Les Sardines aux Yeux Bleus

Rooms

The 3 gorgeous B&B rooms are rustic-Provencal with Indian embellishment. Extremely comfortable beds wear smart, embroidered linen, and you get interesting art, old radiators and shuttered windows.

Blue is the biggest with a chandelier hanging from its high ceiling. We stayed in Green and loved the linen-draped doors that open over the rose-filled terrace below. That said, petite Pink is astonishingly good value, only slightly smaller than the others and very pretty! If you're coming with older children, there's an Annex with twin beds that can be booked with any of these rooms, though note that it's located across the patio and has no bathroom.

The 3 apartments all have open-plan sitting/kitchen areas. In the main house, The Small Apartment is accessed via open stone stairs. From the living area, glass doors slide open onto a terrace, and there’s a double bedroom overlooking the front of the house.

The Large Apartment is similar in layout but almost twice the size. There’s a simple, soothing white double bedroom, a rustic bathroom with a sink carved from a chunk of stone, and a private terrace.

The Little House apartment is in a small tower on the far side of the courtyard. Old stone steps lead up to the front door, where there’s space for a table and chairs. Inside is a small but ever-so-pretty duplex studio - old walls harbour a contemporary interior with glass steps rising to a galleried bedroom and pebbled shower room.

Features include:

• In-room treatments available
• WiFi

Eating

Breakfasts here are gloriously lazy. We spent a few hours happily munching away, slurping coffee and chatting with other guests in the rose-scented gardens, dappled sunlight filtering through the vines. A bountiful self-serve table is laid with freshly baked pastries and pretty homemade cakes, plus a fabulous selection of organic, local produce including meats, cheeses, fruits and scrumptious jams and jellies; jugs of freshly squeezed fruit juices round things off. When it gets colder, you eat in front of a blazing fire in the dining room instead.

For other meals, the apartments have their own kitchenettes (with a microwave, hob and fridge, but no oven or freezer) and there are a few good-value local restaurants.
Further afield, try Le Tracteur at Samillac (8km) for simple food brilliantly cooked by lovely people. There’s also lots of choice in Uzès, not least a small profusion of cafés and bistros in the central Place des Herbes, where you can eat in the sunny square or in the shade of the medieval vaulted walkways.

Features include:

• Breakfast
• Restaurants nearby

Activities

• Uzès, one of the best-preserved medieval towns in France, is 7km down the road. Its hallmark is a network of beautiful vaulted stone walkways that snake around the city and its market is one of the best in Provence
  
• Head south into the Gorge de Gardon for a good walk in sublime country. Then nip across to the Pont du Gard, the magnificent 3-storey Roman aqueduct dates from 50AD
  
• Nîmes is a hive of Roman architecture. Its amphitheatre is the best-preserved in Europe, while the only fully-preserved Roman temple in the world sits nearby in Place Carrée
  
• Spin west from Nîmes and discover the Languedoc wine fields at Pic Saint Loup, a commune of 13 villages and 36 producers who are creating great (and much under-rated) AOC wine
  
• Explore magnificent Arles for all things Van Gogh (he lived here for a while), and Avignon for its spectacular architecture
  
• But most of all, make use of your little slice of Provencal heaven - laze by the tranquil pool or read in the pretty shaded courtyard covered in climbing roses and cats snoozing in the shade

Activities on site or nearby include:

• Cycling
• Hiking
• Historical sites
• Kayaking
• Museums / galleries
• Shopping / markets
• Swimming
• Traditional cultures
• Wine tasting

Kids

Though not exclusively family-oriented, Les Sardines is very family-friendly.

Best for:

Babies (0-1 years), Teens (over 12)

Family friendly accommodation:

The three apartments have more space, sofabeds, kitchenettes and private balconies, making them popular with families. The Small Apartment can sleep up to 3. Note that The Little House apartment (which can sleep 3) and the Large Apartment (which can sleep up to 4) are not recommended for small children under 6 years old due to their steep stairs. All rooms can hold a baby cot.

Cots Available, Extra Beds Available

Distances:

• Airport: 30 minutes
• Shops: 10 minutes

For more family-friendly places, see our Kids Collection

Location

Les Sardines is set in the village of Gattigues (7km from Uzès), in Provence's Gard region, southern France.

By Air:
The nearest airport is Nîmes (30km), though Montpellier (65km away) is slightly busier and has more international links.

From the Airport:
Les Sardines can arrange for a taxi to collect you from Nîmes. Alternatively, you can hire a car.

By Train:
If you'd prefer to travel overland from the UK, take the Eurostar from London to Paris, then a TGV high-speed train to Nîmes or Montpellier. The journey time from London is about 7 hours, which makes it barely any longer than flying once you take check-in into consideration.

Detailed directions will be sent to you when you book through i-escape.com.

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