Hi Susan- we are at JFK, waiting for our last flight home from Caussi and Barcelona and I wanted to tell you what a wonderful week we had at your charming and cozy home in Caussi. It was a perfect time with lots of wine, good food, most of which we prepared ourselves, incredible views, many of which Sam painted, trips to Roquebrun, Fos, Pezenas, Bedarieux, a great hike up Mt. Caroux, and much more.
We spent all day Saturday in Pezenas and appreciated the extra day at your house which allowed us to enjoy the day there at the market. Then, yesterday, we left for Collioure, which was awe-inspiring both in its magnificent coastline and castles, and the fact that we were seeing the same views that Matisse, Picasso and others painted.
We loved Barcelona as well, and with our trip to Caussi, it was the perfect combination of yin and yang.
I wanted to mention the restaurant , O Bontemps, that we really loved in Magalas. It was very contemporary French, in an attractive, minimalist, modern room. The food was lovely, the owner spoke English, but what made it really work for us was that he was willing and able to accommodate my husband's dietary issues, and we both enjoyed a wonderful meal.
So, again, thank you for sharing your fairy tale village with us. It was a vacation we will always remember.
Just wanted to let you know how much we enjoyed your Caussi house during our trip to Languedoc in Sept 2011. The house had everything we needed and we really enjoyed the view from the roof-top Terrace; we spent most of our afternoons up there after returning from our daily excursions!
As far as tips for future visitors, I will summarize our adventures categorically and hopefully there will be some nuggets there!
Beaches/Plages (we are beach lovers so that was foremost on our list of places to visit)
L'Espiguette - beautiful beach outside of Montpellier near Le Grau du Roi - one of our favorites - 1.5 hrs from Caussi - very remote - bring chairs umbrellas & cooler as there are no services - 5.5 euros to enter & park - long drive but well worth it!
Leucate - great beach between Narbonne & Perpignan - 1 hour from Caussi - bring chairs umbrellas - there are restaurants nearby for lunch - parking is plentiful and inexpensive (there was no charge for parking this Sept - last July there were meters and for a few euros you could park all day) - NOTE: nearby is the African Preserve near Sigean - opens at 9AM - great for a couple of hours before the beach - a little pricey @ 27 euros per person but lots of animals - rated as one of the best preserves in the world - 1 hour in car driving thru and up to 3 hours on foot if you so desire (We drove first and then walked for only 45 mins - time for the beach!!)
Portiranges - the closest beach at 30 mins from Caussi and the one we spent the most time at (3 visits) - You can bring your chairs etc. but you can also rent chairs + umbrella from the Maui Plage station (rents pedaloes, boards & other water sports) at west end of beach - ample free parking - very busy in season - it was nice and empty in Sept.
Argeles (North) - beach outside of Perpignan - 1.75 hrs from Caussi - go to north end of beach as the middle & south are a bit tacky with dozens of beach shops & numerous restaurants - lots of free parking at north end - only a few minutes from here to Colliure (very crowded around lunchtime - go early if you want to park and eat) & Banyul sur Mer (where we had lunch at a nice small sidewalk cafe)
Touring (we picked the cloudy days to tour - there weren't too many!!)
Avignon - went there to visit a few shops Diane had in mind - interesting city - lots of traffic (cars & people). Took the opportunity while there to visit Tavel (15 km away) and pick up some great Rose Wine to bring back to Caussi (we consider Tavel roses to be among the tastiest in all of France - at least the France we've experienced so far - Provence & Languedoc) to sip on the terrace in late afternoon.
Roquebrun - we visited twice; once via D908/D14 route and another times via opposite direction of backroads from Caussi - loved the river and had a great lunch at the Auberge St. Hubert (the Cafe Nice was too crowded for our taste)
Great scenic drive - From Olargues D14 up the mountain to D53 towards Cambron (?) and then back towards Belarieux - beautiful dark pine forests, herds of horses and great mountain views. 2-2.5 hours leisurely drive.
