Villa Les Agates.

The house

Les Agates is a 160 m² villa in the Guiraudette quarter of Cap d'Agde, a kilometre from the sea and facing due south — which is why the terrace is usable from morning to evening rather than only after four o'clock.

It sleeps eight to ten across four bedrooms. On the ground floor there is a double bedroom, a living room with a television, a dining table that seats eight, and a separate kitchen — separate being the point, if you have ever cooked for ten in a room where everyone is also sitting.

Upstairs are two more double bedrooms and a large mansard room with a double bed and two singles. The singles are 120 × 190, wider than the usual single — which matters if the two of them are teenagers rather than small children. Two bathrooms and two WCs serve the four bedrooms, and that ratio is what decides whether a house of ten people works in the morning.

There is a fireplace for the shoulder seasons, air conditioning for August, a barbecue, a washing machine and a dishwasher.

Outside

A private pool sits on the terrace, with a garden around it, a shaded pergola, and travertine paving that runs from the house to the water. There are loungers, a six-seat table under a parasol, and enough lawn that the pool is not the only place to be.

Bougainvillea and palms do most of the work of enclosing it. There is parking for two cars on the property.

Around you

The bakery is ten metres away, and so is Pot'Potes, the neighbourhood tapas place. The beach is a kilometre. That combination — bread and dinner within sight of the gate, sand within a short walk — is what the guests keep mentioning.

The Guiraudette is residential rather than resort, so the streets are quiet at night while everything Cap d'Agde offers is a couple of kilometres off. Around it: golf, riding, fishing, the Hérault's birdlife and lagoons, and the beaches and water sports of the coast.

Who it suits

Two or three families together, or a large group who would otherwise be split across apartments. The four-bedroom, two-bathroom layout is built for exactly that, and the ground-floor bedroom helps anyone who would rather not take the stairs.

Guests have rated it five out of five, and what they mention is the combination of space, the walk to everything, and David being easy to reach when something is needed.

Lettings run Sunday to Sunday. The house takes a maximum of ten guests, pets are not accepted, and it is preferably non-smoking.