Le Mas de Peint

A guest at Le Mas de Peint who rides well enough can go out with the gardians, the Camargue's cowboys, to sort the bulls; one who would rather not can meet the herd at dinner, where the bull is the estate's own and the tomahawk is served for two. The Bon family have been ranchers here for generations, father to son, on 500 hectares where the bulls and white horses graze in semi-liberty among the rice paddies. Jacques Bon and his wife Lucille, an architect, turned the manor house into a hotel of fifteen rooms. It is pale cut stone with dark green shutters, reached by a gravel path across the lawn to an arched glass door. In one bedroom the old beams overhead are left rough and barely squared, the walls are terracotta-orange and the cushions are checked: a farmhouse that has let the decorators in, but not very far.

Recommended for families who would rather a child met a horse than a kids' club, and for couples who have come to Provence for its flat, wild end. The guided rides cross the estate's own paddies and pastures, and the 4x4 tours go out into the marshes with a guide born in the region. Arles is 15 kilometres by car, for its Roman arena and old town: near enough for a morning, and far enough off to stay quiet. The Family Suite sleeps four, and babysitting can be arranged.

Dinner moves to the terrace in spring, under wisteria and by candlelight. Bird-watchers can take a specialist guide on the 4x4 tour, for a region with 350 species, and keep the Pont de Gau bird park, 35 minutes' drive, for a day when a flamingo is required.