Domaine Résidentiel de Plein-Air Elysée

Once Le Grau-du-Roi is well and truly explored, broaden scopes to take in some of the other seaside towns, villages and resorts within easy reach. It’s around 15 minutes’ drive from base to the resorts of Carnon and La Grande Motte (both of which have lashings of beachfront), and about 25 minutes from the fishing village of Palavas-les-Flots, where guests can sign up for sea trips, jetski excursions and stand-up paddleboarding lessons. Further afield, opt for a day or so in Sète (50 minutes) – the ‘Venice of Languedoc’ – a seaside town with a fishing port and lots of seafood restaurants to sample wares at. Turning landward, start inland explores at Aigues-Mortes (10 minutes), a small medieval town with spectacular architecture and a famed saltworks, then travel onwards to the wild ponds and Camargue horses of Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer (35 minutes). If big city days are beckoning, it’s just 40 minutes from base to the centre of Montpellier, where guests can pass the hours in the aquarium or at the zoo, wandering the aisles of the cathedral, traipsing about the botanical garden and orangery, or getting some culture at the modern art museum. Not enough? Soak up more city days among the Roman remains in Nîmes, 50 minutes away.