Hôtel De France - Aix-en-Provence

Front desk staff excellent. Parking not specified - 4 blocks away. Had to leave a day early due to road closures for Ironman Triathalon which included where our vehicle was parked! Cleaning staff left buckets and cleaning fluids in the hallway and helped themselves to buffet breakfast while guests were still eating. We arrived one afternoon at 4pm to find our room not yet made up. We were resting when the maid knocked at the door. We explained we were resting but it was not until she discussed with a colleague that she agreed to give us 30 minutes! Very noisey at night with drunk and boisterous students and others in the street. Potential guests should be warned of this.

I comment on some of the comments of the other travellers: I had a twin room and that was spacious. The building is old and basic, and so is the style of the furniture, but it is not cheap, as it represents a certain style of before WW II, like some of us remembers France from movies :-) . Even the bathroom was large, although the bath was small, but again, this is part of the style of the times, when water was a more respected resource and not so wasted. The bohemian style is empahsized with a large collection of paintings in the breakfast room on the first floor. As for noise: yes, the hotel is at a busy street in the old part of town and that's a matter of personal choice what is more important for you. We were lucky to have had the window to the interior, but then there was no view and some little noise from other air conditioners. But you can't have it all, can you?

Excellent place to stay in Aix. You cannot beat the location. The rooms was much bigger than expected. We were in #1. If you are a real light sleeper this would not be ideal (noise from street). That was not a problem for us. I'd stay again.

The hotel, which is very conveniently located in the very heart of the city, was sympathetic. My first impression of my room was shabby, but after a better look, it turned out to be very clean and even spacious for one person. I also had a fairly new bathroom where everything worked exactly the way I like, a big plus. But apparently the rooms are very different, also in this respect. The breakfast room is very charming and the continental breakfast better than I expected from a two star hotel. All in all, a pleasant experience, but maybe the breakfast could have been included in the price.

The best location, big room, big bathroom, comfortable big bed, lots of character could not have provided more. Great value a highlight of our trip. A magic city! Thank you we will be back

Great location, very pretty dining room and I loved the artwork throughout the hotel. Exits into a nice, small square with a fountain, right behind les cours Mirabeau. Definitely would stay again!

The place is well located. That is about all one could say to recommend it.

So it needs a little sprucing up... and maybe some new pillows. However, the location can't be beat. If you want to be in the thick of things in Aix at a decent price, this is the place. We stayed here for one night, would come back again.

Though this hotel is in an excellent location - right in the hub of old Aix-en-Provence, that is about its only redeeming quality. The room I was allocated was so small I had to put my case on my bed if I wanted to get anything out - if I put it on the only possible place on the floor, I couldn't open the wardrobe door. On arrival, I had problems getting into my room, when I later went to go out, was unable to lock my door as the lock was broken and had to leave it open. I reported this to the reception, who didn't seem too concerned. I ended up having to sleep with a chair jammed against the door. This saga went on until the next day when a handyman came and "fixed" the lock by applying rubber bands to it! My miniscule room was shabby and dark - this could be because the window opened onto a brick wall with only about 30cm of sky showing at the top. The general cleanliness of the hotel, and in partcular the modern bathroom, was good except I found long dark hairs on one of my pillow cases. The breakfast room was lovely but the man running it was most unhelpful and rather strange, to say the least. The barely there breakfast was laughable and cost €8 - better to go to one of the cafes directly outside the hotel and get a better breakfast for half the price. All in all, even though this hotel is in the heart of the old town and near all the restaurants, I would not stay here again. I have stayed in other hotels only a 3 minute walk from the old town and they were far superior and no more expensive.

Excellent location - right off the main boulevard and surrounded by great nightlife. Rooms were spacious and quiet.

We loved the very central location of this hotel, especially as it rained wile we were there. Our simple yet delightful room looked over a busy street but thanks to the double-glazing,was not noisy.

je ne recommande pas cet hotel malgré sa situation:pas de wifi, ni dans la chambre, ni dans le salon:saleté le long de toutes les cloisons, vieilleries (meubles années 40,restés là),croissants de la veille.

I've visited this hotel but I've not stay for the night. very small room,( just the bed and no place around ) no lift,. I choose another one in Toulon the Celenya, very pleasant.

Terrific location, comfortable accommodations, friendly staff.

Very conveniently located a short walk from bus and train stations, and central to the city. My room looked on to the courtyard, and was quiet. For the price, spacious with a good bathroom

largest room in a French 2 star hotel, I've ever seen. mini-fridge, CNN & BBC in english, in the center of Aix.

Room was extremely large, in comparison to other hotels in Europe. Location of the hotel is the best thing...perfectly situated...you couldn't ask for a more central and perfect location. At first arrival and realizing the location, I feared that the rooms would be extremely noisy given the number of people that congregate in front of the hotel, but the double-glazing, shutters, etc prevent any noise from coming through. The outside of the hotel could certainly due with some sprucing-up, however the rooms were large and clean. Breakfast was typical European. Would definately stay here again.

Very decent and clean. The situation is more than excellent, right in the very center of Aix. Price-quality relation is also very good. A wonderful option if you want to stay some days in the center of this small beautiful city.

