Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
place Mireille, Stes-Maries de la Mer)
rents and organises cycling-horseback (€36) or
cycling-canoeing (€30) packages. Both deliver bikes for free to hotels.
AIGUES-MORTES
Actually located over the border from Provence in the Gard
département
, the picturesque town of Aigues-Mortes
sits 28km northwest of Stes-Maries de la Mer at the western extremity of the Camargue. Set in flat marshland and
encircled by high stone walls, the town was established in the mid-13th century by Louis IX to give the French
crown a Mediterranean port under its direct control. Cobbled streets inside the walls are lined with restaurants, cafes
and bars, giving it a festive atmosphere and making it a charming spot from which to explore the Camargue.
Scaling the ramparts rewards you with sweeping views. Head to the top of the tower,
Tour de Constance
(adult/
child €6.50/free;
10am-7pm May-Aug, 10am-5.30pm Sep-Apr)
; the 1.6km wall-top walk takes about one hour.
L'Hermitage de St-Antoine
( 06 03 04 34 05;
www.hermitagesa.com
;
9 bd Intérieur Nord; r incl breakfast
€84; )
inside the walled town, has three exquisitely appointed rooms, one with a small private terrace.
Hôtel
L'Escale
(
04 66 53 71 14;
http://hotel.escale.free.fr
; 3 av Tour de Constance; r €40-68, q €75-85;
)
caters
fantastically to budget travellers.
The
tourist office
(
04 66 53 73 00;
www.ot-aiguesmortes.fr
;
place St-Louis;
9am-noon & 1-6pm)
is in-
side the walled city.
Sleeping
Ranch-style motel accommodation lines the D570 heading into Stes-Maries de la Mer.
The tourist offices list self-catering
cabanes de gardian
(traditional whitewashed cowboy
cottages) and farmstays.
Le Mas de Peint €€€
HISTORIC FARMHOUSE
( 04 90 97 20 62;
www.masdepeint.com
;
Le Sambuc; d/ste from
€260/395; mid-Mar-mid-Nov; )
Camargue's upmarket
mas
(farmhouse): think
chic, gentrified country quarters right out of the pages of design mag
Côte Sud
. The gour-
met
restaurant
(3-course dinner menu adult/child €55/29, lunch from €39, canteen mains
€17-30;
lunch Sat & Sun, dinner Fri-Wed)
with seasonal menus and poolside canteen
