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97 Rue Doctor Albert Aynaud, Cedex 3, Aix-en-Provence, 13857, France
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My girlfriend and I stayed at the Best Western Hotel de l'Arbois for 1 night in July 2009.
We paid 69 Euros for a double room with no breakfast and made our reservation through www.booking.com.
Location
Best Western Hotel de l'Arbois is located quite some distance from the centre of Aix-en-Provence (about 12km south-west of the town centre).
We knew this was the case when we made the booking, so it wasn't an issue for us. We were arriving from Marseille airport, so the hotel was effectively "on the way" to Aix-en-Provence; we planned to stay there for the night (we arrived early evening) before heading into Aix the following morning.
Getting from Marseille airport to the hotel wasn't a problem; one of the interim stops (stop: La Duranne) for the airport shuttle bus to Aix-en-Provence is a 5 minute walk from the hotel.
However, getting from the hotel to Aix-en-Provence the following day (a Sunday) proved to be much more problematic and expensive! The bus service was infrequent, and we didn't have much time, so we asked the hotel to book a taxi for us. The journey to the centre of town set us back 30 Euros.
The hotel is located closer to Aix-en-Provence airport and TGV (high speed train) station than it is to the city centre.
There isn't much within walking distance of the hotel; we opted to eat at the hotel restaurant on the evening that we stayed.
Bedroom
Our room was comfortable and functional. It had the feeling of a hotel room that is used mainly by businesspeople rather than tourists; modern and clean, with efficient use of the space, but not particularly homely.
The bed was a decent size and was comfortable. It was a proper double bed, rather than two singles pushed together, which we have learnt not to take for granted even when specifically booking a double (rather than twin) room.
There was a flat screen TV mounted on the wall in front of the bed and a long horizontal mirror alongside it. Below the TV was a long writing desk with a chair, a lamp and a telephone. The desk also contained a tray with a kettle, two cups and saucers and a selection of coffee and tea sachets, milk and sugar.
In one corner of the room was another chair and a tiny round coffee table. There were small shelves on either side of the bed and a wardrobe with ample space.
The en-suite shower room was reminiscent of the small cubicles that are found in business chain hotels all over the world. It was sparklingly clean, modern and, that word again, functional.
Our room had a window that overlooked the hotel's garden and outdoor restaurant seating area.
General
We didn't choose this hotel for its location or for the standard of its rooms. There was only one reason for us choosing this hotel – the outdoor hot tub! We were seduced by the photos of the large hot tub situated on an outdoor balcony overlooking the gardens and surrounding greenery.
We relaxed in the tub for a few hours on the balmy evening that we arrived and then again the following morning before we checked out. For the majority of this time we had the hot tub to ourselves.
As well as the hot tub, we made use of the indoor sauna cubicle and admired (but stayed well away from!) the various exercise equipment in the hotel's gym.
Due to the relatively remote location of the hotel, we ate our evening meal at the hotel's restaurant. It was a nice setting; we sat at an outdoor table beneath a parasol in the gardens beside the hotel. There was a large indoor dining room, but we decided to take advantage of the balmy summer evening and dine al fresco. The prices were fairly expensive (20 Euros for a main course) and the choice was small. I enjoyed a steak cooked in garlic butter and a mushroom sauce while Emma opted for an elaborate salad. We shared a cheese board (featuring several local cheeses and green salad leaves) for dessert. The drinks prices must have been extortionate, as we both had soft drinks rather than glasses of French wine.
We didn't bother with breakfast as it cost 12 Euros per person. We picked up pastries from a cafe in Aix-en-Provence for a fraction of the price instead.
The hotel has its own car park and there were plenty of free spaces when we were there. If you're planning to stay at this hotel, having a car is probably a good idea as its not particularly conveniently located otherwise.
Best Western Hotel de l'Arbois is a perfectly reasonable hotel with clean and comfortable rooms. It is probably best suited to business travellers with their own transport, due to its distance from the centre of Aix-en-Provence. The outdoor hot tub is a great way to relax in an evening!
