Originally from London we moved to France 12 years ago with our 10 month old daughter Ava. Liz is from a 5* Hotel background and Tom among other things a painter and decorator. We love Sommieres for it's authenticity and variety, but mostly for it's amazing market on saturday mornings where brocante is bought and oysters and Blanc are consumed followed by a siesta by the pool.

Hôtel de l'Orange is a wonderfully elegant xvii century townhouse set within a stunning courtyard garden, a stone's throw from the middle of the medieval market town of Sommières in the South of France. The house is built around a moumental tower with an internal fresh water spring at it's base which helps cool the house in the heat of summer. The swimming pool is set high up above the house on a terrace with magical views over the rooftops of the town towards the Cevennes.

Beautifully placed between Montpellier & Nimes, an hour up the coast from Marseille towards Barcelona; Sommières lies on the river Virdoule at the junction between the foothills of the Cevennes & the national park of the Camargue. The town has had a renouned market since Roman times, and continues to boast a fabulously lively brocante (flea market) every Saturday throughout the year, where midday oysters are the order of the day. A multitude of beaches are within easy reach; passing through the flat lands of the Camargue with wild white horses, salt flats and flamingos.