Mas des Tourterelles

This was exactly what I’d hoped to find in Provence. A lovely little apartment with a ground floor terrace where breakfast is served on white tablecloths. Close enough to Saint Rémy de Provence to walk and not worry about the craziness of parking in a small southern France town. Two pools (unheated) and parking included. We had an apartment so we could make some of our own meals and it was fully equipped - there was even a clothes washer! The staff were all very sweet, especially Annie who seemed to be a manager of sorts. The perfect combination of modern convenience with authentic Provençale ambience.

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!

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.