Rooms

All rooms wear the same clipped smile; some are bigger than others, but so are their prices. The smaller Charme Rooms and their larger counterparts, Elegance Rooms, both come with claw-foot baths, terracotta-tiled floors, bathrobes and big white towels in the bathrooms, though colours differ. Those at the back of the house come in green and may have a brass bed; those at the front come in rose and have raw beamed ceilings. Some have steps up to galleried bathrooms, others are furnished with heavy old chests of drawers. All rooms are dressed in crisp cotton, linen curtains, trim carpets and old rugs.

Move up to the suites, which are sprinkled about the farm - thus more private, and you get more space and a private terrace. We stayed in the Charme Junior Suite L’Alcove, which had one of the prettiest bathrooms we’ve ever seen: a white stand-alone tub stood atop terracotta tiles, plus there were his and hers sinks, both with their own gilt-framed mirrors. The Duplex Suite Le Pigeonnier is spread over 2 floors and has a sitting room with an open fire. Our favourite room, however, was the Elegance Junior Suite La Terrasse, on the other side of the farmhouse, which has high ceilings, rugs on coir matting, greedy windows hungry for light, 1930s chairs that slipped out of a chapel and a stunning rattan bench; utterly contemporary in style, but dating back to the early 1900s. The other Junior Elegance Suites (L'Atelier and Loft) are decorated in a similar, elegant style.

Features include:

• Bathrobes
• Minibar
• Safe box
• WiFi

Eating

At Le Mas de Peint, you can eat breakfast wherever you please: in your room, on the drawing room terrace, or – heaven forbid – in the dining room. It's traditionally French and includes hams, saucisson and cheeses, as well as freshly-squeezed OJ, baskets of croissants, pain au chocolat and baguettes; Madame makes the jams.

The hotel serves 4-course dinners in the dining room every day except Sunday (and Mondays in the spring and autumn). Our meal here was one of our highlights, taken outside on the terrace with views of ancient olive trees. There is only 1 menu (and all dietary requirements can be catered for) as all the ingredients are sourced from a 50-km radius of the property. Our starter of butternut squash spaghetti with olive tapenade and pesto looked like modern art, and we loved the simple yet powerful flavour of the red Camargue rice with roasted vegetables and fillet of beef – all from the hotel’s farmland.

Three-course lunches are offered all week in summer and Saturday and Sunday only in spring and autumn. Choose from a selection of salads and sandwiches, or opt for the cote de taureau grilled on the barbecue (don’t miss it). For eating out, there are plenty of restaurants nearby, and staff will happily advise.

Features include:

• Breakfast
• Dinner by arrangement
• Honesty bar
• Lunch by arrangement

Activities

• Ride. You can do so on Monsieur’s white horses and set out from the hotel. There is no better way to explore the Camargue’s wild and wonderful landscapes than on horseback
  
• There are dazzling wide sandy beaches just 10km south. Our favourite is Plage de Beauduc, which is pristine and can’t be accessed by car
  
• Borrow one of the hotel’s bikes and head out on an adventure: you can cycle along the coast from Saintes-Maries-de-La-Mer to Port-Saint-Louis-du Rhône, where the Rhône reaches the sea
  
• Head up to Arles. It’s a beautiful ancient Roman city of significant artistic importance: Van Gogh lived here for 2 years and painted over 200 paintings, plus the architectural wonder of Luma Arles is packed full of modern art
  
• Visit the Pont du Gard, an unmissable 1st-century aqueduct built over 3 levels; on a hot day you can swim in the river it crosses
  
• The fortress port of Louis IX at Aigues Mortes is worth a visit for its immaculately preserved city walls, though you'll be hard pushed to beat the crowds

Activities on site or nearby include:

• Birdwatching
• Cycling
• Golf
• Hiking
• Historical sites
• Horse riding
• Museums / galleries
• Plantlife / flora
• Shopping / markets
• Swimming
• Tennis
• Traditional cultures
• Wildlife

Kids

Older kids in particular will love the abundance of animals around. There are also beach and birding expeditions.

Children under 3 eat for free; children under 10 eat at reduced rates. Cots and extra beds available.

Best for:

All ages

Family friendly accommodation:

Cots Available, Extra Beds Available, Family Rooms

For more family-friendly places, see our Kids Collection

Location

Le Mas de Peint is in the Camargue, 15km south of Arles in southern France.

By Air:
Nimes (30km) and Marseille (65km) are the closest airports.

From the Airport
Jump in a taxi or hire a car (see below).

By Car:
You're close to the motorway and can whizz up to Arles, Nimes, Avignon and Uzes or down to Montpellier in no time. Car hire is available at both Nimes and Avignon stations - see our car rental recommendations.

By Rail:
The TGV serves Avignon and Nimes but the Avignon service is more frequent. From London take the Eurostar to Lille, then change for direct TGV connections. London to Avignon takes about 6 hours; Avignon to the Mas is about 45 mins' drive.

Detailed directions will be sent to you when you book through i-escape.