NeoPatrick

Have stayed in Aix for a week before and loved the town. (Although we were there when Princess Di was killed, to give you an idea of how long ago that was). Last time we stayed at Hotel des Austines and really liked it except that there are NO showers there, only big bathtubs which we aren't crazy about. Also some reviews suggest there is a serious need for cleaning or refurbishing.
The nicest looking hotel rooms seem to be the Renaissance, and although on a map it looks close, it seems by memory that that area to the Cours is not very "walking friendly". Can anyone confirm or refute that? How long of a walk is it, and is it all sidewalks and easily walkable?
For such a lovely town, it seems most places are really pretty "run down" or they are incredibly expensive places way out somewhere. We want to walk in and out of our hotel a lot.

Cathinjoetown

I stayed here about 20 years ago when it was locally owned:

http://www.villagallici.com/uk/hotel...e-officiel.php

From the photos, the decor looks much more, well, garish than it did then. We were there not too long after it had opened--the owners who did the initial rennovation had done a beautiful job.

I'm almost positive our room had a huge tub but no shower. All the rooms were different so some may have showers.

I loved the location which was at the top of the town. I remember an easy walk down to the cours but also remember a taxi back! Despite the OTT decor, I would stay there again, if I could find a good offer.

thursdaysd

Is that the Marriott on Avenue Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart? I was just in Aix and that looks walkable to me, if perhaps further than I would choose. The Ave des Belges is fine. I gave up on hotels in Aix and did my first AirBnB, very nice room but up far too many stairs!

Printemps

I have been very happy over the years at the Saint Christophe.
http://iphone.hotel-saintchristophe.fre.Great location near the Rotunda Fountain
and an easy walk from bus and train station (not TGV ( of course).Outdoor terrace bar is nice for meals or just a coffee and the showers are wonderful.
Sharon

Christina

I agree there are not a lot of great hotels in Aix. It really is a small town, after all.

I stayed in a country inn on the outskirts the second time and in a funky 2* hotel the first time which was in town. I liked it but think it may not be what you had in mind (and it did have only tubs).

The Renaissance is fairly far from the center IMO, I wouldn't choose it with the idea of walking to/from a lot at night. There is a major street there, also. But it's about 1 km in distance, depends what you want.

The closest decent hotels to cours Mirabeau which are renovated and modern, and thus do have stall showers (don't think you'll find them otherwise) are the Hotel de Gantes and the Hotel Cezanne. The Gantes is nice but around $300 a night. The Cezanne more like $225. If you don't mind being near the cathedral, which is near the outdoor market and a nice enough area, just not the cours Mirabeau drag, the Hotel Aquabella is nice with stall showers and is only around $180 a night.

For a big chain hotel, I like Mercure or Accor and they do have the McGallery collection Grand Hotel Roi Rene in Aix which will have stall showers and is about $225 a night, also. It's closer to the cours than the Renaissance, but not as close as the Gantes.

see
http://www.hoteldegantes.com/
http://hotelaix.com/ (can't get booking to work, try booking.com)
http://www.aquabella.fr/default-en.html
http://www.mgallery.com/gb/hotel-116...on/index.shtml

Myer

I think you meant you stayed at Hotel des Augustins on Rue de la Masse. Correct?

We stayed there a couple of years ago and the location is absolutely great.

I don't remember the room at all but if it didn't have a shower I surely would remember that. If it is the same hotel then maybe some rooms have showers. If it isn't the same why don't you check it out.

msteacher

Several years ago, we stayed at Le Pigonnet and were very happy there. Beautiful gardens and very short walk into town. The location is just lovely because it's tucked away out of town, so it's very quiet, but the walk to the Cours Mirabeau is quite short. It was very well run when we were there, but it's been a few years, so you may want to check more recent reviews.

NeoPatrick

So many good specifics here. Thanks to all!

msteacher, Le Pigonnet does look nice, and I was surprised you say it is such a short walk. But $400 a night for our dates (four nights) is a bit rich. And Hotel Gantes looks lovely too, but even MORE expensive that that in prime season for their cheapest rooms.

On the other hand Saint Christophe seems, well, just a little TOO sparse and budget.

I think we'll eliminate the Rennaissance as it does sound like a trek from there. I'm trying to remember we walked to something out that way, and it seems it was kind of "dangerous" trying to cross the major street without lights and no sidewalks or something like that.

Myer, I checked with Hotel des Augustins and no -- NO rooms have showers. They have tubs with just a hand held shower thing and no curtains or glass. I remember it was a disaster trying to wash hair and shower, overshadowing the wonderful atmosphere of the hotel and rooms themselves. Just not for us.

