St-Gervais-sur-Mare:
We call it the village, but although the town has less than 1000 inhabitants it has many amenities, including: 2 bakers; butcher; grocer; tabac with petrol pump; chemist; bar/café; restaurant at trout farm; pizzeria; 2 hairdressers; post office; doctor’s surgery and dentist. The butcher, the bakers, the grocer and the tabac are usually open on Sunday morning. The free tennis court maintained by the council is ~200 yards from the villa. Although small, the community is very active and organises many events throughout the year. The summer fête lasts 4 days with show bands every night, boule contests, children's games and a dinner in the square.
Equipment:
So that you know what not to bring, the following are supplied: hair-dryer; iron and board; shoe brushes; 4 tennis rackets (no balls); 4 table tennis bats (no balls); boules; foot pump; DVD/CD player but no discs; cool box and packs; and ceiling and table top fans. Each bed has a summer duvet, winter duvet and a padded cleanable over-mattress. The kitchen is well equipped and it is unlikely that you will require anything other than washing up liquid. Barbecue tools are provided but no charcoal. There is an extension lead with four UK sockets for battery chargers etc. A welcome pack is provided to help you through to morning in case you arrive late. This includes 2 bottles of wine, 2 litres UHT milk, 2 litres orange juice, coffee, filters, sugar, toast, jam, new dish-cloth, new scourer, toilet rolls, kitchen towel and dishwasher tablets. Bring your own favourite tea bags (there is not much choice locally and they are expensive).
How to get there.:
There are low cost flights to the following airports within sensible driving distance. In rough order of driving time: Beziers; Montpellier; Perpignan; Carcassonne; Nimes; Girona; and Barcelona. Nice is worth considering if it saves you a significant drive at your end. The Spanish airports have the advantage of cheaper car hire. Girona is next to the motorway and only takes 45 minutes longer than Perpignan. The owners have used all of these except Beziers and can give further advice. Driving from the North of England is fairly easy with one overnight stop. The roads from Calais are good, and south of Paris they are cheap as well. Apart from mid August, the roads are quiet on Saturday afternoon and Sunday. More advice on request.
Other Activities:
boule, table tennis, wildlife spotting. St Gervais fête. The famous Beziers féria. Mushrooming in autumn.
