We have just returned from a 12 night stay at this lovely beach-front house (20 Aug to 1 Sept 2017) which we feel cannot be beaten on it's position on the edge of this quaint, medieval hill village with it's narrow, cobbled alley-ways set on a sheer cliff overlooking the beautiful Ardeche.
Les Rochers is immediately next to the bridge and main beach. Along the shore, there are many patches of sand and an abundance of rock shelves which are perfect to lay a towel on. There is a great atmosphere if you stay close to the main beach (with supervised swimming). Both here and just upstream are departure points for canoe trips and a series of 3 rapids make the canoeists squeal with delight as they go by. Also, the more daring jump from the higher rock platforms.
A 5 minute walk down river, it's much quieter with great swimming and a sandy beach. Fish feed from your hands; frogs, lizards are easy to find and wild flowers grow between the pebbles. Goat herds graze and Bonelli's eagle, the Ardeche reserve's emblem, soar overhead.
We are a family of 5 (children aged 11, 15 and 17) and the accommodation was just as photographed. Francoise and Michel were very friendly, helpful and easy going. They speak a little English and told us about places to visit, for example, the Pont d'Arc cavern, a re-creation of the World Heritage Chauvet-Pont d'Arc Cave with it's 36000 year old paintings.
The house was fully equipped; dishwasher tablets, herbs and spices and all basics were provided. There is a super market just south of Ruoms about 10km away and a tiny shop in Balazuc where we bought baguettes and croissants each morning. We mainly cooked at home (the view is so exceptional) but there was a choice of about 5 bars/restaurants if you prefer. There is a table tennis table, boules, skittles and other games to play.
The village is quieter at night. When we visited it was close to end of season and there was sometimes music. We loved to sit out and look for shooting stars.
The garden is the unique part of this house. There are lots of little terraced areas nestled between the rocks, it was difficult to decide where to sit and you are so close to the beach you can pop back as you wish.
The impressive Pont d'Arc is a must to see but it was good to return to somewhere much less busy. The canoeing was affordable and really fun. Our favourite was the Vogue to Chauzon stretch. We used "Balazuc Loisirs" based nearby on the main road.
Les Rochers is highly recommended!