Restaurants ( I don't think we spent over 75 euros for any meal [2 persons] - including tip & wine - most were around 35-50 euros)
Karting Course Restaurant (in Caussi) - has a great lunch there on our first day - meant to get back for dinner but did not make it
La Forge in Bedarieux - beautiful place - good food - ate outside - next time will eat inside for the interior views
La Cave Gourmande in Montagnac (between Pezenas & Meze) - we found this place last July and was glad to see that it is still there and still as good - Italian fare - great lasagne - Open Sun & Mon so thats a plus (most restaurants closed those days) - 45 minute ride from Caussi but worth it (D13 most of the way from faugeres to Pezenas) - center of town at 2nd traffic light - left-side of road going to Meze
Hana Sushi in Pezenas - good sushi but a limited selection - great energetic staff
O Bontemps in Magalas - made a reservation - on arrival found closed until mid-Sept - confused as to why they took rez?!?!? - anyway we found a little Mom & Pop just down the hill from O Bontemps and had a delightful meal & lots of fun with owners - went back for a second meal on our last night - can't remember name but have pictures of resaturant with name - great pizzas among other things!
La Bella Vista in Faugeres - closed the first weekend we were there - finally ate there on a Sunday - good simple food & wine - nice people
Meze - can't remember name but ate at same place twice last year - busiest place in the harbor - good crowd = good food - had oysters, mussels, shrimp etc. etc. - it was nice to be back there - approx 1 hr from Caussi
Le Baroulet in Roujan - beautiful setting in hotel courtyard - food was OK but not great - atmosphere made up for it!
Chez Caussi - we grilled a nice steak on the Weber grill one evening when we did not feel like going out!!! Priceless
All in all it was a great trip. We had beautiful weather. The village of Caussi was charming. It was so quiet, that, if not for the occassional bird chirping or insect buzzing, you might think you'd gone deaf! Talk about great sleeping! I was able to use the cable for the DSL line to call home via Skype so that was very helpful. Made great use of your juicer - fresh OJ every morning! Thanks so much for your hospitality.
By the way, you are now the owner of 2 new beach chairs, a new beach umbrella & a new cooler which we found convenient to buy while we were there - hope new visitors use them well!
Many thanks for a great holiday – we’re missing your charming house already, and you have more Caussi fans in Wales !
All worked well with Clare and Gilbert (such a nice fella), and your extensive notes proved an ideal foundation.
We were lucky to arrive on the weekend of the Fete De Caussi (I believe the last weekend in August each year), when the village, neighbouring villagers and people of Caussi origins gather for three nights of partying, each night tailored to a slightly different age group. We were made to feel very welcome and played a full singing and dancing part in festivities.
Other highlights, apart from the delights of your terrace, were Pezenas, particularly the all day Saturday market, and a lovely little restaurant in the old town called Le Poisson Verre. The village of Olargues, beyong Lamalou Les Bains was also a gem, with a great little gift shop (new crafts and antiques) in the centre, and a laid back, and free folk museum telling a really interesting regional story (check out the chestnut crushing shoes!)
With two teenagers in the family, Roquebrun was ideal for swimming, messing about in your inflatables, and kayaking, and Aqualand, on the Cap D’Agde was expensive (25 euros for adults) but actually good value for middle aged daredevils!!
And an update on swimming pools - the municipal in Lamalou is really good (and inexpensive), with a grass picnic area.
And of course, there’s the wine. We tried most of the Faugeres, and didn’t discover a dud, and Vieux Cantal cheese, and a sheep’s milk blue from Malzieu were perfect accompaniments on the terrace.
We’d love to repeat the experience at some time in the future, thanks again.
We are back from France and it was incredibly difficult to leave Caussi. We are completely and utterly in love with the village and the region and very much look forward to going back. Your house is just ideal. We went to many villages in our two weeks and we couldn't believe our luck in landing in Caussi. No other place compares. It's so peaceful and beautiful.
The train ride from Paris to Montpellier was one of the most glorious visual images I've ever experienced. I was riveted. It's amazing how it's ALL farmland the entire way - the rolling green hills, hay bales in the fields, cows, villages in the distance.
We loved the hiking trail up and behind the village - amazing views of Caussi and the valley below within minutes. And the Bedarieux market, driving along route 908 and down the Orb. The beauty is stunning everywhere.
We hardly ate at restaurants at all! Mostly just cooked with provisions from the markets and the Caussi meat man (Note from Susan: Caussi market van schedule). We did have a great meal in Collioure. I never knew anchovies could be so delicious.
And one night in Caussi there was a moules and boule fete. Just unlimited platters of moules and vin - incredible! (Note from Susan: Every Wednesday night during the summer there's a village fete in Caussi with grilled mussels and games of boules for both adults and children...)
On our very last day we discovered the Meze beach -- our favorite. Cool water in the Etang and a nice calm, quiet beach. It was a nice lasting impression. My head and heart are far from NYC right now!
