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MAS DU RENARD ROUGE

Note: The newest feature of Mas du Renard Rouge is a new guest house, entirely air-conditioned, that has been constructed at the end of the garden beyond the swimming pool. The guest house has a room with a living-room with a a living-dining area with kitchen and fireplace (there is a single sofabed here as well), a bedroom with a queen-sized bed, and a bathroom with tub, separate stall shower and separate WC. The guest house may be rented with the main mas (but not separately) at a rate of $1,650 additional a week.

Mas du Renard Rouge – literally, house of the red fox - is a handsomely restored mas with a four bedrooms and four modern baths, a well-equipped kitchen and a wealth of authentic French character. It is one of those pleasing Provençal homes that is instantly endearing to visitors more at home in an ambiance of informality and genteel refinement than one of opulence and luxury.

Situated in a place of perfect quiet and tranquility south of Avignon and a few kilometers north of Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, the mas has a swimming pool and all the modern conveniences one could ask for to enjoy a relaxed vacation. Its essential character flows from its warm, friendly and familial atmosphere rather than state-of-the-art amenities or impeccably landscaped gardens. It creates a feeling much like the sentiment that wells up when one returns to a country home filled with childhood memories of carefree summer holidays with parents or relatives. We warmly recommend this property to families and couples whose idea of a wonderful vacation is a comfortable but laid-back, unruffled and thoroughly peaceful stay in Provence.

Archives in the city hall of Châteaurenard date the mas’ origins to the 18^th century. Beige stucco walls, blue shutters on tall wide windows and leafy plane trees shading a long terrace of pale-white gravel that runs the façade of the house – these all contribute to the mas’ august image of an old Provençal home of standing. Inside, the country-style kitchen, the luminous and handsomely decorated bedrooms (two of them equally commodious master bedrooms with ensuite baths) and the tasteful but not overly elaborate furnishings all carry forward the theme of a comfortable but unassuming Provencal home.

Mas du Renard Rouge is set on a terrain of about 3,000m2, or three-quarters of an acre, replete with tall shrubs, pine trees and a sprawling lawn interspersed with magnolia, olive and fruit trees. The friendly and English-speaking owners, a French doctor and his wife, live on an adjacent parcel in an impressive mas with its own pool and large acreage of landscaped gardens and green space. The driveway and car park for Mas du Renard Rouge are entirely separate from that of the main mas. The two pieces of land are completely separated by hedges of cypress and bamboo, with the houses hardly visible to each other through the thick foliage. Each residence enjoys total privacy from the other, and the owners in no way interfere with guests’ enjoyment of the smaller mas. They are on hand to welcome guests and assist in case of emergency.

The mas is comprised of two stories. The ground level has a spacious kitchen that is open-plan with the dining room, a living room, and the master bedroom suite. The other three bedrooms and baths are upstairs. The walls are white, the floors throughout a rust terra cotta tile and the high ceilings beamed with sturdy timbers. There is an open, uncluttered feeling about all of the rooms. With their southern orientation and wide doors to the terrace they are filled with light in the morning, and later with deep, cool shadows when the shutters are drawn against the afternoon sun.

The living room, simply but pleasingly furnished with leather armchairs and a sofa and coffee table, is a pleasant place to gather in the evening for cocktails or to read or watch television (satellite connection with CNN reception). In the cool months one can enjoy a fire in the massive stone fireplace in the center of the room.

A large archway leads from the living room to the dining room and kitchen. These two rooms, separate areas but part of one continuous space, offer a refreshing mix of modern and country motifs. The dining room is furnished with only a glass table, wicker armchairs and a few striking wall ornaments. The beamed ceiling, soft ProvenVal colors and subtle decorative touches create a space with clean lines that is simple but especially intimate.

