no fridge .. no coffee making ability (even if you bought your own ingrediennts) .. 30 euro taxi fare round trip to town (if you dont have a car) .. no restaurant .. poor breakfast .. off putting dog wandering about sniffing the food .. off putting lady owner/manager/employee wandering about in raggedy night gown .. bare electrical wires all about the room .. extremely bad shower so that if you had the pressure you'd like you'd flood the floor. looked like a 'do it yourself' mess with insufficient draining fall and inadequate drainage .. mosquitoes like nowhere else we stayed. probably due to the stagnant overgrown pond which might have been a condominium for mosquito breeding .. bicycles ? what bicycles ? .. i understand other rooms have better facilities and are less dangerous. why is it i was allocated a sub standard room ? .. i strongly urge anyone to avoid this place especially if you have no car .. ecotic furniture does not make the placa what it is meant to be - a hotel ..

Warning : if you are looking for a "zenistic-minimalistic-unpersonal" hotel a la worldish sauce, le Mas de la Chapelle is not for you ! But if you are prepared for something different and for a true moment in Provence -and ready to pay for the price - you should go ahead and book it !

To be honest, after reviewing some comments on this site, I was not expecting much from this hotel and was ready to have the worst experience ever... But as it was the only possibility left in the price range and dates bracket (in the middle of August and with only a 24 hour notice) for us, we booked it and crossed our fingers....

Fortunetaly our experience turned out to be quite pleasant.



RESERVATION : I booked the room directly from their website, received an email confirmation. You can create your own account on manage your reservation, a convenient feature I must admit.


ACCESS : Not an issue, my GPS found the location quite easily. I believe otherwise you can make a telephone call to get their directions. The hotel location is well signaled along the road.
Granted, you have to drive through narrow roads, but nothing dangerous or frightenning is to be expected, even at night time. If you want to drive on main roads, large freeways only, just think of another destination than Provence !
Ample, safe parking space off street.
It takes 15/20 min to go into town. Lots of free parking in Arles.


RECEPTION : in a cosy office, we were welcomed by a very nice lady who showed us the hotel and our room. Without us asking, she gave a detailed map of Arles and explained the best way to go into town and to the places we wanted to visit.


ROOM : I booked a superior room. Mine, located by the swimming pool, was more or less a junior suite, with a queen size bed, a sitting room, a bathroom, a separate toilet (the french way) and a wardrobe. It was equipped with a very efficient, silent air con, a fridge (not a mini-bar in fact since it was empty : you are encouraged to bring your own food and drinks), a LCD TV. The wifi was working but slowly (still usable though).
The decoration was provencal. Several antiques in the main room and bathroom. Of course it does not look brand new !
The room was clean, I noticed the joints in the bathroom needed to be redone though. But nothing dramatic, and I am pretty touchy on the matter... However, this should not be tolerated in a 4 star hotel...
I liked the baroque atmosphere, but this is a matter of taste !


POOL AREA : quite nice in fact ! Fitted with lounge chairs and umbrellas. The L-shaped pool is large enough to swim and deep enough to dive. There were several kids playing but their parents were respectful of others customers.
International clientele (french and european).
Wifi working all right.
Very nice view of the local vegetation.
Be aware you can hear the railtrack but this did not disturbe me.


GARDEN : the natural vegetation is simply beautiful. The maintainance could be improved indeed but this unsophistication and laissez-faire are typical of Provence... Lovely antiques in the garden (statues, vases, etc.)


BREAKFAST : simply great ! It is a well stocked buffet (tea, coffee, hot chocolate - lovely french pastries and breads - several kinds of flakes - yogurt and cottage cheese - french cheese, ham, eggs, etc - large choice of marmelades, etc). The food is prime quality and well choosen by the owner himself with whom I discussed briefly. He is always around, which is a nice sign....
Help yourself and seat in the garden under the huge trees... Peaceful, rare moment, before starting the day....


CHECK-OUT : simple, no mistake in my bill.


CONCLUSION : I will not hesitate to return and will definetely recommand to my friends, for a short or longer stay in this beautiful region.
The only thing that prevents me from giving a 5 star note is the price (a little less than 200 € for 2 breakfast included) that seemed a little expensive for the region.

this gem of a hotel - or recently was gem is now sad and over priced. Whilst rooms are full of characther they are not being properly maintained, broken bug netting meaning we couldnt leave any windows open (in blistering heat), mini bar fridge just too small, but at least a comfortable bed. Pretty gardens and swimming pool need some love and attention, the initial ideas were clearly visible but again no maintance (slimy bottom to pool, paths so overgrown hard to walk on, lilly pond sinking in to just a mosquito breeding pit.
At €16 per head for breakfast (not included in the already high price) we expected more than running out of croissants 30 mins after service started, cheap ham and cheese and no choice on fruit or other simple accompanyments.

Sad as the intentions are good, but not to be recommended with current management.

First it is extremely difficult to find even with GPS so arrive in daylight. We found it a strange mixture of extremely lavish furnishings overdone with priceless objects,but also neglected in both the house and garden.We couldn't quite identify the reason for our discomfort, but it definitely felt bohemian and a little wierd. I wouldn't recommend it if you plan to do some biking. The irrigation ditches on each side of very narrow roads are treacherous and deep. The hotel is a fair distance from a good restaurant,and after our struggle to get there, we did not enjoy going out to seek food. I agree that this place is over priced, I would not recommend it.