The main reason I traveled to the Provence was to photograph the lavender fields in Luberon and Valensole. However, there’s a lot more to see and do in the Luberon Region which makes it worth spending at least a week in this stunning area in central Provence.
When visiting the Luberon Region, it’s convenient to choose one base to discover the charming little villages of Luberon and its stunning nature. We stayed in Le Mas de Cink, a beautiful and cozy family Mas transformed into six spacious apartments located in the Northern part of Luberon, near Roussillon and Gordes. For 5 days, we explored the medieval villages, experienced the region’s lifestyle and tasted the Luberon cuisine and wines.
In this article, we share 10 reasons why ‘Le Mas de Cink’ is a great place to stay while road tripping through The Provence and why the Luberon Region should be part of your Provence Itinerary.
Why you should include the Luberon in your Provence itinerary!
The Luberon is popular because of the picturesque hilltop villages and chateaus, historic monuments, markets, and spectacular landscapes of lavender, vineyards, and olive trees. It’s without a doubt one of the most beautiful regions in all of France.
The Luberon valley is home to ‘Parc Naturel Regional du Luberon’ and some of the most stunning medieval villages like Roussillon, Gordes, Lourmarin, and Ménerbes, rewarded as the most beautiful villages in France (‘Les plus beaux de villages’).
If you are a lover of wonderful landscapes and breathtaking views, you cannot miss out on the orange Colorado landscape of the Ochre Trail. From the first floor of Le Mas de Cink, you have great views of this former ochre mine in Roussillon.
Another interesting place to visit is the Abbey de Senanque, which was unfortunately under construction. This place is also a popular photo spot during the lavender season in mid-June and July.
If you would like to learn more about the lavender products, production and harvest, visit the ‘Musée de la Lavande’ near Gordes.
Gordes also attracts visitors because of the ‘Le Village des Bories’, an historic settlement of Beehive-shaped bories (stone huts), constructed of slivered limestone.
Le Mas the Cink is the perfect base to explore the above-mentioned villages, and other villages like Goult, Lacoste, Bonnieux, Cucuron, and Saignon. That is also one of the many reasons why you should book your stay in Le Mas de Cink.
1. Le Mas de Cink is perfectly located in the heart of Luberon
The tranquil property of Le Mas de Cink is located in the middle of the Luberon region, in a lovely hamlet on the outskirts of Saint-Saturnin-lès-Apt. The location makes it a perfect base to explore the Luberon, especially the beautiful Northern part.
Many medieval Luberon villages can be reached in 30 minutes by car: Gordes (16km), Roussillon (10km), Village des Bories (8km) and Sénanque Abbey (14km).
If you want to stay close, you can go cycling and hiking in the surroundings. In the village of Saint- Saturnin-lès-Apt itself, you will find several restaurants and a supermarket. If you plan to have dinner in town, I would advise to book a table in advance. Don’t forget to visit the local market on Tuesday.
The nearest airport is Avignon Airport – Provence, situated 39,9 km from Le mas de Cink.
2. A beautiful tranquil property surrounded by nature
Le Mas De Cink is a beautiful small property with only six apartments, surrounded by a wonderful green garden featuring the scents of the French Provence. The Mas is located in a peaceful and natural environment full of vineyards, cypress trees, lavender fields, olive trees, and almond trees.
Because of the green environment, you will find lots of insects around but that’s part of the Luberon nature.
In the lush garden you can enjoy the sun (which shines abundantly in this region), the large swimming pool and games like ‘Ping-Pong’ or ‘Jeu de Boules’.
Another advantage of this green environment of the Luberon is the range of organic food that is offered in restaurants and on local markets. Essential herbs in the Luberon cuisine are thyme, rosemary and savory. At an extra rate, you can opt for a delicious local product breakfast at Le Mas de Cink and for your lunch or dinner, you can make (free) use of the on-site barbecue.
If you are looking for an idyllic setting with enough privacy to relax and reconnect to nature, I highly recommend checking out Le Mas de Cink.
3. Enjoy a plunge in the large swimming pool of Le Mas de Cink
June, July, and August are the most popular months to visit the Provence, with temperatures around 30°C (86°F) during the summer with little to no rainfall. With these temperatures, it’s a delight to take a dip in the lovely long swimming pool of Le Mas de Cink.
The pool is very clean and well maintained (daily). The temperature of the water is perfect. I’m sure you can’t resist having a swim in the pool after a long day of exploring the Luberon Region on a hot summer day.
After cooling off in the pool, you are also able to relax on one of the sun beds with parasols at the pool area. Be aware of closing your parasol when you leave the swimming pool area, because the wind could blow it away.
4. Great views from the apartments on the 1st Floor
Le Mas de Cink has six apartments with each their own entrance. Two apartments are located on the first floor, accessible via a spiral staircase. The views from the 1st floor are amazing.
We loved sitting on the balcony with our own prepared breakfast or dinner, enjoying the panoramic views of the Luberon with cypress trees, Lavender fields, and orchards. In the distance you have views of the uphill village of Roussillon.
