Its horses and bulls are known to be indomitable. In the Camargue, the descendants of Crin Blanc, just like the noble and valiant bious - as the bulls are called here - nevertheless sometimes let themselves be ridden by cattle herons who conveniently rid them of troublesome insects. At sunset, it is thus decked out that equines and cattle, alongside ducks, flamingos, egrets and other elegant avocets, come to cool their hooves in the pond of Vaccarès, one of the many bodies of water making buffer between land and the Mediterranean in the Rhône delta. Strikingly, this kind of postcard is the daily life of the Méjanes estate. Acquired by Paul Ricard in 1939, it has been open to the public day and night since last May, since gîtes have been set up there.
Now owned by Michèle Ricard, daughter of the creator of "real pastis de Marseille", this estate is one of those who have contributed to the myth of the Camargue. In the 1960s, people came there every Sunday from Nîmes and Marseille to attend Camargue races… and sip (free!) An anisette.
Having in a more distant past belonged to the Templars, the place was also the refuge of Paul Ricard during the Second World War when the manufacture of spirits was prohibited by the Vichy regime.
In Méjanes, the alcoholier repatriates his workers whom he lodges on site.
He created a breeding of bulls and horses, and developed the cultivation of cereals, especially rice, thanks to the Napoleonic irrigation networks which shaped the between-arms of the Rhône.
Because the estate is isolated, a school is even created there for the toddlers of agricultural workers.
Read alsoOur 2021 selection of guest houses in the South-East
A Camargue as wild as it is tame
Gardians in the Camargue.
CecileDomens
Over the years, the children are gone, but the soul has remained. A soul that Michèle Ricard is now working to bring to life all year round. We stay in the Old School, the Château de Méjanes, the Clos des Amandiers or the three caravans. The furniture in each gîte recalls the original use of the buildings: school from the 1940s, 12th century castle, farmhouses, guardian huts…. The modern dialogues with the old for the sake of comfort, authenticity and rusticity. At the restaurant La Bergerie de Méjanes, Picasso, Luis Mariano, Manitas de Plata and Johnny Hallyday had their habits, as evidenced by an impressive photographic collection hanging on the walls.
Defender of biodiversity and the environment, Paul Ricard was keen to promote this Camargue, which was as wild as it was tame. It is to restore this adventure that Michèle Ricard opened, at the end of July, on the estate, a museum to the glory of her father. Beyond the industrial figure, we discover other facets of man. More unknown. The patriot-resistant, the painter, the film producer - he bought out the studios of Marcel Pagnol -, the ecologist… Halfway between the arenas of Arles and the Saintes-Maries-de- la-Mer, the Méjanes estate is a natural refuge steeped in history and legends.
Cottages from € 460 on weekends (€ 330 in a trailer).
Two nights minimum outside school holidays.
Weekly rental from Saturday to Saturday (ie 7 nights minimum), during school holidays.
Two restaurants on the site: from € 14 at La Bergerie de Méjanes;
unique fish menu at 40 € at Mazet du Vaccarès.
Paul-Ricard Museum: € 8 (free for children under 10).
Little train, horse rides, bullfighting events ...
Domaine de Méjanes, Mas de Méjanes 13,200 Arles.
Phone.
: 07 88 03 13 22.
Read also Trendy or more secret: Arles in 20 addresses
