Le Mas de Chabran

Maussane-les-Alpilles

Dinner under the vaults of an oil mill, breakfast under the plane trees, Le Château des Baux on the horizon. This is where it all began: the first house we fell for, and the one that taught us to share. Eight bedrooms for sixteen, a chapel at the end of the garden, horses in the meadow, a pool among the olives.

House manager

Breakfast included

Daily housekeeping

Linen and towels

Garden and pool looked after

Book now

From €5,000 / per night

Weeks in summer, Saturday to Saturday; from three nights the rest of the year

Included in your stay

Mornings are ours: breakfast laid and served, every room restored. Afternoons and evenings are yours, in complete privacy, with our concierge a message away. Should you wish our team to stay on, a chef to cook, or the beds turned down at dusk, we arrange it à la carte.

What’s included

Breakfast, a buffet of local and seasonal produce, prepared and served by our team

Housekeeping every morning

Bed linen and towels renewed during the stay

A house manager and our concierge every day in office hours: the welcome, the tour of the house, bookings, transport and our addresses

The garden and the pool looked after, the pool heated from May to September

The house itself: Wi-Fi, Sonos, bath products renewed, candles, books and pétanque

Cleaning on departure

On request

Our team in the afternoon or the evening

Turndown at dusk

Extra hours of housekeeping

Dry cleaning

A private chef

Table service

Childcare

Groceries and wines

Experiences and excursions

Wellness

Transfers

History

1738, on the vault

1563
The place first appears in the records as the Mas de Pradon. The Chabrand family of Saint-Rémy-de-Provence married into it in the following century and gave it their name, and in June 1693 one of them, a lawyer, commissioned a master mason to build an oil mill here.
1738
Thirty-eight years before the Declaration of Independence, the mill was complete, with its great arches; in the vaulted room where the oil was kept, the date is still cut into the stone. It is the date our seal bears. The master’s house rose later, plain and square, and the gardens grew around the plane trees and the fountains.
1915
At the end of the Empire a Chabrand was mayor of Maussane-les-Alpilles. The mill pressed its last oil around 1915; one of its presses still stands under the vaults of the living room.
2019
We had hoped to buy the house for years. When at last it became ours, it was asleep: whole parts of it we had not even explored, gardens half returned to the wild. It was too big for us alone, so we opened it. A year of work, day and night, and in 2019 the first guests sat down under the plane trees.

House

Interiors

The vaulted living room

Under the vaults where the oil was once pressed, two living rooms that open into each other, 170 m² in all, with one of the old presses still in place and a great stone fireplace. At dusk the candles are lit at the door and music plays softly, even in winter. The art changes often, like friends who come and go.

The vaulted living room, armchairs before the arched glass doors onto the garden, Le Mas de Chabran, Maussane-les-Alpilles, Alpilles

The garden living room

Under the same vaults, the second living room faces the French gardens: deep blue sofas, peacock chairs and an old wooden table, with great arched doors that open onto the garden.

The dining room

A dining room of 32 m² around a large oval table in dark walnut, with the kitchen next door. Breakfast is served here in winter, and dinner when the evenings turn cool; the rest of the year the table moves outside, under the pergola or the plane trees, and this room becomes the quiet one.

A table laid in the garden for a family lunch, Le Mas de Chabran, Maussane-les-Alpilles, Alpilles

The bar-library

A room of 32 m² in leather and velvet, with the books, the bar and the fire: the place for a glass before dinner or a late game of cards. Upstairs, the cinema and games lounge, with its foosball table, opens onto bedrooms 5 to 8: it is where the children end up in the evening, and where a meeting can be held.

The kitchen

A kitchen-living room of 33 m² around a grey marble island and a cooking range, open to the house: breakfast is laid here, and Quentin cooks here when you ask him to. Behind it, a second kitchen of 17 m² for the service, so that dinner for sixteen leaves no trace in the room you sit in.

The chef at work in the kitchen, Le Mas de Chabran, Maussane-les-Alpilles, Alpilles

House

Bedrooms

Bedroom 1

Wake up to the horses in the field and Le Château des Baux on its rock, framed by the window. A room of 18 m² with a king-size bed and a dressing room, and a bathroom in Fontvieille limestone with a double basin, a walk-in shower, a separate lavatory and underfloor heating for winter mornings. Air conditioning, a smart television, Wi-Fi and a Nespresso machine, as in every room.

Bedroom 1's bathroom, two basins under two mirrors, Le Mas de Chabran, Maussane-les-Alpilles, Alpilles

Bedroom 2

Once, they say, this was the lady of the house’s room. A master bedroom of 24 m² facing south over the French gardens and their fountains, with the original floors restored, mouldings, braided leather, a California king bed, a safe and a minibar. The morning light comes in here first. The large bathroom has its own dressing room, a wide walk-in shower, a double basin and a lavatory.

