La Jolie Vigneronne - Ancient winemaker's house with three terraces

Nestled in the centre of the thriving market town and port of Marseillan, only a ten-minute drive from the Mediterranean, 'La Jolie Vigneronne', is a traditional, ancient winemaker's house, which has been fully restored and updated for 21st century living. The property is arranged over three floors and renovated to a very high standard. It is a house which exudes character with traditional tiled floors and stone walls recovered from the 19th century.

The first floor comprises three double bedrooms each with air-conditioning/heating wall-units.
The master bedroom with its ensuite bathroom is at the front of the house and overlooks the street, Rue de la Liberte, with views of the superb clock-tower. The two other bedrooms on the same floor share the family bathroom. Both open out on to a rear outdoor sun lounge with access to the second floor by a spiral staircase. The rear outdoor lounge is perfect for lazy afternoons and evenings to relax after a day in the sun. The top, or second floor, offers guests open-plan living with a combined kitchen, dining-room and TV lounge. On this level there are two sun terraces facing the front and rear of the house, rare in Marseillan, ensuring that guests have access to sunny terraces virtually all day. The ground floor has the benefit of a large garage, where the wine-making previously took place.

La Jolie Vigneronne is located in a quiet street near the church and half a minute's walk from the shops, bakers, antique and curiosity stores, bars , cafés and restaurants.

Each Tuesday morning the town hosts the famous street market with hundreds of vendors selling everything from Provence soaps and handmade quilts to spitroast chicken and fresh oysters. Less than a 5 minute walk away from the centre is the picturesque port and marina with boat trips around the inland Lake of Thau, its abundant restaurants, offering superb fresh seafood, and the famous Noilly Prat vermouth distillery, which holds regular events and tours for visitors.

Marseillan is located between Agde and Sète on the Mediterranean coast. Less than a 10-minute drive from La Jolie Vigneronne you will find long sandy beaches, which can also be easily reached by bike, or public transport. In nearby Marseillan Plage you will also find a water park, as well as many other amusements such as a go-cart track and large weekend flea market.

The town of Marseillan, or 'Masilhan' in local dialect, dates back to 600 A.D. when it was originally founded by the Phoenicians and is one of the oldest and most ancient villages in France. It was popular with retired Roman soldiers who were given land to grow vines which led to the area developing into a rich wine-growing region.

Located on the waterfront in the Languedoc wine producing area it became the most important winetrading port of the south of France in 1600. In the town itself you will find winemakers such as Madeleine St Jean and Richemer and of course the fortified Noilly Prat, made famous by James Bond. Between towns and villages many winemakers offer dégustations (wine tasting) for a small fee or free of charge if you choose to buy directly from the growers themselves.

Airports:
It is easy to get to Marseillan. Airports nearby include Beziers, Montpellier, Nîmes and Carcassonne. Two hours away you also have Toulouse airport and Perpignan.

Public Transport:
Marseillan has an a good public transport transport system with buses leaving opposite the port or outside the school. They go to all nearby villages towns and are very affordable.
The closest train station is in the Agde, ten minutes by car or taxi from Marseillan and offers national rail services. Larger cities like Montpellier and Nîmes are only 25-30 minutes away on the TGV.

Towns and cities nearby include:
Bouzigues with its fish restaurants on the waterfront (15 min. drive)
Mèze market town with waterfront restaurants (20 min.)
Sète with shopping and bustling harbour(20 min. drive)
Montpellier (45 min. drive or 25 minutes by train from Agde)
Nîmes, historic Roman city with a magnificent ampitheatre (two hours by car)
Avignon, famous for its Palais des Papes and historic centre (1.5 hours by car)

Historic and attractive places places to visit nearby include:
The Oysterbanks on the Étang de Thau (by boat from Marseillan port)
Pezenas, ancient walled town with beautiful town houses, rambling cobbled streets and a mecca for antiques enthusiasts (20 min. by car)
Abbaye de Valmagne, a former Benedictine and designated historic monument. Since 1791 a wine-making Abbey with large barrelled vaults (20 min. by car)
The Camargue, marsh landscape with white wild horses, flamingoes and salt production (1.5 hours by car)
Saint-Maries- de-la-Mer, the capital of the Camargue (1.5 hours by car)
Aigues Mortues, a medieval town surrounded by city walls on the Mediterranean (50 min. by car)
St Guilhem le Désert, medieval village with monastery and part of the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela. Listed as one of the most beautiful villages in France. (50 min. by car)
Lac du Salagou, inland lake with rafting nearby (40 min. by car)