10/10 Excellent
Lily M.
11 Aug 2018
Provencal idyll
Maybe the place of all your Southern French dreams of sunflower strewn fields and of dinners made with fresh and exciting local produce that sing of sunshine as loudly as the cicadas do under Van Gogh starry skies.
Mas Leila is a traditional farmhouse with bags of old world charm. Its well-equipped kitchen that had three keen cooks vying to outdo each other on our trip. We would take a short stroll to the town centre and pick from a wealth of superb ingredients from the local butchers, greengrocers and fishmonger. The air-conditioned open-plan dining and seating areas made for long and convivial dinners.
Those less culinary inclined were sent to the boulangerie of which there are at least four and often had a artisanal ice cream on their trot back. The ratio of affordable restaurants and cafes per head of population, even in high season, also made eating out a pleasure.
The joys of super relaxing domestic life made it seem troublesome to venture away from the beautiful pool and garden but since it was so conveniently located we were able to run up to Remy, Les Baux and Arles which were all a few minutes drive away.
We have managed to get our fix of fascinating historic and cultural sights with enough to tempt children to participate. They have a steady diet of comic books, this being Gaulish Rome, so Asterix is now a firm favourite along with the more gory graphic novel translation of Caesar’s Gallic Wars which can happily be purchased in three languages in the Glanum museum shop. The site itself is a must do to fire the adult and kiddy imagination.
Another must do is the local arena for the tradition of bull running. As opposed to bull fighting, the odds are firmly in the favour of the bull and none are harmed in the sport. The boys might get a few bruises and a dunking in the pool in the middle of the arena. Watching this fantastic local tradition was the highlight of our holiday. I can think of worse things for teenagers than drinking nestea and having to parkour due to bull-induced adrenaline on the hot summer nights.
It really is the perfect home to base yourself when touring Les Alpilles and beyond. You won’t regret it. We are most definitely returning.
Lily M.
Stayed 11 nights in Jul 2018