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Quick check in re 3 lodging options —Aix B&B-last min short stay

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Quick check in re 3 lodging options —Aix B&B-last min short stay

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Old May 10th, 2024, 06:34 AM
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Quick check in re 3 lodging options —Aix B&B-last min short stay

Hello all, Excited to have the opportunity of a last minute work trip that will have me staying in Reims and Paris for a few nights (Paris longer than Reims—lodging all set with these two bases). I’ve just tagged a 4 night leisure get away onto the end of this trip so I can visit Aix en Provence. Have long wanted to visit, and of course need a much longer trip(s) there and to the region as a whole. (I have so many excellent TRs and Stu Dudley’s guide saved for reference.) But I’m excited to get a taste of AeP.

Most B&Bs/small hotels mentioned in various TRs and threads are fully booked during my stay. (I don’t want to rent an apt.) I’ve narrowed my list to three that have availability, are in my budget, and seem like the kinds of places I would like. They are as follows: B&B Villa Roumanille [.6 miles from city center); Hotel Escaletto (.3 miles from city center); and Aquabella Hotel & Spa (also .3 miles from city center). I’m going to dig deeply into the reviews on booking.com today and reserve one of them. But I welcome any very quick reactions in re location. I love to walk so the .6 mile walk to the center is not an issue.

I will not have a car, but saw lrices discussion in her great TR re public transport options and day trips in the event that I decide to venture. But I’m more likely to remain in AeP for my 3 full days there-it looks gorgeous and so atmospheric. Thanks in advance for any quick reactions, esp re location, of the three B&Bs that I’m looking at.
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Old May 10th, 2024, 10:02 AM
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I've been there a couple times, first time I stayed in Hotel Cardinal which was a good location. It's only a 2* hotel but suppose you checked it out.

Really, any of those would be ok, you checked the distance. The B&B is in a different area, and that's near the university and the gare routiere, actually (I parked in a carpark near it once so remember). So if you DID want to take bus trips, that would be a more convenient location for that. Of course AIx has a train station also. You probably won't be doing that much if you are only there a few days, but the tourist office is helpful there and has some small van tours to the countryside they can book for you.

I'm surprised that highend Acquabella place is about the same price as the B&B. They look like very different experiences.
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Old May 10th, 2024, 07:44 PM
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Like Christina, I have stayed at Hotel Cardinal and really liked it. Great location and parking nearby.

https://www.hotel-cardinal-aix.com/en
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Old May 11th, 2024, 02:45 AM
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Hi,
Hotel Escaletto and Aquabella Hotel & Spa are located in the historic centre.Thus, you'll find a lot of restaurants around.
This is not the case for Villa Roumanille.
Have a good stay !
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Old May 11th, 2024, 05:03 AM
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Thanks everyone—all of this is very helpful. I’ve now made my booking and the advice was really useful in making a decision. I booked at Hotel Escaletto — seems a good fit in re location/cost/room type available/location. As always, so grateful to the community. Excited to get a taste of Provence and will let everyone know how things go.
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Old May 11th, 2024, 07:52 AM
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I think that's a good choice, for location, it's probably what I would have picked.
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Old May 11th, 2024, 09:15 AM
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Originally Posted by Christina
I think that's a good choice, for location, it's probably what I would have picked.
Thanks, Christina!
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Old May 11th, 2024, 10:18 AM
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Old Jun 9th, 2024, 06:35 AM
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Thanks to all who weighed in on a last minute question about a last minute decision to add a 4 night stay in AeP, following a work-related trip to Paris and Reims. I stayed at Hotel Escaletto in AeP and it was a good option. (Most of the forum favorites didn’t have availability for the full run of my four night stay.) The hotel was well located about a block away from the city center but on a quiet street; the staff were very helpful and accomodating; and the room and lobby and breakfast area were comfortable and certainly very clean and bright. Since it was a last minute booking, I could only secure a standard double room (usually I go up a category). The room had a lot of natural light; it was quiet; had a very good shower and the room was fresh, clean, bright, and clearly seemed to be recently renovated. It wasn’t by any means especially attractive or full of the kind of character that I normally seek and nor was the lobby/breakfast area. But I knew that when I made my booking. (I was initially a bit worried when I walked into the lobby area and first saw my room. Just bec they seemed just kind of “OK” and there was a large group of young people checking in with their tour guide. But at breakfast I saw a broader demographic at the hotel. l had a very comfortable stay there and I found the staff terrific, especially since it was a last minute trip and I needed more handholding on site than is my norm (e.g., with changing restaurant reservations, help with train tickets, printing out boarding passes, asking about museum hours, calling a friend in Marseille who strangely couldn’t be reached on WhatsApp). Just a less attractive and less interesting property than is my norm, but all that said everything was very comfortable and it was a great platform for a stay that involved meeting friends of friends in the region and doing a bit of touring and flaneuring in this lovely city. I can’t wait to go back for a proper long stay, both in AeP and elsewhere in the region. .
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Old Jun 9th, 2024, 08:17 AM
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Thanks for circling back!
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