Live the slow life in Provence
A much-loved and laid-back family home near Pont du Gard, near Uzès, is an oasis of calm in a small village, the perfect base to explore Provence.
Is it only travel writers who get so excited about a bulging house manual that’s filled to the brim with insider’s tips from the owner? Mas du Marechal’s is like a book, only it never has an ending… you could return to this little village for years with a wish list and only ever achieve half of it!
Guide books to Provence and the Côte d’Azur jostle with cookbooks on the kitchen island, so you can quickly brush up on Roman history or learn about the strange storage ‘bories’ you saw in the middle of lavender fields that day … all while you’re cooking dinner. And cook you will: with fabulous farm stalls dotted along the country lanes, you’ll not only make your way through a box of the juiciest fresh cherries every day, but stock up on delicious local cheese, honey, fruit and veggies.
Evenings are long and truly glorious in summer: swallows tweeting constantly and feeding their young in the eaves, church bells chiming on the hour… and there’s a moment when the stone turns a buttery gold against blue, blue skies and a sense of bucolic bliss descends. An evening stroll takes you past a thoughtful game of boule at the village square and La Grange, a lively restaurant, often with live music bringing gatherings of friends and neighbours together for a quick catch-up on this sun-drenched corner. Back home, dinner is always outdoors, often with dripping wet kids just out of the pool, while autumnal evenings are about cooking delicious meals together while tasting local wines and planning activities for the next day. There’s always a buzz of conversation in this kitchen where cookbooks jostle with every guidebook imaginable in the sociable central island!
Ancient beauty, timeless charm
The house itself is a much-loved family home with two staircases – from the outside, the 1869 farmhouse looks like one home, but inside the upstairs bedrooms are accessed via two different staircases. One is a rather grand stone ascent added during the restoration and the other is behind the kitchen, leading from an entrance door with the largest lock and key ever seen – one you’d expect to find in an ancient monastery or church. Bedrooms are named after wine estates on the Cape Winelands, so if you’re South African, you’ll feel very much at home, even though the village is in the heart of the Côtes du Rhône wine region and the perfect base from which to explore Provence.
What we love!
- Set in yet another charming little village, it’s as close to the Pont du Gard as you’ll get.
- La Grange, on the Place de la Fontaine, especially in the early evening. Known for their organic wines and live music. During the day, this bistro is also a great place to have coffee and cake. Closed Monday and Tuesday but open all weekend.
- Sitting around the pool in the wonderfully private garden, listening to the swallows and church bells after a day spent exploring is simply blissful.
- A neighbour just along the road, sells organic veggies from her garden, and the boulangerie down the road is well-stocked (open from March, Monday to Sunday, from 12.30pm).
- This is a relaxed family home and doesn’t pretend to be anything else: expect a wonderfully warm embrace from a house that clearly holds many happy holiday memories.
- Besides the Pont du Gard, it’s the proximity to Uzès that’s a winner here (8kms away). You can spend days browsing the chi-chi boutiques and galleries, stopping for a languid lunch a different restaurant every time. We can recommend parking next to the La Cathédrale Saint Théodorit d’Uzès (1090, but rebuilt in 1652), as it’s really easy to access the prettiest parts of Uzès from here, and it’s close to the famous market square. Take a quiet moment to go into the Cathedral if the doors are open. Walk towards the altar and look back at the 17th-century organ pipes in the lofty gallery behind – spectacular.
- That it’s close enough to dine out in Uzès one night but if you’re exploring towards the Gorge de Gardon, book a table at the priory about 15 mins’ drive away at Le Prieuré Saint Nicolas (their pop-up restaurant, Locus Solus and its shaded terrace, will reopen in spring 2025 for lunch. Book far ahead for dinners in the grand chapel or one of their concerts).
- Possibilities for day trips are endless: Arles, Nîmes (don’t miss the architecturally striking new Musée de la Romanité and the Arène de Nîmes next door), Avignon (love its food hall, Les Halles), L’Isle sur la Sorge’s (brocante, antiques and canals) and loads more…
- Antique and brocante market lovers should plan their stay around market dates, all of which are detailed in the house folder. Check-in days in summer at Mas du Marechal are Fridays, which means you’ll be able to visit all the weekend markets plus those open on Mondays and Thursdays.
What you need to know…
- You can walk to the famous Roman aqueduct from the house. It’s only 2.2kms away on foot through idyllic countryside and forest – just watch out for the nettles in summer! Great route for jogging, especially when quiet in the early morning. History buffs can book a tour with a guide on the ‘Roman Route’.
- It’s a short drive to the Pont du Gard parking area. A Roman aqueduct, Pont du Gard dates back to the 1st century AD, and has a designated car park (currently €9 per car, flat fee that also includes entry) about 15 minutes’ walk from the actual aqueduct. In summer, we recommend you go late afternoon or early evening when sound and light shows are projected onto the walls – spectacular. Or do as the locals do and pack a delicious picnic and walk across to the other side where there are lovely sandy swimming beaches. Spot the 1000-year-old olive trees along the way.
- The entrance to Mas du Marechal is behind an unassuming door inside a larger, arched double door – originally the entrance to the farm barn. It’s literally right on the street but it’s possible to offload baggage here quickly and then move the car to safe parking is at the end of the road under the trees outside the boulangerie (where you should also make use of the recycling bins).
- Services that can be arranged in advance: concierge, private chef, cleaning service, pre-shopping.
- Getting here is easy: on the TGV (3.5 hours from Paris to Avignon, 30kms away), or fly into Montpellier and self-drive (80kms or 1 hour away) or to Marseilles (112kms or 1.5 hour’s drive).
- If you want to do a day trip to the coast, check the house manual for family friendly and naturalist beaches. Le Grau du Roi beach (the town was an old fishing village) or Carnon Plage, are both just outside Montpellier.
- If Mas du Marechal isn’t available on your dates, browse our other properties near Uzès, Provence, the Luberon, or in Cassis, Montpellier and Boussac.
Reviewed by Michelle Snaddon