If the Hérault region welcomes employees transferred from all over France, it also smiles upon occasional residents, both French and foreign. It owes its popularity to a wide range of attractions, from crowded seaside resorts to the wild districts of Les Hauts Cantons and the inevitable Bassin de Thau.

This famous inland sea stretches from Balaruc-les-Bains to Marseillan. Along its shore, one finds Mèze, occupied in turn by the Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans and Arabs, Loupian, where ancient ruins can still be seen, and Bouzigues, famous for its huge oyster beds. Marseillan, where the Canal du Midi flows into the sea, boasts a yacht marina and wide beaches, while Balaruc takes second place in the national ranking of thermal towns thanks to its expertise in rheumatology and phlebology treatments. Sète, lying at the junction of the Bassin and the Mediterranean, also has its charm. As exemplified by Le Mont Saint-Clair and its fabulous plunging views of the deep blue sea. Paul Valéry, Georges Brassens, Jean Vilar, Manitas de Plata and the Di Rosa brothers have all contributed towards the town’s renown. Gignac, at the very gateway to Montpellier, marks the entrance to a rural, quiet and authentic part of L’Hérault. Vineyards and medieval villages are dotted around this green and undulating region. Year-round living in Clermont-l’Hérault is just as appealing as short-term stays : its fascination includes the legacy left behind by the Romans, its medieval castle, Notre-Dame-du-Peyrou and the Dominican Chapel. The Lac de Salagou is just nearby. Potters and vintners defend the colours of Saint-Jean-de-Fos, lying in the first foothills of the Cévennes. Visitors appreciate this site 1,200 years old and the Pont du Diable, or Devil’s Bridge, one of the most ancient Roman aqueducts in France. Surrounded by rocks and water, Saint-Guilhem-du-Désert stands sovereign between the valleys of Le Verdus and L’Hérault, on the road to Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle. Finally, the Lodévois region provides a magnificent link between Larzac and Le Languedoc.

“Whether they’re fans of water-sports, scuba diving, spa treatments, seafood or simply relaxing, the Bassin de Thau is an ideal destination for holiday makers,” declares Pier Perrault of Thau Immobilier. Far from being homogeneous, the market awards top marks to Loupian, Bouzigues and Balaruc. In the town focusing on hydrotherapy and thalassotherapy, our estate-agent says that 70 % of buyers acquire apartments as holiday homes. Usually aged from 50 to 70, they start by renting before investing in their own properties, then paying from 80,000 € for a 1-roomed apartment to 150,000 € for an apartment with 3 main rooms. The proximity of Montpellier plays no part at all in the decision-making process. Here, prices have dropped only 5 % compared with previous rates, and the decline in the number of transactions has never exceeded 20 %. Unlike the coastal resorts, the Bassin de Thau is just as lively for nine months of the year. Of the 100,000 visitors recorded in Balaruc, one third take advantage of the healing powers of the spa water, and come regularly throughout the year.

“Clermont is the most active economic town in the middle of the “département”,” says Dominique Le Tallec of L’Agence Galerie. “It only takes 30 minutes to drive from this active locality, especially on Wednesday market days, to the regional Prefecture. Access to Sète and Béziers is just as easy, the same goes for Lodève and the free motorway heading towards Paris. As typical as could be, the Hérault countryside has a string of hill-top villages of irresistible character.” The “vigneronne”, or vine grower’s house, whose outdoor area, often a simple terrace, is easy to maintain, tops the charts. Recently, a German buyer treated himself to a stone house with three bedrooms and a garden of 700 m2 in the Lodévois area for 260,000 €. An English family acquired a property of 300 m2 in need of refurbishment, in grounds of 4,000 m2 between Clermont and Pézenas for 595,000 €. A Parisian buyer forked out 730,000 € for a luxury villa of 233 m2 with grounds of 1,790 m2 at the heart of an intimate estate with pool, tennis courts, gym and babysitting service. An Alsatian paid 388,500 € for a renovated “bergereie” of 250 m2, set in a wooded garden benefitting from a pool. Even a small house of 87 m2 awaiting completion, opening out to a small plot of 80 m2, found a new owner for 85,000 €. Most buyers come for their holidays and settle here permanently when they retire. Many of them admit that they have tired of the Côte d’Azur, the Alpilles or the Luberon, addresses which are much more expensive, especially since prices here have dropped 10 to 25 %. They stay in very popular guest-houses while conducting their search. As for the coast, this estate-agent recognizes that the crisis has had an effect, but does not consider it alarming. Especially as the darkest days seem to be over.