Wish to stay a month in a smaller town that has apartments for 6-8 peole at a time.
Wish to be in walking town.
Golf nearby?
Wish to have access to train line for day trips to multiple cultural experiences. Other coutries? Italy?
Southern? Souteastern France?
How about southwestern France? Beautiful small towns, light on tourism. and there is plenty of golf. We like the small town of Pezenas which is in Herault. It's a small village/town that dates back to the 13th century. The center of the town is closed to traffic and has beautiful winding streets, stone, archways, charm. Weekly market (of course), 20 minutes to the beach, 30 minutes to the mountains, 90 minutes to Spain, 90 minutes to Carcassonne, vineyards everywhere; it's quite wonderful. We were there for 5 weeks one summer and found the people to be friendly, the food to be excellent, and the surrounding area had plenty to see. The nearest train station is in Agde, about 15 minutes away on the coast. I would love to go back again!
You can get a feel for what different regions offer using articles and videos at http://www.ricksteves.com/europe/france. See also links for different types of housing at http://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/trip-planning/favorite-links. Have fun planning this adventure!