Hôtel des Arts

A good value stay in Aix-en-Provence. The room was basic, but had what I needed, especially air conditioning. The reception staff were polite and kind.

It was the cheapest room I found in Aix that day, and it had the basics I needed. Very small, but clean. I chose the fourth floor, so there were lots of stairs to climb. In return it was quiet and got lovely afternoon sun.

The one bright spot was the woman at reception. We’d booked the wrong check-in date and were meant to arrive the next day, but she was incredibly kind and sorted it out so we could stay. Without her help, we would have contacted the booking site to cancel as soon as we saw the room. Her kindness is the only reason this gets two stars. The sheets were clean, too. The room itself was tiny, with nowhere to put a suitcase. It felt very worn and dated, and neither the floor nor the bathroom had been cleaned properly. The bed frame was completely moldy. There wasn’t a proper bathroom door, so you could hear everything, and noise carried from the hall and neighboring rooms. The photos will show the rest. They’re all wide-angle shots because there wasn’t enough space to capture the room otherwise.

After 22 hours of travel, we were too exhausted to try the city recommendations the lovely front desk woman gave us. Our TGV reached Aix an hour late, and she didn’t mind staying late to check us in. The rooms are small and the bathrooms intimate, but the price is very reasonable for the convenient location and strong air conditioning. If you want a five-star hotel, you’ll need to pay for one. We had a great stay and would come back to Aix and stay here again.