Susan, we've done nothing but rave about our stay to all our friends - I fear we are becoming boring!! We loved the house, the village, the area - everything. Your info was great, and helped us get the most from our week. Our kids favoured River swimming at Roquebrun and Serignan Plage "best days ever in my life" to quote Megan, my 10 year old!!
We travelled down to Avignon by Eurostar, then picked up a hire car,which worked well all in all. On the Wednesday evening we wandered down to the village Petanque square to watch the village competition, and Megan ended up meeting a new friend and taking part in a kids team, getting through to the semi-finals.... what an amazing holiday experience. We met Bob and Tanya, two British people who have had a house in Caussi for 20 years, and via the Welsh connection, were invited to dinner with them on our last evening... lovely. A week just wasn't long enough!
We had a great time again this year of course! We pretty much spent our week swimming at the river beach at Roquebrun (which our friends loved), the Mediterranean beaches and, we did venture to the Gorge d'Heric. Already looking forward to next year in Caussi!.
We arrived home two days ago, and this is just to tell you how much we loved our stay in Caussi. That was definitely the best part of our trip in all ways.
We loved your house, your neighbors, the town, the view from the balcony (I ran up every opportunity just to check things out, to see how the play of colors and light across the vineyards and stands of cypress and olives had changed since my last sighting), the various outings near and not-so-near from "home", everything. Here's a view from the bedroom window (photo above). We loved that room--when we woke up in the morning we'd feel the sun coming in and watch the way the light played across the curtains before pulling the curtains open to see what the day would bring. It was always new and exciting.
Oh yes, there was Halloween, an absolutely great evening with all the children gathering in their costumes and then going around from house to house en masse. My husband, who usually keeps a very low profile on trick or treat night, showed me a very different side of himself that night (great thing about travelling, what we learn about our spouses). He insisted on taking a bag of bonbons to the parade, and as soon as the kids started out, he presented the bag to their delighted graspings (then, when they came by the house later, he brought out the bag again and did it all over!) I was absolutely floored. O brave new world, indeed.
Every day in Caussi seemed to turn out right for us, no matter what we planned or what finally panned out. There is just something magic to us about that spot, and we thank you for finding it and sharing it with us. A home says a lot about people, so it's not surprising how close David and I feel to you even though we don't know you.
By the way, Paul and Claire Manley were extremely helpful to us and very friendly beyond being helpful. We didn't meet Monsieur Maury till near the end of our stay, but he was charming , giving us some brochures and friendly advice on an outing.
Well, I won't go on and on, though I could (in fact all our friends will hear about Caussi in our Christmas card, with pix to say more than 1000 words),
Needless to say we have had a wonderful time in your perfect house in Caussi! We are leaving tomorrow morning so I wanted to drop you a note.
We really appreciated your friend who wrote the descriptions of the bike rides--we did most of them, or variations, although it may have taken us a bit longer as we stretched them out to take up much of the day rather than doing them before breakfast!
Phil of Melo Velos met us at your house when we arrived and was just putting the front wheels on the bikes are we came up the lane. and he will pick them up tonight at 7 so that we had them today.
We also loved kayaking on the Orb, and in fact after a short trip one day went again for a longer trip a second time. We also loved the hike from Moureze with the view of the Lac du Salagou.
Another great outing was biking from Valras Plage to the L'Oppidium (Roman ruins, see photo below left) an then arriving in Colombiers just in time for an amazing lunch at the Chateau--would recommend it.
We also fell into the camp that rather liked Sete: a delicious meal--real food for real french people. Tonight we are going to La Forge for dinner (rode by on our bikes but it was closed that day!).
Cooking at home, shopping in Laurens (low key, but great strawberries and everything else) and Pezenas (a much bigger deal, but very wonderful), selecting from all the available varieties of delicious cheese, drinking the fresh wonderful Langued'oc red wine have been high points. All in all a wonderful time and there were many things we would have liked to do but had no time for!
Everything in the house is easy to use and has worked perfectly. The deck needless to say is perfect--hard to imagine anything nicer than sitting up there and sipping wine, eating cheese and watching the sun move slowly across the vineyards.....
all the best, and many thanks for sharing your wonderful house,
July 2007: We took a quick side-trip to Pezenes les Mines and thought it was a beautiful village to stroll and explore. And, if your guests happen to be around when the Tour de France passes by—WOW—do not miss!!!
We loved the beach at Roquebrun; we went there on three hot days and sat in the shade and took dips in the water, with the magnificent view across the way—just lovely. (Our trip to the Mediterranean was not a success; our 11-year-old was very upset by all the naked women! Or at least he was upset being in their presence while his parents were sharing a beach blanket with him. We left after 20 minutes!)
