Nîmes

Good hotels in old Nîmes are better priced than their fancy counterparts in nearby Provence and the Cote d’Azure, a fact that allows travellers to crank up the glamour without breaking the bank.

We stayed in Margaret - Hôtel Chouleur on rue Fresque, in the heart of Nîmes’ historic quarter.

My relationship with this ‘hotel particulier’ (the description, I’m told later, means the property was once a private mansion) started as an online affair and quickly progressed to a five-night commitment which, sigh, could have continued much longer if Les Deux Australiens were invited to stay as writers/artists/flaneurs-in-residence, no further payment required, monsieur.

The hotel’s two courtyards, one with a palm tree four-storeys high, the other with a dream-catchers’ net of fairy lights, were presented as beautiful spaces in which to enjoy an aperitif, then dinner. They lived up to that brief admirably.

Some of the hotel’s nine guestrooms were more grand than others but at the end of the day, what matters is not the cut of your chandelier or the width of your terrace as much as the warmth of the welcome and the quality of engagement throughout your stay. Hôtel Chouleur nailed it on all counts.

Comfy beds? Yes

High ceilings? The highest I’ve ever slept under.

Quiet at night? Oui.

Breakfast? Très bon.

Within a few minutes’ walk you’ll find Maison Carrée, the pagan temple dedicated to Caius and Lucius Caesar, grandsons of Emperor Augustus.

A few minutes in the other direction you’ll find Les Arènes de Nîmes, considered one of the best-preserved amphitheatres in the Roman world.

And for a picnic in the park, you can’t go pass the Jardins de la Fontaine, which wrap around Nîmes’ sacred spring.

There’s plenty more to see and do if you wish: the wondrous Pont du Gard is a half-hour drive from Nîmes, very easy to get to by taxi or bus; same goes for the medieval town of Uzès (pronounced in your best French accent as: who says!).

I planned much of this trip around Margaret Chouleur, based on the reviews and the online photos and the way I imagined we’d spend time in Nîmes.

I figured we’d enjoy a day trip to Arles (half an hour by train), get to know Nîmes without feeling rushed, and watch the evening sky deepen to gorgeous cerulean blue.

I figured we’d also try some wines from the Languedoc. By chance, a friendly wine bar and cellar called Les Jolis Canons was just across the way, at 5 Rue Fresque.

I also planned to shop at the markets, Les Halles, make a picnic or two, and enjoy a few meals out.

We did all of those things. The experience was just what I imagined, and more.

I feel very grateful.