hotel calendal
 

i'm planning a trip to provence in june and looking toward staying in arles. I am leaning toward hotel calendal. anyone been there, suggestions?

I stayed there last winter. Definitely would stay again; it's a very clean, centrally located and pleasant hotel. My room overlooked the courtyard. I believe others have a view of the arena. Many people on this board have recommended La Calendal as well as Hotel d'Arlatan in Arles.

Do you have any particular concerns?

i'm traveling alone, female. looking for a hotel that is clean, safe and centrally located with helpful staff who speak some english cause as of right now, i speak no french. I do not need a resort, looking for more of a place to eat and sleep but would like it to have that provencal feel. i'm thinking of possibly splitting my two weeks apend ing a week in arles and a week in aix or avignon. I'm more of a foodie than a history buff so i want to cruise markets and wineries and take cooking classes. any suggestions

I was traveling alone, female (I'm still female ;) ). I stayed four nights and felt very comfortable at the hotel. I think Le Calendal has exactly what you say you're looking for.

The staff is helpful and speaks English. There are many restaurants in the vicinity. All the sights in Arles are in walking distance. If you don't have a lot of luggage and are arriving by train you can walk easily to the hotel. If you're driving there is a nearby parking lot. They also have information about organized day trips as well as train and bus schedules, etc., and will happily advise you about these.

I don't know if I would spend an entire week in Arles and then an entire week in another city, but perhaps some of the southern France experts on this board will chime in.

However, you can't go wrong with Le Calendal. And even though you say you're not a history buff, the sights in Arles can be seen quickly and easily, still leaving you plenty of time for cooking classes, market-going, and of course lots of dining and drinking. Enjoy!

i don't want to do too much hotel hopping and luggage dragging so that's why i though i'd pick one or two cities and do day trips - riviera, countryside, etc

I loved the Calendal when I stayed there. Very Provencal, a very nice staff, a beautiful garden. But I must agree that a week sounds like a long time. I liked but did not love Arles. I would recommend staying in the countryside if you'll have a car--perhaps near St. Remy or in the Luberon. And I would choose Avignon and Aix over Arles if you're relying on public transport. I don't know why, but there was something almost creepy about Arles that I can't put my finger on. Does anyone agree?

I didn't find Arles creepy at all. Maybe I'm creepy? :)

We stayed at this hotel - had a great view out our window of the Roman amphitheater - amazing! My husband remembers this as the nicest hotel we have ever stayed at in Europe - the room was very large! The staff was very pleasant but I will add (as one foodie to another) that their restaurant recommendations did not hit "home runs" with us. But it may have been that the restaurants were fairly pricey and INNOVATIVE - we were probably looking for more of the traditional food of the area. Maybe after Arles you waould want to head to the Cote d'Azure for a slightly different south of France experience!

Hotel Calendal was the best thing about our 3 night stay in Arles last year. I agree with Guy18 - Arles had kind of an end-of the-world desolate air - in some areas of the city, almost a sinister, menacing feeling. Personally, I can't imagine wanting to stay there a week; a daytrip would be plenty.

Maddy-I'm so glad it wasn't just me! Like I said, I'm glad I had the experience, (the cathedral is amazing and I love the square in front of the Hotel Nord Pinus) but the feel of the place is just as you describe it. Aix and Avignon are much more vibrant places.

I also agree with a few of the other posters that a week in Arles in WAY too long. Unless you plan on day trips from Arles than 2 days would be MORE than enough time to see the sites. I enjoyed Avignon much more than I did Arles. I actually spent 4 days in Avignon and used a couple of those days to take guided tours of the area. Check out the tours on Viator for Provence out of Avignon. Like you, I am a female as was traveling alone. As for Arles being "creepy", actually I will agree there were areas that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up so I avoided those areas. On the whole, I enjoyed Arles, just stayed there 2 days too long! There are so many other little towns that you could spend the time in. I'd hate for you to use up valuable vacation days by limiting yourself to just 2 places with 2 weeks to play with. You could spend time in the Loire Valley and take the train down to Provence and see 2 very different areas of France. There are some marvelous towns in the Loire Valley like Tours and Amboise to name just a couple and the trains in France are very easy to use to get around. Wow, what planning I could do with 2 weeks!!! You could easily base yourself in someplace like Tours or Amboise and take day trips on the train to some of the other towns in the Loire in order to avoid "hotel hopping" and do the same in Provence. I'd love to give you some ideas if you want to e-mail me.