La Maison Blanche

Rooms

All three rooms are different, and all are attractive, with a mix of stone and lime-washed walls, local art, fresh flowers, painted beams, stone floors and rustic furniture. They all have air conditioning, though thick stone walls and vaulted ceilings in two of them keep them cool even in summer. Kingsize beds have thick duvets, crisp linen and Provençal throws. Bathrooms feature cool walk-in showers, organic soaps and separate toilets. There’s good storage, too.

Alzon is the biggest suite with a large stylish sitting room that comes with a cool sofa that turns into a bed. We like the look of Gardon, which has a vaulted stone ceiling, niches and alcoves for books and flowers, then a small sitting area with a sofa, where doors open onto the courtyard. Cèze is a lovely big room with warm colours, a comfy armchair and a beautifully renovated stone wall. All rooms have WiFi and carafes of water.

Features include:

• Hairdryer
• WiFi

Eating

Food is at the heart of Maison Blanche and you could easily mistake this cool little B&B for a stylish restaurant with rooms. Everything you eat here is either homemade or locally sourced, much of it organic, all of it seasonal.

Breakfast is delicious and served in the courtyard unless the weather conspires against you (unlikely). You’ll find artisan bread, homemade jams, fresh fruit, plates of local cheese and charcuterie, strong coffee and English tea.

There's a choice of pre-booked dinners - either the gastronomic version (3 courses including handpicked wines), or the simpler dîner quotidien (2 courses with one glass of wine). Both are excellent, in flavour and in value. We'd suggest having the gastronomic once, and then the 'daily' dinner on the other evenings. Menus change every day depending on what’s in season, but almost everything is organic, either from local smallholders or from the morning markets in Nîmes (such as the excellent fish).

Rest assured, Marc really knows his onions - and his meats, seafood, pastries, you name it! He learned the 80 basic techniques of French cuisine in Thierry Marx's school, then joined the kitchens of the Élysée Palace under Guillaume Gomez. A fine pedigree, but there's nothing haughty about the cuisine here: just superb, honest Gallic fare.

Features include:

• Breakfast
• Dinner by arrangement
• Lunch by arrangement

Activities

• You can rent electric bikes or bring your own, then explore the hills. The hike is excellent, too – owner Marc will tell you where.
  
• For Francophiles, there’s a boules pitch in the village with balls waiting at the B&B.
  
• Book a cooking class with Marc - food is his speciality!
  
• Wander around Uzès, one of the best-preserved medieval towns in France. Its labyrinth of narrow streets plays host to the Saturday market, one of the best in Provence.
  
• Explore the wide array of outdoor activities around Uzès - canoeing, horseriding, kayaking, golfing and even parachuting.
  
• See the Pont du Gard, the iconic aqueduct that was built in the first century to carry water to Nîmes. You can cycle across it, kayak under it, or just gaze in wonder at its beauty.
  
• Visit Arles, where Vincent Van Gogh cut off his left ear. Its magnificent Roman amphitheatre dates back to the 1st Century and is worth the trip alone.
  
• Explore Lussan, one of the ‘most beautiful villages’ in France. From behind its ramparts, views stretch for miles to the north, south, east and west.

Activities on site or nearby include:

• Cooking classes
• Cycling
• Fishing
• Golf
• Horse riding
• Kayaking
• Mountain biking
• Museums / galleries
• Plantlife / flora
• Sailing
• Shopping / markets
• Wine tasting

Kids

Children aged 12 and over are welcome. Younger children are accepted but they must be supervised at all times, especially around the pool. To be honest, La Maison Blanche is tailored towards adults and couples.

Best for:

Teens (over 12)

For more family-friendly places, see our Kids Collection

Location

La Maison Blanche is located in the village of La Bastide d'Engras, 14km north of Uzès and within an hour’s drive of Nîmes and Avignon, in Provence, southern France.

By Air:
Fly into Avignon (50km), Nimes (62km),
Montpellier (99km), Marseille (142km)

From the Airport
We’d recommend hiring a car to make the most of the area (see below). Alternatively, bus services are available from the above airports to Uzès, and from there you could take a taxi.

By Train:
Avignon is served by high-speed TGV trains from Paris, Lille and other French cities, as well as some seasonal Eurostar services from London (the journey time is around six hours). You can hire a car or take a taxi to the guesthouse (45 mins), or a bus as far as Uzès. See Seat 61 for more information.

By Car:
Ideally, you'll need a car while staying at La Maison Blanche. You can pick up a hire car at the airport or TGV station; see our car rental recommendations.

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