Loved the local markets; we bought fresh fish and vegetables at the one in Laurens and then stopped at the boulangerie there and had an amazing dinner that night. Actually, our very favorite thing was cooking at the house and eating on the rooftop terrace in the evening. We did it every night—didn’t even eat out once
We happened to go to Carcassone on the one day when the temperature was 41 (100+) and aside from there being no shade anywhere, the crowds and honky-tonk souvenir shops took a lot away from the experience. Or maybe it was just the heat. The introductory film was pretty interesting, though.
We were much more impressed by the castle we found outside Laurens called Chateau de Grezan (www.grezan.com) There's a restaurant and hotel there. We were very impressed to see such a huge walled edifice completely intact in the middle of nowhere.
Aside from our day at Carcassone, the temperature was very comfortable—perfect, actually—breezy and sunny. And your beautiful house always stayed cool no matter what.
Here are Dylan and Zelda enjoying dinner on the terrace (Aug 08)...The kids loved all the beaches...we went to Serignan Plage (a favorite), Roquebrun (kids loved the stones and cool, clean water). Cap d'Agde beach has a great kiddie play/water park. We found lots of playgrounds as well...one right by the Bedarieux market. Amazingly, they loved wandering around Pezenas with all the fun shops and the ice cream shop that delivers your ice cream cone shaped like a rose! We ate at La Tartine in Pezenas...recommend it. Instead of driving from the UK, next time we may try the train or Ryannair to Beziers...
Our family had so much fun in Caussi!Thank you for all the tips and suggestions. Your home is perfect. We really relaxed and embraced all that this “secret” region had to offer. It couldn’t have been more perfect! We loved the walks, the markets, the wine, the views, the weather. The best part of your sweet home is the roof top terrace. No restaurant’s ambience could touch it! We took one day to view the tour de France and went home by way of Girona, Spain. Other than that we stayed near by because there was so much to explore and enjoy.
Labor Day 2006: We had a
really wonderful stay at your house in Caussi. We just fell in love with the
house (which is really comfortable), the village and the area. We settled into a
routine of going for a long run/walk early, to a market in one of the
surrounding towns and then to having our breakfast on the roof terrace with its
splendid vista.
Each afternoon we made a different jaunt going as far
as Minervois, Carcassone and Roquefort where we bought more cheese than we could
ever eat. We stopped on our way back at one of the local wineries and except for
a meal at La Boucherie, cooked whatever was in season each evening.
Over the
weekend, there was a fête in Caussi so it was quite
lively. We appreciated your
information which was helpful in grounding us and dealing with many practical
issues.
Afterwards,
we drove to Perpignan and Colliure and stayed at Casa Pairal. The weather was
splendid throughout and we really relaxed and were able to do the many things
we enjoy.
From the Starks (week of August 19): "I can't tell you how much we enjoyed our stay at Caussi. We tried many of your suggestions for outings and had an extremely enjoyable lunch at the Chateau de Grezan just before leaving. The area and house truly gems (not to mention the wine)." From the Reecers and friends (two couples who stayed for three weeks in June and July): We had a wonderful time in and around Caussi and very much enjoyed your house, especially the roof deck. I was up there first thing in the morning just as the swifts were starting to work, and we had dinner there every evening that we were at home, which was most of them. The kitchen served us well--we found everything there that we needed. We also made good use of the charcoal grill--and the copy of Julia Child.
For simple and inexpensive meals out in a nice atmosphere, we really liked the Bel Air Cafe. Ditto the Bellevue in Lamalou les Bains--good salad lunches. We ate at Auberge de l'Abbaye in Villemagne one night, and that was very good. Much fancier of course.
The Monday market in Bedarieux was excellent. So was the little butcher shop/traiteur on one of the main streets in Bedarieux--we got some excellent sheep cheese, sausage, locally grown Charolais beef, and lovely eggs from Madame's little poules. Also wonderful were the nut tarts we got from Sylvain Ricot's truck in Villemagne (one day we went to Bousquet sur Orb, where the Ricot patisserie is located to get some more for an airplane picnic).
Our favorite villages for visiting and walking around were Olargues and St. Guilhem le Desert. And we heard a wonderful chamber music concert in St. Julien, just outside Olargues. We read the walking guides avidly and took several of the walks. They were great, but it was clear that the authors had much speedier walkers than us in mind: A walk of one and three quarters hours took us twice as long. Too much stopping to admire the flowers (and catch a breath).