Best Western Hotel De L'Arbois Photo: Best Western Hotel de l'Arbois, Aix en Provence
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Place de l'Hôtel de Ville (Aix-en-Provence, France
Saint Raphael, France
Figure right of the Pavillon de Vendome Entrance
Postcard of Provence
Hi, is taking a bus or a train better for making a day trip to Aix-en-Provence from Marseille? I've heard that a bus would be better because the Marseille train station is apparently quite scary at night? But could someone help me with the name of the bus company I can get tickets at as well as their schedule and pick-up and drop-off points in both Marseille and Aix? Also, should I just go there and buy the tickets or must I buy them online? This trip will be in mid-September, so will it be hard to get tickets?
Thanks =)
This is a brochure about the fast direct bus:
http://www.navetteaixmarseille.com/IMG/file/Horaires/FH%2050-Itini-sept%2009.pdf
It is a BLUE bus NUMBER 50 !
Open Google Maps and put in this address for Marseille departure stop:
Porte d'Aix, 23 Place Jules Guesde, Marseille
Use Street View and you can see the BLUE BUS !
At this place you have the Mini Arc de Triomphe - see Pedro's page;
http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Europe/France/Provence_Alpes_Cote_dAzur/Marseille-104587/Things_To_Do-Marseille-Porte_dAix-BR-1.html
he mentions a lot of construction so check about the bus and whether it is still leaving from this area !
Thank you, I DO see the blue bus in the google maps. I'll try to buy a bus ticket when I arrive in Marseille!
Aix is also ancient: a Celtic-Ligurian capital from the 3rd century BC was pushed aside for the founding of Aix in 122 BC, as Aquae Sextiae. The center of Aix is the old town, a small-enough area to explore by foot. The medieval Aix was protected by a wall with 39 towers. Today only the 14th century 'Tourreluquo' tower remains, at the northwest corner of the town.
Keep following those little brass plaques in the street...go up to the Atelier Cezanne just to the north of the city. This is where the great artist, obsessor of the mountain, astonisher of Paris with his apples (his words, not mine), would work. The studio was built in 1902 on Les Lauves (the hill) and was the creative home of the "new art" of which Cezanne liked to call himself the primitive. He died in 1906 of pleurisy. It was later bought by Marcel Provence, and preserved, and then given to the University of Aix-Marseille (my former employers). In 1955, Marilyn Monroe of all people visited, and wrote in the visitors book, "a wonderful visit". She crossed out, "boo-boo-be-doop". Now the studio is owned by the City.
It's address is: Atelier Paul Cezanne,
9, Avenue Pauk Cezanne
13090 Aix-en-Provence
email: atelier.cezanne@wanadoo.fr
tel: 04 42 21 06 53
It's not really off the beaten path, in fact the path is so well beaten you could scramble an egg on it.
However, I know many people who have lived in Aix for years who have never done it. The mountain was the muse for Cezanne, as is well known - he painted it about fifty times.
It is surprisingly easy to hike up. It is very very high, and topped with a monk's retreat (you can spend the night here, if you so desire), and a huge cross (I would love to meet the man who lugged that thing up there). I climbed up in January, when it was surprisingly warm, and it ook me about two hours to reach the peak. At the top, you look down and it is WHOAAAH!!!! Bring a camera! It was as little hazy when i went, but i am assured that you can see the sea.
There are not many buses out there from Aix. There's one at 8.15 and one at midday, and coming back there's one at about 1 and one at about six - check the timetable, but you should have enough time to go there, go up, look about, come down, get the bus. Oh, get the bus to Vauvenargues.
alternatively, hire a bike from by the Tourist Office and cycle out there.
Autour d'une tarte, in rue Gaston de Saporta near the cathedral, is a great little place where you can get tarts of all types, sweet or savoury, to go or to eat there. You can order the tarts hot or cols, but they taste absolutley divine. they do special lunch menus there too, so it's a nice place to sit and have something a little different. The three cheeses one was very nice, but the best one had salmon and spinach in - but i love salmon. As i don't eat red meat i could not try the range of tarts with lardons and stuff like that, but they have a great variety so there are tarts for everyone.
