Our recent stay at La Mesangere was absolutely incredible. We booked the villa as a surprise for a friends get away from it all hen weekend. As it was early in the season Nathalie the owner was happy to rent us just half the villa which was a perfect for the four of us but there is a whole second floor with lots more space if you are travelling with more people. Having seen the pictures we were expecting good things but even they don't do the villa and surroundings justice. The whole place blew us away - especially the fantastic views from the private pool and the balcony with its huge dinner table and BBQ. The villa itself is charming and spacious, with great facilities including a kitchen stocked with all the equipment you could ever need - plus some local wine chilling in the fridge on arrival, a lovely touch!

You could easily spend every day relaxing by the pool but La Mesangere is also in a great location for exploring the local area - although a car is essential in this part of the world. The tiny village of Le Rayol is very quiet but has all the essentials including a well stocked mini supermarket, bakeries for fresh bread and croissants, and a great butcher who sells amazing olives, cured meats and pâtés - great for a picnic at the beach. There are two small and charming beaches in the village but also many many more to discover in the local area from small and deserted to sweeping and packed with activities and watersports.It also has a couple of lovely restaurants - we were very impressed with Maurin des Maures where we had a delicious three course menu with a great range of French classics for around 30 Euros.

There are also so many great places to visit, our favourites included a wander round Gassin a lovely old hilltop village with great views over the St Tropez peninsula, a visit to St Tropez itself for some excellent people watching and best of all a trip to the gorgeous Porquerolles island where we hired bikes and cycled around the traffic free island, on gorgeous wooded tracks, past vineyards and beautiful sea views, before stoping at a stunning beach with crystal clear water that made us feel like we were in another world.

All in all I haven't got a bad word to say about the trip. My only pointer would be that the villa and whole local area are set on a steeply sloping hillside so it may not be totally suitable for anyone with limited mobility. Other than that it is perfect for a relaxing break and a great base to explore.