Mas De Cornud

Mas de Cornud was absolutely one of the highlights of our French trip. David and Nito made us feel at home instantly the beautiful stone farmhouse. Boules on the lawn, swimming in the pool, cooking with Nito in the incredible indoor/outdoor kitchen, breakfast in the garden, and side trips to charming St. Remy. We want to go back!

I believe you should consider staying at this really terrific place, Mas de Cornud, in St. Remy, a few miles out of les Baux. I highly recommend it. It is a beautiful, refurbished 200 year old country inn, and the hosts are wonderful and very knowledgeable and helpful. It also is a cooking school which is a major plus; even if you are uninterested in learning, it is an amazing kitchen and Nito is a fabulous and enthusiastic chef. She and her husband, David, are very knowledgeable about places to eat, markets, and things to do. You will be treated warmly and you soon will feel, rightfully, that you are among friends. The only problem is that the food there is so good, you will have to make an effort to get out and explore the other wonderful places to dine in the area.

We have stayed here a few times - twice as a family and once when I took a weekend break while on business in Europe. Very relaxed environment from the time you emerge from your car in the pebbled courtyard. Rooms have been decorated with care and David and Nito as your hosts are present when needed but otherwise you feel free to use the house and the gardens. It’s a wonderful quiet restful place between hectic schedules. There is much to do and see within easy drives of the Mas and St Remy alone can be quite enough to enjoy for a few days if you want a more leisurely pace. Then there is the superb cuisine and cooking classes as well. Most enjoyable.

We discovered Mas de Cornud on a Butterfield & Robinson bike tour in Provence in 1998. The guides took us there for dinner and we immediately fell in love with the place. We have been back several times since, always enjoying each visit more than the previous one. We always wanted a home in Provence. David and Nito make us feel like we have one while we are at Mas de Cornud. It is an incredibly beautiful, peaceful country inn with hosts that are fluent in French and English (among others) and know the area extremely well. They treat you like guests in their home rather than like clients staying in their inn.

Within a short drive, train ride, or even bike ride, there are wonderful day trips to: Pont du Gard, a 2,000 year old Roman aqueduct, other Roman ruins in or near St. Rémy, Arles, and Nîmes, the hill top towns of the Luberon (made famous by Peter Mayle’s A Year in Provence), the magical village of Les Baux, the Palace of the Pope’s in Avignon, the wine country of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, and many other picturesque towns and villages. This is Provence at its best.

And best of all, you return each day to Mas de Cornud to enjoy a glass of rosé by the pool. If you want, you can enjoy a fabulous dinner served at one of the beautiful spots on the grounds of the Mas. Or, David and Nito will help you select from countless nearby restaurants, from casual to Michelin starred.

We have attended several of Nito’s cooking classes. Every class has been unique, a wonderful learning experience, and most of all, great fun. They offer detailed bike routes and can assist you in renting bikes if you want to cycle through the area. You can choose anything from flat rides in the valley to very demanding climbs and everything in between. You can challenge yourself with a category 3 climb (if you are a Tour de France fan) starting within 200 meters of the Mas.

However you choose to spend your day between the many options available, you will have a wonderful time in a beautiful and friendly place.

What’s cooking? The best in-depth view of the real Provence! We have taken about 10 different cooking lessons from Nito over the years, we always learn a lot. But equally great is sharing the food and David’s well-chosen wine with the other students and hosts afterwards! You get behind those hedges that screen (substantial) country homes in France. This needs to be a planned event on the itineraries of serious travelers.