Cézanne's place of residence and workshop is in a quiet, somewhat isolated neighborhood not far from the old quarters. It's a rather unassuming 2-story house surrounded by a luxuriant garden that seems to have been left to grow untended. The workshop on the 2nd floor is basically a large room devoid of furnishings. Displayed here are many of Cezanne's still-life models, paintings, tools, and personal artifacts.
My girlfriend and I stayed at the Best Western Hotel de l'Arbois for 1 night in July 2009.
We paid 69 Euros for a double room with no breakfast and made our reservation through www.booking.com.
Location
Best Western Hotel de l'Arbois is located quite some distance from the centre of Aix-en-Provence (about 12km south-west of the town centre).
We knew this was the case when we made the booking, so it wasn't an issue for us. We were arriving from Marseille airport, so the hotel was effectively "on the way" to Aix-en-Provence; we planned to stay there for the night (we arrived early evening) before heading into Aix the following morning.
Getting from Marseille airport to the hotel wasn't a problem; one of the interim stops (stop: La Duranne) for the airport shuttle bus to Aix-en-Provence is a 5 minute walk from the hotel.
However, getting from the hotel to Aix-en-Provence the following day (a Sunday) proved to be much more problematic and expensive! The bus service was infrequent, and we didn't have much time, so we asked the hotel to book a taxi for us. The journey to the centre of town set us back 30 Euros.
The hotel is located closer to Aix-en-Provence airport and TGV (high speed train) station than it is to the city centre.
There isn't much within walking distance of the hotel; we opted to eat at the hotel restaurant on the evening that we stayed.
Bedroom
Our room was comfortable and functional. It had the feeling of a hotel room that is used mainly by businesspeople rather than tourists; modern and clean, with efficient use of the space, but not particularly homely.
The bed was a decent size and was comfortable. It was a proper double bed, rather than two singles pushed together, which we have learnt not to take for granted even when specifically booking a double (rather than twin) room.
There was a flat screen TV mounted on the wall in front of the bed and a long horizontal mirror alongside it. Below the TV was a long writing desk with a chair, a lamp and a telephone. The desk also contained a tray with a kettle, two cups and saucers and a selection of coffee and tea sachets, milk and sugar.
In one corner of the room was another chair and a tiny round coffee table. There were small shelves on either side of the bed and a wardrobe with ample space.
The en-suite shower room was reminiscent of the small cubicles that are found in business chain hotels all over the world. It was sparklingly clean, modern and, that word again, functional.
Our room had a window that overlooked the hotel's garden and outdoor restaurant seating area.
General
We didn't choose this hotel for its location or for the standard of its rooms. There was only one reason for us choosing this hotel – the outdoor hot tub! We were seduced by the photos of the large hot tub situated on an outdoor balcony overlooking the gardens and surrounding greenery.
We relaxed in the tub for a few hours on the balmy evening that we arrived and then again the following morning before we checked out. For the majority of this time we had the hot tub to ourselves.
As well as the hot tub, we made use of the indoor sauna cubicle and admired (but stayed well away from!) the various exercise equipment in the hotel's gym.
Due to the relatively remote location of the hotel, we ate our evening meal at the hotel's restaurant. It was a nice setting; we sat at an outdoor table beneath a parasol in the gardens beside the hotel. There was a large indoor dining room, but we decided to take advantage of the balmy summer evening and dine al fresco. The prices were fairly expensive (20 Euros for a main course) and the choice was small. I enjoyed a steak cooked in garlic butter and a mushroom sauce while Emma opted for an elaborate salad. We shared a cheese board (featuring several local cheeses and green salad leaves) for dessert. The drinks prices must have been extortionate, as we both had soft drinks rather than glasses of French wine.
We didn't bother with breakfast as it cost 12 Euros per person. We picked up pastries from a cafe in Aix-en-Provence for a fraction of the price instead.
The hotel has its own car park and there were plenty of free spaces when we were there. If you're planning to stay at this hotel, having a car is probably a good idea as its not particularly conveniently located otherwise.
Best Western Hotel de l'Arbois is a perfectly reasonable hotel with clean and comfortable rooms. It is probably best suited to business travellers with their own transport, due to its distance from the centre of Aix-en-Provence. The outdoor hot tub is a great way to relax in an evening!
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