In the heart of the Camargue with its wild horses, dark black bulls and fields of rice yet just 20 minutes from the beautiful town of Arles, Hotel Le Mas De Peint is the unique and beautiful creation of architect Lucille Bon and cattle rancher husband Jacques. Exploiting her talents with design and his knowledge of the outdoors and nature, they have succeeded in fashioning a beautiful and relaxing hotel-farmhouse surrounded by some of France’s best preserved countryside in the heart of the Camargue Nature Reserve.
The story began when one of Jacques’ forefathers lent some money to an almost bankrupt city of Arles. Fortunes didn’t improve for the Provençal town and the government defaulted on the loan, offering the only repayment they could afford, a homestead on the expanse of the Camargue plains, east of the Rhône in what is now the less touristic and better preserved area of this nationally protected reserve.
Time moves on and nothing happens with the farm until a few years back when Jacques and Lucille decide to take the task in hand and build a very personal, very relaxing hotel from the sadly neglected farm. What you see now is the result of lots of hard work and a lot of love and attention; in many of the rooms the wooden beams remain, the ground floor has retained the original polished sandstone floors, a large open fire in the lounge, antique and restored furniture abound, colours are classical but warm in pink Roussillon and almond green – this is a country house with an air of luxury and comfort. These themes continue in the kitchen – a wonderful open space with an enormous range where the chef rustles up those wonderful Camargue dishes such as Roast Beef (from the farm’s own herd) with Carmargue red rice and onion jam or excellent poultry and fresh fish dishes all accompanied with vegetables fresh from the hotel’s garden and cooked in front of the guests.
There are 8 bedrooms in the main house, all beautifully done and decently sized with large beds and crisp linen sheets. As our prices show, there are a range of possibilities; some rooms have a Victorian style bathroom, others have the bathroom on a mezzanine level. The more expensive rooms have the beams exposed for fans of tradition.
Across the courtyard are the three suites:
La Terrasse in a sensual pastel blue, lots of space and lots of light. Those wooden beams, beautiful colours and comfy sofa make, as Lucille says, the perfect room for a romantic break.
L’Alcôve uses pink tones to add warmth, is just a little larger than La Terrasse and besides the large double, has a single bed in an ante-room making it ideal for a family of three.
Le Pigeonnier is the largest of all and spreads over two floors with a fireplace in the lounge which opens up on to the garden, this suite is the jewel in the crown.