Villa la Rive

12/07/2026

We packed our bags, moved to France… and discovered something nobody warns you about.

You can fall completely in love with your new life, but nothing ever replaces a real hug with your children.

This week’s episode is all about finding the balance between two homes, two countries and the people who matter most. ❤️🇫🇷✈️

We’d love to know… if you lived abroad, what would you miss the most?

🎬 Watch here:

Sometimes people ask us if we ever regret moving to France.The an...

05/07/2026

The silence is finally over! 🇫🇷

For months, you’ve been asking us for an update on the restaurant lease in Fongrave. It’s been a long, quiet road of legal hurdles and "French Shrugs," But tonight, the wait is over.

We’re at the Fongrave Night Market to share the news we’ve been waiting to tell you.

Join us at 5 PM CET / 4 PM UK time for the full story.

See you there on youtube...

A New Life in France with Maria and Richard Hall


https://youtu.be/okZhRLnCE1E

30/06/2026

🎶 “While the guests are away… the staff must play!” 😎☀️

Don’t worry… we’ll stop playing before you arrive! 😂

This is what a quiet summer’s day looks like at Villa La Rive. Warm sunshine, a sparkling pool, the beautiful River Lot on our doorstep, and plenty of wildlife to discover.

If you’re looking for a relaxing getaway in South West France, we’d love to welcome you.

🏡 Air conditioned rooms
🏊 Heated swimming pool
🚤 Private river trips
🦜 Amazing birdlife and nature
🍷 Beautiful villages, markets and restaurants just minutes away

Find out more or book your stay at:
🌐 www.villa-la-rive.com

We can’t promise 42°C… but we can promise a warm welcome! 🇫🇷☀️

28/06/2026

🥵 42°C… in June!
We honestly never imagined we’d be filming an episode like this.
This week we’re taking you behind the scenes of life on the River Lot during one of the hottest spells we’ve ever experienced. How do you cope when it’s over 40°C? Is air conditioning really essential? And just how warm can a swimming pool get?
Along the way there’s a mystery involving a “Peregrine Falcon”, an update on our never ending Renault saga, a little trip down memory lane to my early television days, and of course plenty of sunshine, wildlife and life at Villa La Rive.
So, we’d love to know…
🌡️ What’s the hottest temperature you’ve ever experienced?�📍 And where in the world were you?

Have a wonderful week everyone!
Richard & Maria 🇫🇷☀️

The French Shrug: Surviving 42°C Heat & Paperwork Nightmares 🇫🇷

☀️ France is HOT! This week we’re experiencing one of the hottest s...

14/06/2026

The “Cold” Reality of Owning a Chateau... 🥶🏰
If you’ve been following our journey here on the river, you know we love sharing the honest, unvarnished truth about moving to the southwest of France. But for today’s brand-new episode, we’re looking past our own riverbanks to dive into a completely different kind of French dream.
For our first-ever simultaneous channel collaboration, we sat down over breakfast with the lovely Lionel and Claire from **Our Chateau Life**! 🍳🎥
Lionel used to be a professional royal photographer in London, but these days, he finds himself marooned in a massive 20-room estate dealing with endless do-it-yourself situations—which he genuinely dislikes, while Claire absolutely thrives on it! 😂
We wanted to dig straight past the fairytale drone shots and uncover the actual day-to-day reality of running an estate of that scale. From the absolute madness of winter heating bills that tripled overnight, to navigating the sacred French two-hour lunch break, and Lionel’s ultimate golden rule—“Don’t buy a crumbling chateau!”—this conversation is packed with practical advice, great laughs, and a healthy dose of dry British sarcasm.
The full 22-minute feature is LIVE on the channel right now. 👇 Watch the full episode here: https://youtu.be/vMCBSGiKiCQ
ChateauRenovation ExpatLifeFrance FrenchCulture VillaLaRive LifeInFrance ChateauReality ExpatsInFrance MovingToFrance

14/06/2026

The "Cold" Reality of Owning a Chateau... 🥶🏰

If you've been watching our journey on the river, you know we love sharing the honest, unvarnished truth about moving to the southwest of France.