The Cezanne now seems to be my first choice. I know our parking for des Augustins was very hear there and I kind of even remember seeing the hotel. Nice location, I think and it does look nice (although the major breakfast buffet is pretty pricey if we do that). But at US $177 a night it seems a real bargain (hotels.com)

thursdaysd

It's been a long time since you were in Aix, right? The situation for pedestrians is likely better now, I certainly didn't have a lot of trouble. You could use Google maps to see where the traffic lights are.

NeoPatrick

Not just that, but the comments above about distance and convenience seem worthwhile. Not exactly "I think I'll pop out to the Cours and get a coffee" type situation.

Christina

The Cezanne is between the train station and the fontaine de la Rotonde. Very convenient for trains, that's for sure.

The Gantes might be noisy, anyway, being right on Cours Mirabeau and it has that real popular cafe in front.

powhatangal

I stayed at the Auqabella about 10 years ago and it was nice. Had a pretty view of the room over the rooftops. There's also a great outdoor pool if that interests you.
It was easy walking everywhere from the hotel.

NeoPatrick

hmm. Now I've discovered Grand Hotel Roi Rene. Seems a little more "up to date" and refurbished than Cezanne and pretty much the same rates just a little more. Rooms look much smaller, but that's less an issue than other things --like not looking a little tired.

NeoPatrick

Hmmm. powhatangal, I had looked at Aquabella and it looks very nice, especially rooms with a balcony and view. They have near by reserved self park for only 12 euros, and decent rates including full breakfast. But on the map it looked quite far. They say it is a 15 minute walk to the train station (we don't care about that but that serves as a guide) which is actually further than the Cours Mirabeau and most of the old town which seems to lie between the Cours and the hotel. So it's actually kind of intriguing.

I read some reviews and even made a call to Accor regarding Grand Hotel Roi Rene, and it gets a little fuzzy. Some say they return to find no parking at all and having to go to a very expensive pay lot elsewhere. And mostly people talk about the rooms REALLY being tiny and cramped, but lovely.

Ah, decisions, decisions. Meanwhile I've got to firm up our itineary -- which I'm having trouble making the decisions on.

thursdaysd

That looks like a bit of a slog from the Aquabella, although google says it's only 800 meters. However, much of it is likely to be uphill going back.

You don't need a car in Aix itself, can you park it on the outskirts or not pick it up until you leave?

NeoPatrick

Regarding the car, I'm imagining we'll be driving off into the countryside and returning every day, so having it pretty near to the hotel (not necessarily right at the hotel) is a plus.

I'm kind of leaning on powhatangal here when she says "it was easy walking to everywhere from the hotel". I'm picturing many of the restaurants we liked were up in that whole old city section between the Cours and the Aquabella, so I'm not picturing it being a really big thing. Maybe I'm wrong. Still to decide between it and the Grand Hotel Roi Rene, once I can zero in on our actual itinerary.

We'll be starting with 4 nights in Nice and ending up in Lyon for 2 nights. We want to do 4 nights in Aix. That leaves us another 4 nights somewhere, probably all in one other place. Or we could take a day or two from that 4 and one to either Nice or Lyon or both. We'll be flying Easy Jet from Lyon to Barcelona for the last few days of the trip before flying home from there.

Christina

Didn't you ever go to the market and the cathedral when in Aix? That's a nice area. Just thought you'd have an idea then where it was. Good for the market, in any case. I stayed once a couple blocks other side of the Cours, and I agree, there are probably more restaurants, etc. in the direction of the Aquabella. The weekly market is around the city hall which is near there. http://www.aixenprovencetourism.com/.../?detail=19107

To be honest, it's about the same distance to Cours Mirabeau as the Renaissance, or almost. I just think the stuff in-between is more interesting.

NeoPatrick

Interesting, Christina, the only market I recall in Aix was the entire Cours Mirabeau.
And yes, I noted too that on the map the Aquabella looks about the same distance from the Cours as the Renaissance. But you're right that we'd probably have much closer to us at the Aquabella.

powhatangal

Neopatrick, walking to the cours Mirabeau, the market, and to restaurants was quite pleasant from the Aquabella. I never thought of it as being far to walk at all. I didn't have a car but the parking option sounds good. Breakfast can be taken on the terrace. I spent a couple of hours one afternoon just relaxing at the pool. Have fun planning!

NeoPatrick

Interesting. If I go to Trip Advisor and click on the map for restaurants in Aix, I find the whole cluster of them between the Cours and the Aquabella (which shows as restaurant L'Orangerie). Looking at that it seems it's as close to the "bulk" of restaurants as the Cours is.