The locals claim that the sun shines over 300 days of the year in Haute-Provence. Thus the villa is a good base for year-round holiday choices. Since it is a newer house as opposed to an old stone house, it benefits from modern plumbing, insulation and conveniences while retaining the personable character of being part of an old Provençal lake side village grouping. It doesn't suffer from creaky pipes, bugs, mice, musty odors and rising damp that inflict many of the romantic old country houses.

The villagers are generally friendly and helpful. While the days in the two main summer months can be hot, the nights cool down thanks to the breezes generated by the lake. The house is set so the terrace receives the warm morning sun until just after lunch when the sun moves behind the house during the hottest hours of the day. We provide fans for every room to help cool as the temperature builds up.

In summer, the mezzanine bedroom at the top of the house tends to get warmer than the downstairs bedroom that is insulated by the rest of the house.

Winter can be sunny and dry or sunny and very cold. While much of Provence suffers from the cold wind off the Alps known as the "Mistral" which can make life unpleasant, Esparron is set in a valley protected by hills which reduce most of the force of the wind. In fact in summer, a touch of the "Mistral" can blow away the humidity and be a welcome refreshment. For more on winter and renting the villa in winter, click here.

Early spring (March and April) is when rain is most likely. It can be chilly and cool but seldom freezing. Late autumn, (late September, October and early November) is generally dry and sunny and can be warm during the day but crisp at night.

What must be stressed is that the climate like most places today, is not the same every year. Some winters there is snow and ice; others are dry and fine. Some summers can be hot and dry; others can have cycles of fine sunny weather that slowly becomes more humid and sticky. These end in a summer thunder and lightning storm which clears out the heaviness which is then blown away in its turn by a cleansing Mistral off the Alps that scrubs the air of humidity so you can see for miles and lowers the temperatures. Then the cycle starts again. You never know.

But what is assured is that no matter the weather in the south, it is almost always far warmer and sunnier than in the north.