In fact, making my way to the balcony with a cup of coffee from the Nespresso machine after waking up was my favorite morning ritual. In the morning, you could witness some low hanging clouds and fog in front of Roussillon. Witnessing the setting sun over the Provence, is yet another spectacular to event to end your evening.
I wouldn’t recommend the apartments on the first floor to people with walking difficulties, as there’s no elevator. The apartments on the ground floor are bigger, better accessible and have their own (private) garden with sunbeds adjacent to the swimming pool. I would recommend these apartments for families with kids or a group of friends.
5. Well-equipped modern Providence-style apartments for an independent stay
The moment I entered our apartment, I fell in love with the original Providence-style interior with stoned floors, sliding wooden doors and whitewashed walls with pigments from Rousillion. Christian, the owner, also showed us some other apartments and they all have a great design. Apart from that, the apartments are well-maintained, spacious and clean.
Every apartment has storage space for clothing, a terrace or private garden, and a fully equipped (external) kitchenette including a dishwasher, microwave, fridge, kettle, coffee machine, and all kinds of pots/pans and cutlery. Basically, everything you need for an independent stay and preparing your own food. At an extra rate, you can also have a delicious local product breakfast prepared for you by the staff of Le Mas de Cink.
The rooms also have a flat-screen (satellite) TV, air-conditioning, rain shower, and a hairdryer. Products like shampoo, shower gel, or coffee cups, you need to bring yourself or buy in a supermarket.
Note that Le Mas de Cink is no B&B or hotel. It offers (short-term) rentals of apartments and the service has been adapted to that. For example, for long stays, bed sheets and towels will be changed at the end of the week if you ask it. As Le Mas De Cink mentions on their website, you can expect charm, (all essential) services, and independence.
6. Fair price, a great value for money!
Prices of Le Mas de Cink vary per apartment, starting from €80 per night depending on the season and length of your stay.
For example, their largest (80m²) L’annexe apartment for two people, with a large living room of 60m² and equipped kitchen costs between €165 to €265 depending on the season and the length of your stay. The family (or friends) Lin apartment (60 m²) with two levels is a great option for a group of up to 4 people and costs between €145 to €220.
We stayed in a small 20m² duo/couples studio ‘Plume’ with a summer kitchen on a lovely sheltered balcony of 8 m². This apartment is great for 1 or 2 people and costs between €80 to €110 depending on the season and the length of your stay.
In my opinion, Le Mas De Cink offers great value for money. The price-quality ratio is very fair.
7. Good communication
Their communication is reliable and fast. We got in touch through email first to discuss our stay, while in Luberon we got in touch through WhatsApp to confirm our arrival time and the code to enter the property with our car.
Upon arrival we met with the owner and received a PDF file with all the information we needed for our stay (clear instructions on how to enter the property, restaurant recommendations, etc.). We also got a quick response to questions during our stay.
The friendly host can also give you excellent recommendations for discovering the region. Only a short drive will take you to charming Provencal villages, historic towns, wineries, and more.
8. Sport facilities in and around Le Mas de Cink
For sport lovers, there are plenty of things to do. Apart from the Ping-Pong and Jeu de Boules games in the garden of Le Mas de Cink, you can also opt for tennis or skateboarding in the same street.
People who are into a morning run can leave Le Mas de Cink on their left and will discover ‘Fontjouval’, at about 2km straight on the road. Then come back and cross the small hamlets in the area.
The Luberon region is also heaven for cyclists. Saint-Saturnin is a great hiking place. I recommend to visit the tourism office for a map. You can also go kayaking at Fontaine de Vaucluse or horse-riding.
9. Free private parking available
The best way to explore the Luberon region is by car. For that reason, it’s an extra advantage to have a free private parking available so you don’t have to worry about parking and security. When you reach Le Mas de Cink, you have to enter the property through a gate which first leads you to the private parking.
You can either open the portal manually with a code that has been given to you or with a remote control on the keyholder of your room. There’s enough space on the carpark, therefore it is not necessary to make a reservation in advance.
10. Reliable and free WI-FI connection
A reliable WIFI connection is one of the most important requirements during our travels because we also work while traveling. Luckily the WI-FI connection in our room was fast and good. We even streamed a movie and had conference calls via MS Teams. Although the WI-FI connection couldn’t reach the area around the swimming pool, I was very satisfied with the high-speed internet use, which is free of charge.
Questions about travel to the Luberon Region of the Provence?
I hope this blog about our stay at Le Mas de Cink was helpful for you, and you got a bit of an idea of staying in the charming Mas in the heart of the Luberon.
Don’t hesitate to ask me any questions about my stay in Le Mas de Cink or the French Provence in general. Comment below or sent a message on my Instagram @ourplanetinmylens.
This article is written by travel photographer Kim Paffen, part of the Traveltomtom team. She also wrote amazing articles about Uganda and Madagascar.