Les Vignes Anciennes is located in the Vallée d'Hérault, a beautiful area stretching from the Cévennes mountains down to the Mediterranean coast.

Montpellier
45 minutes drive away, Montpellier is a vibrant city with everything to offer the whole family, especially culture, shopping, restaurants and nightlife. Start with the Place de la Comedie and you can't go wrong. See http://www.montpellier.fr for more information.

Carcassonne
A great day out for the whole family, Carcassonne is the original citadel about 75 minutes drive to the west. Photos of the place just don't do it justice. The defining moment is when you first approach the citadel and start to appreciate the sheer scale of it. Inside the citadel are lots of restaurants, artisanal shops (not to mention the church and museum) and nooks and crannies for the kids to play hide and seek! (http://www.carcassonne.org)

Kids activities
Aqualand - an exciting waterpark at Cap d'Agde (http://www.aqualand.fr/cap_dagde.htm)

Dinosaur park at Mèze. Enjoy a trip back through time at the largest dinosaur park in Europe.http://www.musee-parc-dinosaures.com

Grotte des Demoiselles or "the Fairies' cave" (http://www.demoiselles.com/) in Saint Bauzille de Putois, Ganges. An impressive set of caverns with one breathtakingly large "cathedrale" cavern and a real atmosphere to it.

Beaches
There are excellent beaches all along the coast. The nearest are Marseillan Plage, Valras Plage, Vias Plage and Cap d'Agde. See the beaches section on the Hérault tourism website http://www.herault-tourisme.com/paysages.

More for the grown-ups
St Guilhem-le-Desert. A very pretty medieval town and abbey on the edge of the Hérault gorge towards the Cévennes.

Sète. A bustling, colourful fishing port, with canals and quaint areas as well as many shops and restaurants. http://www.ot-sete.fr

La Couvertoirade. This fortified mediaeval village, on the high Cévennes plateau to the north, was once home to the Knights Templar. Walk round the battlements and visit the craft and specialist shops inside the fortifications.

Have a look at http://www.herault-tourisme.com/paysages for more information on the region.