help needed for marseille provence nice itinerary
 

I just purchased my tickets to France.Will arrive in Marseille and depart from Nice.It's 15 day long:the first 5 days are to be spent around Marseille.Next seven days I have tentatively rented an apt in Provence and the last 3 days probably in Nice .
Any suggestions for accomodations in Marseille and Nice will be appreciated.

ttt

What's your price range for hotels in Marseille and Nice?

I only need s plsce to sleep and deposit the luggage.Not intereted in luxury.
Less than $100.00 will be great.
Thanks,Nono

Here are two Marseille hotels listed in the Lonely Planet Provence & the Cote d'Azur Guidebook that are really cheap. Note: I haven't stayed in either one myself. (My book is three years old so the prices may be out of date.) I quote from the book.

"Generally most of the rock-bottom hotels around the train station are unsavoury dumps. Hotel d'Athenes (tel. 04 91 90 03 83, fax 04 91 90 72 03; 37 blvd d'Athenes; singles/doubles with shower E25/31 with shower & toilet E36/40) is an exception. At the foot of the monumental staircase leading from the station to town, this two-star place has well-kept TV-clad rooms."

"A sound budget choice north of La Canebiere, Marseille's main thoroughfare, is Hotel Gambetta (tel./fax 04 91 62 07 88; 49 allees Leon Gambetta; singles/doubles with shower & toilet E23.50/36.30)."

I have stayed in the Hotel Clemenceau (www.hotelclemenceau.com) in Nice. It's between the train station and the beach and has spacious, air-conditioned rooms at reasonable rates. It's a two-star hotel that feels more like a three-star.

A friend of mine that travels to France very often has been trying the ETAP chain of hotels and is very pleased with them.
You might find some in the areas you will be visiting.

FYI, both Marseille and Nice are in Provence.

What's your budget range for a Nice hotel? Do you care about the location--i.e., near the sea or in the town?

Lonely Planet says the Etap Hotel in Marseille is in an excellent location. Here are some more of what LP calls mid-range hotels (still well below $100) in Marseille.
Two that look straight out to sea: Hotel de Richelieu and Hotel Peron.
Hotel St-Louis is in the hub of Marseille's shopping district.
New Hotel Vieux Port and Hotel Alize both overlook the bustling old port.

Thank you TimS Sher and Underhill for all your suggestions. Marseille's
Airport location is between Marseille and Aix .Would it better to stay In Aix and tour Marseille from there.I'll also be going for 1-2 days to Montpellier before renting the apt in Menebres.
So many places to visit ! Will continue reading tour books and suggestions.
Great thanks.

The Marseille airport is actually west of the city, whereas Aix is north; so it just depends on where you want to be. Personally, I'd prefer Aix, with a day visit to Marseille. There's a nice hotel--Le Mas d'Entremont--very near the main road that runs from Aix to Marseille, making for a quick trip and no problems with parking, for which Aix is notorious.