But today, we’re looking past our own riverbanks to dive into a completely different kind of French dream.

For our first-ever simultaneous channel collaboration, we sat down over breakfast with the lovely Lionel and Claire from Our Chateau Life! 🍳🎥

Lionel used to be a professional royal photographer in London, but these days, he finds himself marooned in a massive 20-room estate dealing with endless do-it-yourself situations—which, as you’ll see, he genuinely dislikes while Claire absolutely thrives on it! 😂

We wanted to dig straight past the fairytale drone shots and ask the big questions. What is the actual day-to-day reality of running an estate of that scale?

From the absolute madness of winter heating bills that tripled overnight, to navigating the sacred French two-hour lunch break, and Lionel's ultimate golden rule—"Don't buy a crumbling chateau!"—this conversation is packed with practical advice, great laughs, and a healthy dose of dry British sarcasm.
Grab a cup of tea (or a glass of wine) and join us for this special 22-minute feature.

👇 Watch the full episode here:

Don't Buy A Crumbling Chateau! (With Our Chateau Life)In this spe...

08/06/2026

Watch Now :

31/05/2026

The Hilarious Reality of Moving to France... ✂️🏊‍♂️
Ever wondered what really happens behind the scenes of running a rental villa in the sun-drenched Southwest of France? Spoiler alert: It isn't all wine, sunshine, and relaxing by the river Lot!

In our brand new episode premiered today on YouTube at 17:00, this time Richard gets completely caught between the ultimate expat luxury and absolute psychological warfare.

While sitting in the most scenic salon chair in Aquitaine getting a haircut from the brilliant Charlotte, a glance at a pool test strip reveals a total chemical meltdown!

With a fresh group of holiday guests arriving, it's a race against time to stop a 31°C oasis of luxury from turning into an aggressive, green industrial solvent.

Also in this episode:
💬 Salon Secrets & Local Gossip: From local pub drama to a genuinely surreal story about a festive do******ix... Charlotte has seen it all!

🚜 The Clarkson’s Farm Debate: We dive into the unexpected realities of country life and heavy machinery.

🍹 The Ultimate Sundowner: We wrap things up on the terrace by shaking up a proper Caipirinha cocktail - ah the taste of Brazil!

A massive shout-out to some of our fantastic fellow creators featured in this week's episode, including:

, -Charente, , , , and !

Grab a drink, pull up a chair, and join us on the terrace at 17:00.

👉 https://youtu.be/cdb_OfXt9wQ

Thinking about moving to France or dreaming of living in rural Fran...

26/05/2026

BREAKING NEWS 🚨🐶🚤

After years of sitting on the front of our boat judging Richard’s steering… Albie has apparently decided to take matters into his own paws.

He’s now offering “premium river experiences” on the River Lot.

So far his qualifications include:
• barking at ducks
• staring aggressively at fishermen
• and demanding snacks every 14 minutes

Surprisingly… still better customer service than Ryanair.

Join us for one of our relaxed river rambles from Villa La Rive and discover southwest France from the water 🌅

Beautiful villages, peaceful sunsets and occasional sightings of Captain Albie attempting a three point turn.

Guests are welcome aboard.
Life jackets recommended.
Biscuits essential.

📍Temple sur Lot
📧 [email protected]
🌐 https://villa-la-rive.com/

17/05/2026

We genuinely thought it was all over. Maria had practically packed the bags with a view of possibly moving to Spain!

Then, right in the middle of a solemn village memorial, the Mayor of Fongrave decided to casually drop an absolute bombshell on us.

We have suddenly been thrown a massive lifeline to stay in France, and our immediate reward is having to figure out how we might have to run a commercial kitchen before July!

Watch us attempt to process the absolute shock in the brand new episode: "Thrown a Lifeline to Stay in France 🇫🇷"

📺 Watch the full episode on our channel tonight at 17:00 CET: and pour yourselves a dangerously large glass of wine and let us know what you think in the comments. We are going to need all the advice we can get.

Thrown a Lifeline to Stay in France 🇫🇷We thought our dream of starting a business in France was completely over, but a shock announcement from the Mayor ha...