Mas Saurine:
Situated only 30 minutes from Perpignan, near the villages of Joch and Vinca and within easy reach of Prades and Ille-sur-Tet, Mas Saurine offers creative holidays / vacation programs and workshops in painting, Mediterranean cooking, writing & digital photography in the French Pyrenees in the Pyrenees-Orientales Region of southern France, close to the northern Spanish border and the Mediterranean Sea. Perpignan is located approximately 157 km north of Barcelona in Spain. At Mas Saurine, our classes take place in the studio or out in the field, depending on the subject and course. We try to work outdoors as much as possible to take advantage of the wonderful scenery and light.
Mas Saurine is a Catalan farmhouse dating from 1840 which has been lovingly restored over the past few years to give comfortable modern accommodation whilst retaining its charm and character. The Mas is approached by a quiet country lane, with stunning views of Mount Canigou and other mountain ranges in the distance.
In the stone barn on the first floor, we have our fully-equipped painting studio and on the ground floor our newly fitted out teaching kitchen. Guests are accommodated in the Mas and the Farmhouse adjacent to the barn and we offer a choice of individually styled double, twin and single rooms. There is ample room in the courtyard and gardens to find a quiet corner for relaxation and if you wish something a little more strenuous our 10 x 5 metre pool is open from May to September.
Our menus offer healthy Mediterranean cuisine, dishes are made with locally sourced in season ingredients and your hosts Robert and Carolynn serve generous quantities of Roussillon wines with dinner. Special dietary requirements can be catered for. Weather permitting meals are taken in the garden with views of Canigou or under the pergola by the pool.
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The Pyrenees-Orientales:
Mas Saurine is in the departement of the Pyrenees-Orientales. With its rich diversity of wildlife, flora and pure mountain air, the Pyrenees Orientales is a wonderful place for a holiday. The area offers something for everyone with the wonderful sandy beaches on the Mediterranean coast, the plain of Roussillon where the vineyards and peach orchards are planted and rugged mountain terrain for walkers, skiers and people in search of peace and quiet away from the crowds. Mas Saurine is halfway between the coast and the mountains, making it ideally situated for those who want the best of both worlds.
The wide, sandy beaches of the Mediterranean are forty minutes away at Argeles. A little further on is the picturesque fishing village of Collioure, which attracted artists such as Matisse, Derain and Picasso. Close by is the town of Céret, famous for its bullfighting and its Museum of Modern Art.
Inland, the medieval fortified village of Villefranche is 20 minutes drive from Mas Saurine. From here, one can take the famous Little Yellow Train, a narrow gauge mountain train with open-top carriages which snakes it way up to the high mountain pass towards Andorra.
The city of Perpignan which is 30 minutes away offers good shopping and nightlife. On Thursday evenings throughout July and August, there is free street entertainment. This includes bands, jugglers, fire-eaters and dancers and is not to be missed. We are just 1 hour from the border with Northern Spain where one can buy duty free goods and only 2 hours from the lively and exciting city of Barcelona, which makes it close enough for a day-trip.
In this area, there are many churches, priories and abbeys that are open to the public, that are on the Route de Compostella - which is the ancient route that all the pilgrims once followed and many people still follow today.
