B&B HOTEL Aix-en-Provence Le Tholonet

We needed somewhere for the night after our VRBO fell through and the historic center hotels were all booked. This place was clean, reasonably priced, and very convenient, just outside Aix en Provence’s historic center.

Breakfast was good, though the eggs were awful, mushy and made from powder. The room itself was clean, with nice linens and pillows on the beds. It’s on a quiet street near some good grocery stores, and only a short drive from a lovely riverside park by the university.

I left this place more stressed than when I arrived for what was meant to be a little break. I’ve stayed in everything from five star hotels to roadside motels and hostels, and I’ve never had such prison like rules enforced by such unpleasant staff. Seriously, avoid it if you can. The biggest problem was the blonde concierge staff member. On Friday I went down for breakfast at 10:07. The sign said service ran until 10:30 on weekends, and nothing posted made it clear that Friday was treated differently. She said it was closed. I asked for a refund for the breakfasts, and she refused, raised her voice, and blamed me for being late. There was still grab and go food out, so I said I’d take a croissant and yogurt since I’d paid. She snapped that I could take only the croissant. I took both, and she began closing the shutters on my fingers. The next day, breakfast did run until 10:30. The food was disgusting, but I wanted to take something edible upstairs because I had a headache after a bad night’s sleep, and the pop music from the shrill TV speaker was bothering me. She followed me toward the elevator and said I wasn’t allowed to eat in my room. When I asked why, she just scrunched up her nose, gave me that sour smile, and repeated the rule. Breakfast was €9.50 and the food was cheap, processed, and nauseating, especially the powdered eggs. Where I’m from, places usually offer a better breakfast than this for free. In my follow up, they’re now misstating when I showed up. I was there no later than 10:10 on the second day. Restocking aside, the food quality was awful and nowhere near worth the price. Giving me a nasty look and saying no doesn’t explain a rule. There’s a desk in the rooms, and they don’t clean the bathrooms anyway, so the hygiene excuse is nonsense. A better hotel might even deliver breakfast to your room. The room itself was dirty, especially the floors and shower. There was visible mold on the curtain and in the grout, plus dirt around the room. I kept my shoes on the whole time. The sheets were clean, though, and I didn’t see any bed bugs, so that’s why I’m giving it a second star. The WiFi didn’t work, and there was almost never anyone at the concierge desk to help. I doubt asking would have fixed anything. There’s usually no concierge for much of the day, including around check in, and the lobby machine was clunky. I wouldn’t have minded all of this as much if the two women at the desk had been kinder. On my first day, another guest had seen my room code, so I asked to change it. The brown haired woman said it wasn’t possible, but an older man who seemed to be their manager or perhaps the owner stepped in and sorted it out. I’d rather spend the extra €20 a day to stay in the city center.

The prices are fair, and it works well for a one or two day stay. It’s in a quiet area by the highway. The annoying part is the coded parking gate: every time, you have to get out of the car to enter the code.