In July, a pool needs no heating. In May or September, it is often the pool that makes the stay. What a heated pool really adds, and what is worth knowing before you choose your villa.
The shoulder seasons, weeks of their own
Spring and late summer have everything going for them in the Languedoc: bright days, villages given back to their residents, beaches where you can choose your spot. Winemakers and restaurateurs have more time for you.
The one catch is the water. In spring the sea has not yet taken on the warmth of summer, and an unheated pool stays cool, because the nights are still cool too. In September the Mediterranean keeps its softness, but a pool loses a little of the day’s warmth every night. A heated pool closes that gap: it is what turns a lovely week in May into a summer week.
How a pool is heated
In our villas, the heating most often comes from a heat pump: the unit draws warmth from the outside air and passes it to the water. The milder the air, the better it works; when the temperature falls, it has to work harder.
Most of the warmth then escapes through the surface of the pool, by evaporation. Wind speeds it up, and so does a clear night. Hence the value of a cover, whether a shutter, a pool cover or an enclosure: closed after the last swim, it keeps a good part of the degrees gained during the day.
Size matters too. A large pool needs more time and energy to gain a few degrees than a more intimate one, which responds faster to fine days.
What we promise, and what the weather decides
On our villa pages, one point comes up often: for the water temperature, we promise our best efforts, not a result. Where a villa has a heated pool, the heating is included, weather permitting.
That means the villa has heating equipment, and that we switch it on and look after it throughout each house’s heating season, as soon as conditions allow. It also means the weather has the last word. A few days of tramontane, a run of cool nights, an overcast sky, and the water will lose degrees, whatever care we take.
It is also why the heating season is given in months, with exact dates on request: it follows the real season more than the calendar. We would rather say so plainly than quote a temperature. In mid-April, do not expect bath-warm water; in May and September, fine days generally make for pleasant swimming, especially late in the day.
Spring or September?
The two seasons are not alike. In May and June the days lengthen, the garrigue, the scented scrub of the hills, is in flower and the sea is still cool: the heated pool becomes the main place to swim, where the afternoon is spent. In September the roles reverse. The Mediterranean, which has stored the heat of summer, is generally warmer than in June; the pool takes over late in the day, when the air cools and the beach empties.
So in spring, choose your villa first for its pool. In September you can also choose it for its closeness to the sea, and enjoy both. Either way, keep the late afternoon for yourselves: the water is at its softest, and so is the light.
Choosing your villa
Three pointers help you find the right house:
- The villa’s page. When the pool is heated, it is listed among the facilities; the heating season, which differs from house to house, is given on request.
- Your dates, before you book. For a spring or autumn stay, share them with us and we will point you to the house that suits best. Our FAQ sums up the essentials.
- The cover, in the evening. Where the villa has one, closing it for the night keeps the degrees gained during the day in the water.
In Agde, several villas in the collection have a heated pool, among them Villa Maya and Villa Signature in Le Grau-d’Agde, and Villa Halo in the hills above the town; you will find them all among our villas in Agde. In Béziers, Villa Andria adds a large garden. Think about the size of the pool, too: in spring, a more intimate pool gains its degrees faster.
With young children, softer water means longer swims. Tell us their ages and we will suggest the most suitable villa.
What a heated pool is for
A first swim at sunrise, when the garrigue still smells of the night. A few lengths after the beach, to rinse off the salt. A stretch by the water, followed by a massage at the villa, booked through our concierge service. Children who refuse to get out, and adults who understand them perfectly.
In spring as in September, a heated pool changes more than the temperature of the water. It gives the villa back its role as the heart of the stay, at a time when summer has not quite begun, or not quite ended.
