Le Mas de Peint

The story

Le Mas de Peint – Country Cooking in Saint-Martin-de-Crau, Camargue

A Camargue estate, an 18th-century manor

Le Mas de Peint sits on a 500-hectare estate in the wild Camargue, near Arles. The Bon family have been ranchers here for generations. Jacques Bon, a rancher at heart, and his wife Lucille, an architect, restored the farmhouse into a simple, warm hotel. Today their son Frederic continues their work.

The restaurant serves what the estate calls "locavore" food – fresh, healthy dishes drawn from their own vegetable garden, bull steak from the herd, and rice grown on the property. The cooking is rooted in the land and the traditions of the Camargue, a country cooking that feels both generous and unpretentious.

Guests can eat on the terrace overlooking the grounds, or by the outdoor pool during summer months. The atmosphere is that of a family home, not a formal dining room. The restaurant is open for lunch on Saturdays and Sundays from April to June and from August to November, and for dinner Tuesday through Saturday. In high summer (mid-June through August), it opens daily except Monday and Sunday dinner.

The Michelin guide has recognised Le Mas de Peint as Recommended, a fitting nod to a kitchen that lets the estate itself speak through the plate. The setting – an 18th-century manor house in the middle of a working bull and horse ranch – is part of what makes the meal memorable.

For those staying overnight, the property offers eight rooms, six junior suites, and one suite, along with a swimming pool, park, and gardens. Horseback riding, 4x4 estate tours, and mountain bikes are available. But the restaurant is its own destination: a place to taste the Camargue, simply and well.