L’Oliveraie

L’Oliveraie is on Chemin de la Guinguette in Saint-Jean-de-Maruéjols-et-Avéjan, in the north of the Gard, on the edge of the Ardèche. Barjac is very close and Vallon-Pont-d’Arc is 21 km away, at the entrance to the Ardèche gorges. The village, built on an old Roman road, has a Roman bridge, a Clock Tower and a castle; the shops, from the bakery to the pharmacy, are five minutes away on foot.

The three-hectare property is fenced and covered with olive trees, with a view of the Cévennes. It is rated two stars, but the operator presents it first and foremost as a village of gîtes rather than a traditional campsite: most of the offer is rental accommodation. There are furnished gîtes and ten air-conditioned 35 m² chalets, with a living room and sofa bed, two bedrooms, a fitted kitchen, bathroom, WC and a semi-covered terrace with garden furniture and a parasol.

As for the calendar, the official website advertises gîtes and chalets to rent in every season, and the departmental tourist board lists them as open all year round. The published 2026 rates run from 9 May to 31 October; outside the summer period, one night is offered at €70 for up to five people, with weekends to be requested from the operator. The departmental register also gives a season of 15 May to 30 September for the pitch area.

To visit close by: Grotte Chauvet 2 in Vallon-Pont-d'Arc, the villages of Barjac, Uzès and Saint-Ambroix and the trails of the Cévennes National Park.

Reception is by request: you fill in a form with your dates and number of guests, the owner confirms availability and price by email, and you then return the signed contract with a deposit cheque. A welcome drink is offered on arrival.

The accommodation is equipped for a self-catering stay. On request, and for a flat fee, you can have bed linen, towels or a television; high chairs are lent for the little ones. A washing machine is installed in the communal facilities building, and the car park is enclosed. As the chalets are air-conditioned, they stay comfortable in summer; the website does not specify any heating for winter, which should be checked before booking off-season.

The 6 by 12 metre pool is open to residents from early June to late September. It is bordered by the bar terrace, where cold drinks and ice creams are served, with a play area. Outside this period, swimming is therefore not on the programme. Petanque, table tennis, table football and archery complete the communal facilities. The estate also has a games room and a lounge with television, a bread service and a laundry, and welcomes pets.

On the property, leisure is simple: games of pétanque, table tennis, table football and archery, not forgetting the pool in summer. A tennis court completes the facilities. The operator can also put together group stays, with accommodation and activities of your choice.

Around L’Oliveraie, the website lists adventure courses, mountain biking, canoeing, caving, climbing, quad biking and archery. Grotte Chauvet 2, the replica of the UNESCO-listed decorated cave, is a few minutes away and brings together about 430 replicas of drawings, paintings and engravings. The Cévennes National Park, recently added to the World Heritage list, and the Ardèche gorges are within reach.

The neighbouring towns complete the outings: Barjac, a Renaissance town known for its August flea market, Uzès, the first duchy of France, Saint-Ambroix and its old market, Vallon-Pont-d’Arc and the Pont d’Arc. Further afield, you can reach the Pont du Gard, Nîmes, Orange, Arles, the Anduze bamboo garden, the Cèze gorges, the Sautadet waterfalls, the Orgnac aven or the Camargue. On the food side, the region highlights chestnuts, pélardons, porcini mushrooms, honey, olive oil and wines.