Hotel Mas de la Ferniere

We stayed a week in this hotel at the end of May and we enjoyed it very much. The hotel is located between Arles and Raphèle and make sure you leave the motorway at exit 7 or otherwise you may end up circling around to find the hotel. The mas is located a few hundred metres from the small road and even further from the dual carriageway / train tracks so you have a very quiet environment. When we got there, there was a group occupying most of the hotel and the rooms noise insulation is not perfect so we heard some noise when they left early one morning. This is the only thing that we could have wished was better for the room: there was a lot of space to put all our belongings, the bathroom was also roomy in a classic French style. We were half-boarding and we had good quality meals, house-made for sure and especially the desserts were very good. One thing that we did not know and that the staff forgot to tell us is that the restaurant is closed on the Sunday evening. We came back from a long walk to find that we could not eat in the hotel! Luckily Arles is not far and there are possibilities there. The owners realised it was their mistake and they offered us a bottle of red the next day! End of May we ate inside most of the days but in summer you'll most like dine outside. If you opt for the a la carte menu you may have the guardiane which is a local bull dish. We did not have it (they could include it one day on the half board menu as you would not get this everywhere...) but it seemed tasty. One of the main advantages of this hotel is the prime location where it stands. From there you can visit the Alpilles (including les Baux de Provence, St Remy de Provence and Fontvieille that are all within 1/2 h drive. And obviously there is also Arles and the Camargue. If you want to venture a bit further Avignon, Martigues or Marseilles are also easily within reach. This means that you can stay several days and find something different to do every day. In summer you can also enjoy the swimming-pool, which can be a very good way to end the day.