Hôtel Le Relais de Poste Arles Centre Historique

The room was small, but clean and comfortable, and the staff were very nice and informative. The hotel is centrally placed for a stay in Arles, close to restaurants, cafes, and sights we enjoyed, and about a block from the Saturday market. If you're arriving by car, there's a nearby garage. Ask the front desk where it is and about the reduced rate they have arranged there.

The rooms were spotless and had all the amenities listed. It’s a lovely, comfortable little hotel right in the centre of Arles, with a nearby garage for parking. You can pay for parking at reception in advance for a lower rate. ❤️

Parking was easy to arrange at a nearby garage, and the rate was competitive. The room itself was small but charming, with a recent refresh in soothing colors, lovely sheets, and a very comfortable bed. The bathroom was spotless, though the sink was tiny and had no light. The l’Occitane amenities were a nice touch. Breakfast felt cramped, and with just one very slow machine for coffee and tea water, there was a wait. More choice and a broader spread would help. The shower had a large rain head and a smaller one, but the large one only dripped cold water, and the whole column was almost pulled out of the wall. It was clearly visible, so either the cleaner didn’t report it or it was reported and left unfixed before the room was rented again. Either way, that’s a problem.

We left after one night and changed hotels mid-stay, something I’ve never done in more than 40 years of travelling in France. The room was too hot, the night was noisy, and the response from staff to both problems was deeply disappointing. The shower water was only lukewarm, and the soap dispenser was empty too. The website lists air conditioning as a basic amenity, but ours wouldn’t work. On arrival, it was 72 degrees with 72% humidity, and the heat hit us as soon as we entered our south-facing room with its two large windows. We couldn’t get the mini-split unit running, so we thought we might be using the remote incorrectly and tried again after dinner. Still no luck. Mosquitoes were inside, so we kept the windows shut overnight and put up with the heat. A group of men on the street below then started talking loudly, shouting, and singing. Some seemed drunk. Around 2 a.m., I asked the night desk man to go out and get them to quiet down or move along so the hotel guests could sleep. I was sure we weren’t the only ones being disturbed. He said he’d handle it, but nothing changed. They carried on until about 3:30 a.m., when rain finally started and they left. My wife and I got to sleep around 4. After four hours of sleep and breakfast, I told the morning desk man the AC was still a problem. He checked the room, agreed it wasn’t working, and said he’d call a technician. If it couldn’t be fixed, he said we could move rooms. We came back from lunch and asked Mehdie at the afternoon desk whether it had been fixed. He said he knew nothing about it and that there was nothing wrong with the unit. Then he told us the hotel turns off the AC in October, as if that settled it. Since it clearly hadn’t been repaired, we asked for the room change the morning staff member had promised. Mehdie said the hotel was full and that it might have been possible if he’d been told earlier. I asked him to come upstairs and feel how hot the room was himself. He refused, with an air of total indifference. That was the last straw, so we moved to the Mercure Hotel, two minutes away on foot. Its AC worked perfectly, the staff were extremely friendly, and its breakfast buffet put the Hotel le Relais de Poste’s to shame. The Hotel Mercure will get a 4 star review. As I write this, Hotel le Relais de Poste has refused to refund us for the night we didn’t stay in that unbearably hot room, where the AC was unavailable despite still being listed on the website.