HOLIDAY HOUSE
rental in Montfrin, south of France
Between Nîmes and Avignon, where Languedoc meets Provence, our two bedroom house is in Montfrin (mons ferinus, hill of beasts) between the mountains of southern France and the Mediterranean.
The village is 6 miles from Beaucaire, Tarascon (legendary home of the six-legged, man-eating Tarasque) and the Pont du Gard, 12 from Collias and the Gorges du Gardon (where you can swim or hire a kayak), 13 from the Abbey of St Michel de Frigolet, Uzès, Tavel, Avignon and Nîmes, and 14 from St Rémy, Arles and the rocky citadelle of les Baux de Provence - where bauxite was discovered.
Montpellier is less than an hour to the south-west, Marseille about 80 minutes to the south-east and the sandy Mediterranean beaches of les Saintes Maries de la Mer and le Grau du Roi, and the naturist beach of l'Espiguette, are all around an hour away.
Montfrin is easily accessible by plane to Nîmes, Montpellier, Avignon or Marseille or by TGV to Nîmes or Avignon. You will then need to hire a car.
For rental quotations and reservation requests
please email us by clicking below:
(in English ... ou en français si vous voulez)
The weather in Montfrin is much the same as at Nîmes, 12 miles away. It is currently:
The house seen through the Commanderie courtyard arch
The house was built above the 12th century arches of a Knights Templar Commanderie, near the romanesque church of Notre-Dame de Malpas. On the ground floor, there is a living room, kitchen-diner, and a small bathroom (including half-sized bath/shower with limited headroom).
Above, there are two large bedrooms, one with an ancient beamed ceiling and a view of the Commanderie courtyard, the other looking towards the Château de Montfrin. More stairs go up to a large attic which becomes ferociously hot in summer so is perfect for drying clothes. The house is ideal for up to four people.
Facilities include washing machine, constant hot water, gas cooker, fridge, music system (radio/tape/CD) and a nearby garage.
View from back bedroom towards Château de Montfrin
Within a few minutes walk of the house are three boulangeries-patisseries, two café-bars, a bike hire shop and various food shops. There are also tennis courts, a bull-ring and a children's playground. You can swim in the village pool (open July-August) or in the river, where a beaver might join you.
Local specialities include saucisson d'Arles, pélardon goats' cheese from the Cévennes and the speciality of Nîmes, brandade de morue, made from salted cod. Tuesday is market-day. Good, cheap wine is available en vrac from two caves in the village (dispensed into one of the 5-litre cubitainers you will find in the house). The local bottled wines are Costières de Nîmes and Côtes du Rhône Villages.
Up a short hill from the house, Montfrin's faded château dominates the village. It is built around the remains of a Roman tower, once used as a Templar dungeon. From a nearby vantage point you can stand amid a chaos of wild thyme, rosemary and irises, with views to Beaucaire, Tarascon and beyond, then walk on a quiet path between vineyards and olive groves to the mysterious site of la Baume where the largest apiary in France was hewn from the rock by the Templars. Or you could hire a bike from the shop in the main square.
In the heat of day you hear cicadas everywhere, a sound replaced at nightfall by the considered piping of crickets and a barn owl screeching from the church tower.
To the west and north, are the mountains of the Cévennes and the Gorges of the Tarn and Ardèche. Southwards, the Camargue is home to flamingoes and bulls, and there are stables that hire out horses. Where the Camargue meets the Mediterranean you can swim and sunbathe at les Saintes Maries de la Mer, le Grau du Roi or naturist l'Espiguette, returning via flamingo lakes and salt-beds, and dining in fortified, medieval Aigues Mortes.
To see more pictures and a street plan click below:
All aerial photos on this website were taken from a ROBIN DR400. You can hire one from Nîmes-Courbessac aerodrome, 12 miles away. Even if you've never flown before, you can have a trial lesson and fly yourself over the Pont du Gard with an instructor beside you at the dual controls.
For all enquiries
Renseignez-vous en français sur le village de Montfrin
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