How we found La Valette
We are not from the South of France. We live in the Netherlands, and like many Dutch people who have spent time in this part of the country, we kept returning. The Gard has a particular quality — the light, the stone, the way a Saturday morning at the Uzès market feels genuinely different from anywhere else in France. At a certain point, returning was no longer enough.
We purchased La Valette Boutique in March 2026. The house had been through an exceptional restoration by its previous owner: metre-thick limestone walls, original oak beams, vaulted alcoves, a proportioned kitchen, bathrooms that worked. What remained was to furnish it in a way that matched what the building already was — understated, honest, well-made.
The property is being prepared for its first guests. The months between purchase and opening have been spent understanding the house more carefully, and continuing to discover the region that made us buy it.
Why we chose Sanilhac-Sagriès
We considered staying in Uzès itself. The old town is beautiful and convenient. But after several visits, we found that staying in the centre is a different experience from what we were looking for — and from what most guests who come to this region are actually looking for.
The villages around Uzès offer genuine quiet. Not rural isolation, but the pace of a small limestone settlement not oriented around tourism. Sanilhac-Sagriès is five minutes from the Saturday market by car. It is also, at 11pm, completely silent. That combination — proximity without noise, countryside without distance — is what we were trying to find.
Fifteen minutes east brings you to the Pont du Gard. Thirty minutes south to Nîmes. Forty-five minutes west to Avignon. The house sits at the centre of a triangle of some of the finest Roman heritage in France.
We have written about this in more detail: Why we chose Sanilhac-Sagriès →
What keeps drawing us back
We come to the Gard for three things, and they are the same three things every time.
Gastronomy. The Saturday market on the Place aux Herbes in Uzès is one of the reasons we kept returning. A genuine producers’ market — cheese from the Cévennes, olive oil from the valley, honey, charcuterie, vegetables picked that morning.
Nature. The garrigue — limestone scrubland of aromatic plants — starts at the edge of the village. You can walk into it in five minutes. The Gardon river, in summer, is swimmable: clear, cold, fast.
Wine. The Duché d’Uzès AOC covers the hills around the town. The appellation is young but the vignerons have been working these soils for generations. Tavel and Lirac are within half an hour.
Places we return to
- Place aux Herbes, Uzès — The central square with medieval arcades. On a Saturday morning during the market, one of the most genuinely beautiful public spaces in the south of France.
- Pont du Gard — Fifteen minutes from the house. The scale of it, seen from the riverbank, continues to be surprising. pontdugard.fr.
- Saint-Quentin-la-Potière — A village fifteen minutes north of Uzès, built around a ceramics tradition dating to the medieval period.
- Collias — The village on the Gardon river with the best accessible swimming. Arrive early in July and August.
- Anduze — The gateway to the Cévennes, thirty minutes north.
- Barjac — A small village with a weekly market that has the feel of a town not oriented around tourism.
Our approach to hosting
We are not professional hoteliers. We are two people who love this region and wanted to create conditions for others to experience it well. The house is finished to a standard we would be comfortable staying in ourselves.
We are based in the Netherlands and visit regularly. All messages are answered within twenty-four hours. For anything requiring a physical presence, we work with Conciergerie Provence & Compagnie — Charlotte Casanas — who manages the house during our absences.
Contact us directly
We handle all bookings directly, without platform intermediaries. Direct booking gives guests the best rate and gives us the ability to be genuinely helpful before and during a stay.
Email — bonjour@lavaletteboutique.com · We respond within 24 hours.
On-site — Conciergerie Provence & Compagnie (Charlotte Casanas) · +33 7 86 78 23 76