13 Best Hotels in Provence, France

This reasonably priced boutique hotel, in a beautiful historic building across from St-Charles train station, has contemporary rooms done in rich neutral tones and equipped with flat-screen TVs and iPhone docking stations. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and the Alex Hotel's pancakes, omelets, croissants, and freshly squeezed orange juice enjoyed in the inner courtyard or the breakfast room should do the trick. And while you’re dining, you can check your email with an excellent Wi-Fi connection. It’s within walking distance from the Vieux Port and Le Panier, which is a good thing because there are no notable restaurants in close proximity.

Previously occupied by a prominent Marseille family, this 19th-century home now holds 20 beautifully designed accommodations. On the first floor there’s just one guest room in what was once the parlor, while the fourth floor is home to two that are sought after for their balconies. Each spacious room is unique, with brick walls, a high ceiling, and impeccably placed lighting. There’s a grand piano by the staircase just waiting for spontaneous fingers. A bountiful breakfast is served in the lounge, and you don't want to go elsewhere for Sunday brunch. Local chicsters join guests for a fun cocktail hour and a regular program of DJ nights, live jazz, and other hip musical moments, which can occur on any night of the week.

Chopin spent the night and George Sand kept a suite in this historic hotel overlooking the Vieux Port. Public rooms still have real antiques, burnished woodwork, Provençal style, and plush carpets, all comprising a convincing part of this intimate urban hotel's genuine old-world charm. Guest rooms are in the same style but have been updated to include all the modern comforts. Harbor-view rooms, with balconies high over the fish market, more than justify the splurge.

Although the rooms are rather snug, this modest city hotel is right around the corner from the Quai du Port and is a good value. The interior design is simple and sufficient, even the street-facing rooms are quiet, and the service is prompt and friendly. Ask for one of the fifth-floor rooms with tiny balconies overlooking the port—or the crow's nest "nuptiale" double with private rooftop terrace.

The flat, glass-and-concrete facade of this postwar structure grants all the port-facing rooms here broad views of the Vieux Port all the way to Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde. The modernist rooms are nicely done up in Mondrian-esque primary colors with 1950s-style artwork and handsome black bathrooms. For an extra €30 or so you can get a room with a terrace, most of which are spacious enough to accommodate a bistro table. Well-priced suites on the top floor may be worth a small splurge, as they have larger terraces and an extra room for kids. 

Set back from the port in the heart of the shopping district, this cozy, charming, little hotel offers a warm reception and a homey breakfast-room-cum-bar. Guest rooms are beautifully decked out in homage to various artists—Picasso in red, black, and gilt, for example, with jazzy Cubist curtains or Matisse in gray-backed walls with colorful prints.

Housed in Marseille's majestic 18th-century Hôtel Dieu, a beloved landmark built according to plans by Jacques Hardouin-Mansart, architect to Louis XIV, this place has been transformed into a gleaming palace—even if you don't stay here, it's worth stopping by for a drink on the sprawling terrace, with gorgeous views of the old port. The hotel interiors are luminous and comfortable, accented with large amphorae, artworks, and photographs of the city by local artists. Rooms are beautifully conceived with luxe touches; and many have large private terraces and views from the bathtub. The gold-mosaic pool and full-service Clarins spa and gym provide all the required pampering, and with Michelin-starred chef Lionel Lévy at the helm, the hotel's bistro Les Fenêtres and the lovely Alcyone restaurant are Marseille standouts.

On a rocky promontory overlooking the sea, this fantasy villa was bought from a countess in 1917 and converted to a sleek hotel-restaurant, where the Passédat family has been getting it right ever since—especially in the famous restaurant, which is one of only two in Provence with three Michelin stars. Gérald Passedat helms the kitchen, creating sea-anemone beignets, fresh fish roasted whole, and an entire €390 menu dedicated to Bouille Abaisse (be sure to reserve 48 hours in advance). Most guest rooms are minimalist, with some Art Deco–cum–postmodern touches, while outside the gorgeous heated pool is illuminated at night by antique gaslight fixtures.

Entering this dazzling little hotel is like walking straight into the surf, perched as it is right over the Marseille waterfront with every one of its (tiny) rooms overlooking the turquoise-blue Mediterranean. A 10-minute walk from the Vieux Port, 20 minutes on foot to the famous bouillabaisse restaurants at the Vallon des Auffes, and next to a popular beach, the hotel feels farther from the city center than it actually is. The building, designed to look like a chic 1950s beachfront resort, has two pools—one on the rooftop along with a sundeck—a compact spa, a fitness room, and a top-notch restaurant conceived by one-star Marseille chef Camille Gandolfo. When the summer crowds hit the beach, you'll appreciate its private sunning terrace.

Manufacturing hip is this urban chain hotel's claim to fame (not surprising, as it's the brainchild of designer Philippe Starck), and it has the formula down pat—offbeat (preferably artsy) neighborhood, check; plenty of graffiti in the interior design, check; functional, minimalist rooms, check; sexy touches, check. For in-hotel nightlife, with its cool pastis bar, local artisanal beer, and great live music on weekends, this spot is a good bet.

Sleek, with stunning 360-degree views of the bay and the islands, this white-on-white hotel features designs by Starck, Zanotta, and Emu. Service is prompt and unobtrusive, and the huge windows make for a light-filled reception area. The saltwater pool is fed by a natural spring, and the rooms are up-to-the-minute in style. Specialties of the good modern restaurant include rack of lamb basted with olive tapenade and black grain mustard and sea bass baked with Provençal vegetables.

Its plum location next to the beautiful Palais de Pharo and park and its legendary service make this more than a standard-issue, five-star luxury property, but views from the rooftop terrace put it right up there with the city's top hotels. Contemporary luxe common areas feature dark wood (like the halls of a luxury cruise ship), marine themes, and original artworks and more than half the rooms have views over the port. Vistas also showcase the J4 Pier, the forts, and Marseille's two hills. Sea-and-sand-tone rooms are comfortable and spacious with ample bathrooms. A lovely full-service spa and small pool, gastronomic restaurant, and the terrific terrace bar are icing on the cake.

A stay at one of this property's intimate cabanons—traditional fisherman's cottages—gets you the full Mediterranean experience of endless sea and sun just outside your door. Tucked away in Les Goudes, a tiny fishing village in a seaside calanque (inlets along the coast between Marseille and Cassis in the rugged Calanques National Park) on the outskirts of Marseille, you'll feel a world away, and yet you'll still have everything you need at hand—the Tuba club, a chic seafood restaurant, the lively beachfront Bikini bar, and private terraces to soak in the sea and sun at your leisure.