Bedroom 3

And this, they say, was the master’s: the mirror of bedroom 2, 24 m² over the gardens and the fountains, with a fireplace for winter evenings and a California king canopy bed. Restored floors, mouldings, braided leather, a safe and a minibar; a large bathroom with a dressing room, a walk-in shower and a double basin.

Bedroom 4

A quiet room of 18 m² on the meadow side, looking over the horses and the century-old plane trees to Le Château des Baux. A king-size bed, a large wardrobe and a chest of drawers; a bathroom with a double basin, a walk-in shower and a lavatory.

Bedroom 5

The largest of the eight, made for slow mornings: 35 m² facing south over the French gardens, with a California king bed, a writing desk, two armchairs and wardrobes, terracotta tiles underfoot and old beams overhead. In the bathroom, a copper bathtub beside a walk-in shower, a long double basin and a separate lavatory. A door opens straight onto the upstairs lounge.

Bedroom 5's bathroom, a dark freestanding bathtub by a carved door, Le Mas de Chabran, Maussane-les-Alpilles, Alpilles

Bedroom 6

Two single beds or one king-size, as you prefer: a room of 20 m² facing south over the gardens, with terracotta tiles, old beams and a bathroom with a walk-in shower. A double door joins it to bedroom 7, for parents with young children, or a family travelling with a nanny.

Bedroom 7

The other half of that little suite: 23 m² facing south, a California king canopy bed under the beams, a walk-in shower, a desk and the horses in the meadow beyond the gardens.

Bedroom 8

The room that did not exist when we arrived: 25 m², a wall of carved wood, and a terrace of 18 m² facing south over the gardens, the meadow and the plane trees. A king-size bed, a sitting area and a desk; a large bathroom with a dressing room and a walk-in shower.

House

Outdoors

The French gardens

Three and a half hectares of French gardens, laid out when the mill became a family home: long alleys that seem to run on forever, clipped box and topiary, a round fountain at the centre and a pond where the water lilies open in summer. Walk to the end and you will find a quiet corner to read in the shade, to the sound of water. The children will find the hiding places long before you do.

The round fountain and the pergola in the front garden, Le Mas de Chabran, Maussane-les-Alpilles, Alpilles

The plane trees above the box garden, Le Mas de Chabran, Maussane-les-Alpilles, Alpilles

The pool

Down among the olive trees, away from the house, a heated pool of 16 by 6 metres with wide terraces, an outdoor shower and a pergola with its bar for lunch in the shade. The water is warm from May to September, and in April or October on request.

The lawn and boules

The great lawn wakes up with yoga and birdsong; by mid-afternoon it belongs to picnics, football, badminton and the frisbee that always ends up in the hedge. Under the plane trees, the boules ground waits for the hour before dinner, when the light turns gold.

Clipped box and stone spheres under the plane trees, Le Mas de Chabran, Maussane-les-Alpilles, Alpilles

The chapel and the meadow

At the end of the garden stands the chapel, small, 18th-century and still consecrated, kept as we found it: a place to sit in silence and give thanks, or to say yes. Beyond it lies the meadow, where Dios, our white horse, grazes with the others in the evening light, with Le Château des Baux on its rock above them.

The roman basin pond at the end of the open lawn, Le Mas de Chabran, Maussane-les-Alpilles, Alpilles

The potager and the hens

Further down lies the potager: tomatoes, courgettes and aubergines in summer, and the herbs Quentin cooks with all year. Everyone is welcome to pick; the gardeners will tell you what is ready, and Quentin what to do with it. And then there are our hens, wandering the garden all day long, inspecting every visitor, and laying the eggs for your breakfast when they feel like it.

The arched walk through the potager, Le Mas de Chabran, Maussane-les-Alpilles, Alpilles

A gardener in the potager, Le Mas de Chabran, Maussane-les-Alpilles, Alpilles

House

Fitness & spa

The spa

At the top of the house, a spa all yours: a sauna with light therapy, a relaxation room, and a massage room for massages and facials, whenever you ask.

The glass-walled sauna, beside an old studded wooden door, Le Mas de Chabran, Maussane-les-Alpilles, Alpilles

A massage in the low light of a treatment room, Le Mas de Chabran, Maussane-les-Alpilles, Alpilles

Fitness

A gym fitted with Technogym, open at any hour, and a trainer or a yoga teacher who comes in the morning. On fine days, the mats go out onto the lawn.

Tennis

Your own court in the park, rackets and balls waiting in the house, and a coach who comes when you ask. The best sets are played before breakfast, or once the heat has gone.

The table

What the market gives

The chef preparing vegetables in the kitchen

Every morning, breakfast waits inside or under the pergola: eggs from our hens, bread and pastries from the village, fruit from the market, jams and honey.

Two kitchens, a dining room for sixteen, a pergola for twenty: meals happen wherever the day takes you. The kitchen is yours, and so is what grows in the potager. When you want him, Quentin, our chef, comes to cook; when you would rather go out, we book the table.

