Mas des Tourterelles

This is a truly charming place that does not do itself justice. It is a converted Mas in wonderfully traditional Provençal style, full of character with simple but tastefully furnished rooms, a delightful swimming pool, really good French breakfasts and charming staff who keep the whole place scrupulously clean. There is private parking on site, and it is just ten minutes walk from the lovely centre of St Remy, a charming town we knew well from previous visits. But we can only agree with other visitors that communication is not its strong point. Obtaining confirmation of bookings and replies to emails is chancy at best. In truth, communication is pathetic, largely because no-one seems to know who the owner is or where he/she might be: ‘Peut-être à Paris’ was all one of the cleaning ladies could suggest. This means that after around mid-day when the cleaners depart, there is no-one there until between 5 and 7, when the staff again depart. We arrived in the dark at around 10, managed to find a way in and then discovered a note with our name on the door to the room. It all looked a bit basic and we pondered finding somewhere else, but then in light of the next morning, the charm of the Mas was all revealed and we shall go again – if we can manage to book!

We stayed for 3 nights at this lovely guesthouse. We arrived by bus from Arles and were delighted to find that the accommodation was an easy 5 min walk from the bus stop. It is great for people like us without a car as you can easily visit many other local attractions and interesting cities ( e.g. Avignon) by the very reliable ( and very reasonable priced) bus service. There is also plenty of parking space for those travelling by car. Our room was clean and bright, with a very comfy bed. We had booked ‘The Suite’ and were somewhat surprised to find that our bathroom was across the landing. An older person or child wanting to use the bathroom in the middle of the night would need to be very careful not to fall down the stairs if they were half asleep. (This was our only quibble, as the website made no mention of the fact that the bathroom wasn’t ensuite.) The bathroom itself was beautiful, with a huge bath and a very efficient, modern shower. Gladis produced beautiful breakfasts every day, and even came in to work early one day when we had an early start. Even though our plans became somewhat muddled, she was very charming and told us not to worry, and that we had not inconvenienced her. She is a very kind and charming hostess - and she has a team of other ladies working at the Mas who are also very kind and helpful. There is an ‘outdoor’ kitchen for guests to use, which meant we could make our own light meals and snacks. Teas and coffees are available too. This is a lovely place to stay, and I hope we will be able to visit again one day. Many thanks to Gladis and her team!

This is a very basic B&B, we were in the Blanche room on the ground floor, which is clean and a reasonable size but very basic, the bathroom just has an opaque curtain separating it from the bedroom and the "wardrobe" is an alcove with a curtain across, there is a separate toilet with a door. The external appearance is generally tatty and we really didn't want to stay for our 4 night booking when we arrived. However there are several good points, Elodie who runs the B&B (the owners are absent) is very helpful and works hard with the breakfast (served outside our room) and the rooms are cleaned daily with fresh towels, the pool is also a good size, and as others have mentioned its only a five minute walk into town. So better than our initial impression and with better furnishings and some flowers in the garden this could be a lovely place. A word of warning, checkin is between 5 and 7 pm, there is no one there between these times to check you in. The contrast with our previous fabulous b&B, (Carcassonne B&B which was actually cheaper) made this a difficult review.