Beautiful Villa with Private Swimming Pool - Castelnau de Guers, Herault, South France - La Maison Alex

Local Attractions

La Maison Alex nestles on the outskirts of Castelnau de Guers a picturesque medieval hilltop village dating back to the 11th century. The village has a bar/restaurant, post office, boulangerie, grocer and tabac. It's renowned for 'La Circuit St Antoine' a 10km walk which explores the village and surroundings with stunning views of vineyards and mountains. Castelnau is a short drive to the beaches the nearest being Marseillan Plage. Cap d'Agde, a 25 mins drive away boasts 'Aqualand' sports park. A short journey north takes you to mountains, lakes and gorges. Lake Salagou is renowned for fresh water swimming and Gorge d'Heric ideal for abseiling, hiking and canoeing. Culture and history are catered for in the nearby towns of Pezenas, Montpellier, Carcassone, Narbonne and Beziers. Pezenas, a renaissance town with its winding cobbled streets housing shops, galleries, bars and restaurants, is a 5 min drive from the village.

Visit the local beaches:
The nearest and most popular beaches are at Cap d'Agde which boasts 14km of beaches. The beaches at Cap d'Agde have many facilities and the town has a small theme park and Aqualand water park. Marseillan Plage is a much less commercialised beach which has a more natural feel with large areas of white sand enjoy. Valras Plage is a little further and quite commercialised, Vias Plage and Serignan Plage are less developed and would suit those who like their beaches less commercialised.

Explore places of historic interest:
There is a very rich history in Languedoc which reaches back to both the ancient Greek and the Roman civilisations but there is also much to explore from the Medieval period. Castelnau de Guers is itself has Medieval origins and there are some interesting buildings in the village but there are many castles, churches, abbeys and cathedrals, many dating back to the 11th century to explore. The restored city of Carcassonne is a great day out as is Aigue Mortes but

Try the local cuisine
If you go to the coastal towns and villages you will see that almost all the restaurants unsurprisingly have menus which are predominantly fish and seafood. Sete is a very busy fishing port and if you visit on Wednesday (market day) is manic but lunch on the quay and perhaps watching the canal-based jousting in the afternoon is a great day out. Oysters are farmed in the Basin de Thau and are excellent - especially with the regional Picpoul de Pinet wine. A good place to try oysters is Bouzigues.

Visit the numerous vineyards and try the local wine:
You can take this very seriously if you are a wine buff or you can equally have a great time just quaffing. Languedoc is the world's largest wine producing region so you are not short of choice, and about 20% is exported to the UK so you may find some familiar domaines - Paul Mas in the nearby village of Montagnac is an example. There are 3 producers in the village so you could walk and avoid the need for a designated driver but if you want to get a taste of the region try some the 16 AOPs.