The kitchen, large and airy, has a full assortment of modern appliances – dishwasher, refrigerator and separate freezer, wall oven and four-burner electric stove, wall oven and washing machine and dryer. The room has a distinctly country flavor with its white tile counter, simple wood cabinets and antique farm table where guests can have breakfast or help prepare meals. While in the summer most meals will be taken on the gravel terrace shaded by vines or tall trees, it is hard to imagine a cozier space for a family gathering on a winter evening than this kitchen and dining room, especially with a fire crackling in the living room fireplace.

The downstairs master bedroom is a commodious and breezy suite of rooms that comprises almost half of the lower level. Abundant light flows in through a palladium window and extra-wide (about 3m, or 10’) French doors that open directly onto the terrace and garden. The bed is queen-sized. The ensuite bath, reached through a small dressing room, has a bathtub, stall shower and separate WC. There is a sitting area and, between the bedroom and living room, a cozy foyer with a loveseat.

The three upstairs bedrooms open off a landing reached by wide terra cotta tile stairs that rise from the foyer. On the landing is a little desk with a telephone.

One bedroom, which has a 120cm (37” across) small double (or large single) bed, is a quiet, simply decorated space with a window overlooking the parking area and surrounding foliage. The small ensuite bath has a stall shower. There is a glass chest with shelves for clothes, but no closet.

The second upstairs bedroom, which has a view over the garden and lawn toward the swimming pool, is a pretty room with a queen-sized bed, walk-in closet and a sitting area with a desk and armchair. Just outside is a full bath with a tub and hand-held shower and separate stall shower. Both of these bedrooms use a separate WC on the landing.

The third upstairs bedroom is as equally bright and pleasing as the master bedroom suite below. While slightly less spacious, it also has a queen-sized bed and is charmingly decorated with a few well-chosen country antiques. There is a large walk-in closet, and the floor is carpeted wall-to-wall with a high-quality hemp. The windows face west and south over the terrace and garden. The pretty ensuite bath has marble counters, an oversized tub with hand-held shower, a separate stall shower and WC.

The rectangular swimming pool measures 5m X 8m (16.5’ X 26’) and is set about 30 meters (a meter is about a yard) away from the house in a wide lawn that runs to the edge of the property. While the pool was installed in 2001 and currently does not have a pool deck, there are parasols and a plentiful supply of chaises longues on the grass for relaxing around the pool.

Guests at Mas du Renard Rouge will appreciate its proximity not only to Avignon and its TGV Route Mediterranée station, but also to the various regions of Provence. The villages of the Lubéron are within a drive of 30 minutes, as is Cavaillon, which is known for its wonderful Monday morning open-air market. The ancient Roman towns of Vaison-la-Romaine and Orange, which are surrounded by the lush vineyards and picturesque villages of the Côtes-du-Rhone wine-producing region, are about 45 minutes to the north via the Autoroute.

For wine and food lovers, one of France’s greatest concentrations of fine restaurants outside of Paris lies just to the south in the Alpilles region. Michelin-rated restaurants within a 25-minute radius include the famed L’Oustaù de Beaumanière (two stars, Les Baux-de-Provence), La Petite France (Paradou, one star), Le Bistrot d’Eygalières (Eygalières, one star), La Regalido (Fontveille, one star), and Auberge de Noves (Noves, one star). There is a host of more modest but equally delightful restaurants and bistros sprinkled throughout the region, especially in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence and Maussane-les-Alpilles. In Maillane, 13 km from Châteaurenard, is one of Provence’s most delightful bistros, Oustalet Maianen, where those lucky enough to get a table can enjoy superb ProvenVal cuisine at bargain prices. Wine enthusiasts will want to visit at least one of the many regional vineyards, perhaps Mas de la Dame at Les Baux, which produces an earthy, full-bodied red wine from grenache, syrah and other Southern Rhône varietals.

Châteaurenard itself is a lively little town, best known in modern times for its wholesale food market where local merchants and restaurateurs come daily at the crack of dawn to procure the freshest of regional products. The town has its own open-air market every Sunday morning, a lively and colorful event that is religiously attended by the townspeople. Châteaurenard has a variety of shops, food stores and boutiques for everyday needs, and there are several supermarkets within a 20-minute drive.