From this house

Activities

Tennis and pétanque

A private court in the park, a coach on request, and boules under the plane trees before dinner.

Hiking in the Alpilles

The ridge paths start minutes from the gate: easy walks to the village, longer ones with a guide.

Horse riding

At Chabran the horses come to the gate: rides in the olives or the Camargue, ponies for the children, on request.

Golf, bikes and gliding

The greens of Manville and Servanes, bikes from the shed, and gliding over the plain from Saint-Rémy-de-Provence.

A shop front under a vine, baskets set out on the street

Markets and domaines

The Wednesday market at Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, the domaines of Les Baux-de-Provence and the farms of the Alpilles, arranged for you.

Yoga on the lawn

A teacher comes in the morning: mats on the lawn, birdsong, the house still asleep.

The market with Quentin

Quentin takes you to the market at first light, then you cook lunch together and sit down to it under the trees.

From €200 per guest.

Wildlife Safari and private visit to the salt marches

The Camargue by 4×4

Lagoons, salt marshes, white horses and black bulls from a vintage Defender, then the wild beaches of Salin-de-Giraud.

From €1,050 for the day, six per car.

White Camargue horses crossing the grass with their riders

A manade in the Camargue

A family manade opens its gates: the bulls, the horses, the gardians who work them.

Price on request.

At the wheel with Florence

Florence, who makes the candles in our houses, brings her wheels and you leave with a piece of your own.

From €150 per guest.

Private antiques shopping with artist Ruth Ribeaucourt

Antiques with Ruth Ribeaucourt

A day in L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue with the artist and gallerist who finds things the way we do, then lunch in the village.

From €700 for two, half a day.

A starred chef at your table

A celebrated chef writes a menu around you and cooks it in the house, for up to ten adults.

On request.

The French table

How we lay a table in the houses, and why each thing goes where it goes: a morning’s class.

From €250 per class, from eight.

A day at sea in the Calanques

From Marseille or Cassis, a yacht and its captain for the day, a swim in every cove, lunch on board or ashore.

From €7,150 for the day, up to twelve.

The house's façade over the French gardens, Le Mas de Chabran, Maussane-les-Alpilles, Alpilles

What the house holds

Amenities and services

Everything the house holds, from the heated pool and the tennis court to daily housekeeping and your house manager.

Sleeps 16

8 en-suite bedrooms

10 bathrooms

Heated pool, 16 × 6 m

Private tennis court

Pétanque ground

Table tennis

Spa: sauna, massage room, fitness

Air conditioning

Lift

2 kitchens

Barbecue

Chapel in the garden

Vegetable garden

Fibre Wi-Fi throughout

Sonos sound system

EV charging station

Bicycles and e-bikes

Fine bed linen and towels

Natural bathroom products

House manager

Daily breakfast

Daily housekeeping

Cot, high chair and baby bath

How to get here

Getting here

Le Mas de Chabran is in Maussane-les-Alpilles, in the Alpilles Regional Natural Park, at the foot of the ridge.

By car

A7 motorway (Lyon, Paris, Geneva), 25 km
A54 motorway (Spain, Italy), 15 km
Parking on the property

By plane

Marseille Provence airport, 55 minutes
Private jets land at Avignon, Nîmes or Aix-en-Provence
Transfers arranged by the house

By helicopter

A helicopter can land on the property, by arrangement

By train

Avignon TGV station, 35 minutes
Direct trains from Paris to Avignon TGV in 2 h 40

1563

1738

1915

2019

What the market gives

Le Mas de Castillone

La Santoline

Mas Brunard

La Bastide de Fléchon

Le Respelido

Mas Cagalou

La Bergerie de Calabrun

Le Mas de Chabran

Included in your stay

What’s included

On request

1738, on the vault

1563

1738

1915

2019

Interiors

The vaulted living room

The garden living room

The dining room

The bar-library

The kitchen

Bedrooms

Bedroom 1

Bedroom 2

Bedroom 3

Bedroom 4

Bedroom 5

Bedroom 6

Bedroom 7

Bedroom 8

Outdoors

The French gardens

The pool

The lawn and boules

The chapel and the meadow

The potager and the hens

Fitness & spa

The spa

Fitness

Tennis

What the market gives

Activities

Tennis and pétanque

Hiking in the Alpilles

Horse riding

Golf, bikes and gliding

Markets and domaines

Yoga on the lawn

The market with Quentin

The Camargue by 4×4

A manade in the Camargue

At the wheel with Florence

Antiques with Ruth Ribeaucourt

A starred chef at your table

The French table

A day at sea in the Calanques

Amenities and services

Getting here

By car

By plane

By helicopter

By train

Explore other houses

Le Mas de Castillone

La Santoline

Mas Brunard

La Bastide de Fléchon

Le Respelido

Mas Cagalou

La Bergerie de Calabrun

Every week here is made to measure