A Restored Marshside Farmhouse for 14 in the Camargue Regional Natural Park
Mas du Couvin is a five-bedroom farmhouse on 1.7 hectares (about 4.2 acres) at the edge of the Couvin marsh, in the Camargue Regional Natural Park, 5km from Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer. It sleeps 10, or up to 14 with extra beds.
The house gives you three places to watch the marsh from. The first is the dining room, with windows on the water side, so breakfast and long dinners both come with the view. The second is the cabana at the edge of the Gines pond, for one person and a book, or a whole group at aperitif time, with horses nearby and flamingos passing overhead. The third is upstairs in the Flamants room, which sits high enough in the home to offer views across the marsh from bed.
The host can help plan your days out, with horse riding at Mas Trinita, a morning at the Pont de Gau Ornithological Park, a bike ride along the sea dyke to beaches that run for miles, or a visit to a manade, where Camargue bulls are raised. Book the host’s dinners, and your evenings will end on the terraces with a feast of local produce and organic wines.
The mas was built in 1970 by a family who loved the Camargue. Its current owners, nature enthusiasts, restored it with Marie de Murcia and named it "Couvin," comes from the old Provençal word for the marsh where birds nest. They chose durable materials, among them travertine that recalls the stone of the church in nearby village Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer. They replanted local trees and shrubs (tamarisks, bay laurels, umbrella pines, and sea lavender) around the pool for privacy.
Each of the five rooms has its own terrace and its own story. The Delta room is named for the Rhône, with a bathroom in deep-blue lava tile and the crosses of the Camargue cowboys on the wall. Sara is dedicated to Sara-la-Noire, the patron saint of the Roma and an icon of Saintes-Maries, in raw wood and electric-blue tile. César is the largest room, at the back, with a bathtub, and the Arlésienne takes its theme from the traditional dress of Arles.
The pool (open April to October) sits apart from the house, hidden by reeds, with a pergola and pine shade for long conversations.
Layout
Mas du Couvin has 270m² (about 2,900 sq ft) of living space and sleeps 10 in five bedrooms, each with a king bed, a private bathroom with a separate toilet and its own terrace. Four extra single beds can be added on request at an extra charge, for up to 14 guests. Four bedrooms are on the ground floor, and the Flamants room is upstairs.
• Bedroom 1 (Delta): King, en suite, terrace
• Bedroom 2 (Arlésienne): King, en suite, terrace
• Bedroom 3 (Sara): King, en suite, terrace
• Bedroom 4 (César): King, en suite, bathtub, terrace
• Bedroom 5 (Flamants): King, en suite, private terrace, upper floor
• Four extra single beds on request (extra charge)
Experiences
Offered by host (at extra cost): Breakfast, aperitifs and dinners with local produce and organic wines, daily housekeeping, babysitting, massage and yoga sessions with the host’s partners, and help planning excursions.
Good to know
Four of the 14 places are extra single beds, available at a charge. The pool is open April to October. The property borders a protected wetland, and its birds share the grounds. Biocompatible mosquito-repelling posts protect the garden. There’s a carport for six cars and bicycle storage, with charging for electric cars and e-bikes. Early check-in and late check-out are free when the house isn’t booked the night before or after, so ask when you book.
Amenities & services
Air conditioning, TV, Wi-Fi, fully equipped kitchen, living room, glazed dining room, terrace for every bedroom, garden terraces, pergola, pool (April to October), cabana on the pond, carport for six cars, bicycle storage, EV and e-bike charging.
On request (additional cost): Breakfast, aperitifs and dinners, daily housekeeping, babysitting, massage and yoga sessions, excursion planning, extra single beds.
Around
The house sits at the edge of the Gines and Consécanière ponds in the Camargue Regional Natural Park. Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, on the Mediterranean coast, is the nearest village. Arles is 25 minutes away by car, with its Roman arena and the LUMA Arles arts campus, under Frank Gehry’s tower. The Étang de Vaccarès and the Aigues-Mortes salt marshes are both a short drive away. We recommend horse riding at Mas Trinita, guided visits to the Pont de Gau Ornithological Park, the Aigues-Mortes salt marshes, a visit to a local manade, and cycling the sea dyke to the beaches.
Location
Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, Camargue, France. Nearest airport: Nîmes-Alès-Camargue-Cévennes (FNI).
Best time to visit
Spring and fall are the seasons for birdwatching on the marsh, and summer is for the pool and the beaches, which open from April to October. In late May, Saintes-Maries holds its pilgrimage in honor of Sara-la-Noire.
