your biggest decision of the day will be between choosing between the private pool or the sea, the recliner of the hammock under the trees.
Along a modest lane winding from the beach to the residential groves, villas and gardens behind the main avenue, come home to La Peupleraie. This very much a private home - a haven of space under summer skies - and is only available for a select number of weeks each year. And those weeks book up very quickly indeed.
Many of our regular guests return to check out what is new since the last visit.
Perhaps a swing seat in a quiet garden to the side of the main house and away from the lawns; maybe new bean bags and cushions under the pergola; the latest appliances in either of the two kitchens.
The fun is in returning to the familiar and delighting in the new
The pink villa set far back from the main road is a self contained holiday in its own right. The whole domain is enclosed with a smart wall.
Of course you could simly spend the whole week by the swimming pool!
There is even a dishwasher by the barbecue in the pool-house, bringing relaxation and laziness to the level of a fine art, and the possibility of wifi under the trees, as you email your friends back home and share the secret pleasures of the house and garden.
In the South-facing garden, discover the grove of old poplars that give the villa its name and provide balmy mottled shade on a sunny day when the temperatures passed way beyond 90 degrees and rising,
There is a lawn for true sun-worshippers, a traditional boulodrome (for playing pétanque), a lush lawn and there are gravel paths all around the detached villa. A new outdoor living room has been created with garden sofas and chairs on the main terrace by the lawn.
Open the front door of the villa and step into the brightest living room you could wish for.
The south wall is a huge window that opens out to one of the terraces and the grand garden and there are windows east and west too.
A smart dining area is divided from the living room by a partial wall and the first dilemma is to choose to step out onto the East or South facing terraces (You will soon discover that this house has so many different breakfast areas - without even considering laying out a picnic by the pool!).
And, in the living room, is a suspended fireplace, inspired by Philippe Imbert, as displayed at the Guggenheim Museum in New York.
The kitchen in the villa is grand and spacious with an island sink, dining unit, full sized fridge freezer, with chilled water and ice dispenser, dishwasher and all mod cons.
A second summer kitchen in the garden, with its dining table for ten, has a gas barbecue, an electric cooker, fidge freezer, even an electric wine cooler and of course the ultimate luxury - an outdoor dishwasher!
This outdoor kitchen is bigger and better - now with a full size hob and oven as well as the large barbecue so that a whole family of cooks can be creative poolside.
The garden dining room also acts as a perfect abris for the family that likes to stay together despite having different tastes.
The main kitchen in the villa, again redesigned and ugraded for summer, also leads out to another terrace.
The ground floor master bedroom has a generously-sized ensuite shower room and its own french windows which open westwards to the main garden terrace.
Climb the the whisk-turn of the contemporary styled staircase and you may discover three more bedrooms, with a well-proportioned shower/bathroom for the rest of the family.
Now we have added a pair of wet rooms to the first floor, bringing the total number of bathrooms in the main house to four - not counting the extra shower room in the pool-house.
The bedrooms are air-conditioned, of course.
Two of the upstairs bedrooms (thoe with the ensuites) can be arranged as either double or twin rooms - just let us know when you book and we'll make sure all is set up to your own preferences.
The fourth bedroom is perfect for youngsters, as it sleeps four in matching pairs of bunk beds.
Fittings throughout are to the highest standard. The villa has secure parking within the grounds. Just zap closed the electric gates and step out of your carand you are home.
One or two families, up to 8 or 10 people, could share the house or a single family could enjoy enough luxurious personal space to make for a rare and truly relaxing break for everyone!
However many rooms a house has, nonetheless the kitchen is always the heart of any home, and here there is enough space for family and friends to work together on preparing the evening meal.
In high summer, both inside and outside, the villa La Peupleraie seems a world away from the heady rush of the South of France.
Vast sliding glass walls open the living room into the glade and the garden;
Yet, within, those cool white walls promise sanctuary and always a corner to settle down with a good book for precious moments of solitude before joining the rest of the family around the swimming pool.
A comfy chair on the eastern terrace or a hammock slung between two tall trees the perfect setting for an afternoon doze; the south terrace and the poolside for partying. Imagine setting up a table under the poplar trees, groaning under the weight of fresh seafood and salad from the market, huge bowls of olives, fresh fruits and pitchers of the wonderful local wines: red at sunset, rosé for lunch and Picpoul de Pinet white at any time.
But for all its wonderful choices of outdoor spaces, this remains a real family home ... .
..and if you'd like to fly down to Agde out of season, when the winegrowers party at harvest time, or the Christmas swimmers risk a yuletide dip in the Med and Languedoc hosts 101 secret celebrations, then a cosy evening in around the dining table is one of the great pleasures of the South of France.