The hotel has an excellent location, at the centre of the city, ideal for pedestrian tourism, but it is difficult to park your vehicle. The hotel is cheap and you have for your money, hence not much. The service was medium. A good choice for one night or two.

hmmm...would i stay here again? Not sure...not in the summer at least. This hotel has a decent location...about a 10 minute walk from where the bus from the TGV station drops you off, near a pedestrian area with loads of restaurants, and central to many of the tourist sights in the city. The decor is rather eccentric...our room was purple and lavender...I actually like the colors, but the lighting was inadequate given the darkness of the walls. Either lighten the walls, or add more lighting. Huge room, huge bathroom with a tub!!, mini-refrigerator in the sleeping area...mostly nice. Not so nice is that the air-conditioner is very weak, and opening the window to compensate leads to a bunch of street noise (because of all the restaurants/bars on the pedestrian street just in front of the hotel). Spring/Fall/Winter...probably a great deal. Hot days in the summer? I wouldn't stay here.

Room was good size with outlook over local square. Hotel location was fantastic for the price Did not have hotel breakfast as it seemed expensive and there was a good choice or small cafe's immediately adjacent to Hotel.

better pillows

This hotel is good located, the room is extremely big but with old furniture and facilities. Some problems with the bathroom and A/C facilities. The staff is not great, and not helpfull at all. I need of some serious improvement. However, the location, room size makes up for the lack of service and care. This is an OK stay.

A very nice hotel for the price. Big room, very spacious, very clean, comfortable bed. Bathroom was high quality and also clean and stocked with towels and shampoos, etc. Staff very friendly, and spoke English, well the front desk did at least. You leave your key at the front desk when you leave, so you never get bothered in your room by someone trying to clean it, it's just clean when you get back.

Good hotel, nothing exceptional. The one great advantage: Outstanding location in Aix-en-Provence, heart of that great little city. I'd go back but I'd also look into other places first.

Hotel de France is very centrally located and is right in the city center, one block away from the Cours Mirabeau. The bathroom was downright spacious compared to other bathrooms in European hotels.

The Hotel de France is rated as a two star hotel. When we checked in on 10-14-2007 we found room #10 to be in horible condition; there was a heavy odor of cigarette smoke (we asked for a non-smoking room) the paint was peeling off the walls, the bed was nothing but a matress on the floor, the bed clothes were smelly and musty, and there was a dark, mouldy looking substance in the bathroom around the sink, toilet and bath tub. We went to the night clerk and explained our dissatisfaction and were told he would not charge us for our stay. He also asked us to contact the manager the next morning to confirm. We returned around 10am on the morning of October 15 and spoke with the manager (Mr. George) who decided he did not speak enough English to understand what I was saying. On the afternoon of Oct 14, I telephoned Mr. George from Nice to tell him that we would be arriving late in the evening and he understood me just fine. We have discovered that the Hotel has charged us for one nights stay and we are disputing this charge to our credit card company. It should me noted that after we left the Hotel de France we walked around Aix in the middle of the night looking for a clean hotel.

The staff though french was helpful and willing to be of service. The location is 1000' from the Rotond and there was always lots of action right outside the door. The hotels location lends itself easy access to the old central part of Aix. I certainly would stay here on my next trip.

Very good bars and restaurants nearby. Centrally placed. Clientele: Young travellers.

excellent location.spacious room.the hotel was better than i expected.the only problem was the smell in the bathroom.

The location is wonderful: one steps straight out into the bustle of the shops and bars.The rooms are pleasant: decidedly French with shuttered windows, so that somehow, although the furniture is dark, the rooms are not overly dark. The baths (our family took two room) are small and not exactly modern.We had breakfast once, and it was of questionable value - bread, croissant, jam, with orange from concentrate and no refills for coffee; Breakfast Staff friendly but we didn't see them after the food arrived. The hotel taff/concierge all friendly enough. Yes, we'd choose it again: it was cosy, clean, quiet (much less noise at night than we had feared) and had character. Not far from bus station and best location for exploring the centre of Aix

Room size good. Noise level: loud in room without double glazing, quiet in room with double glazing. On the second night water leaked through the bedroom ceiling and walls. Sleep was difficult on both nights, the first because of excessive noise from the street and the second because of water dripping. Double glazing in all rooms would improve the property.

A fantastic low budget hotel in the very heart of Aix. (Just off the Cours Mirabeau).

Right in the heart of active square, next to restaurants, Irish bar. Windows opened to courtyard. Very Provence! No parking. We were lucky and parked at a friend's place. Liked it enough to stay there on return to Aix as well.

Brilliant location, great value for money. We'll be back!

Great hotel in the center of the city, yet surprisingly quiet. I was very impressed and would stay there again.

An excellent location for travellers without a car. For the money,we thought this was good value, the room was basic but functional and the bathroom was very good. We would be happy to return to Hotel De France if we visit beautiful Aix-en-Provence again.

Holiday. Twin bed, quite basic and would have liked more storage but still very good. Excellent shower and comfortable bed.

Aside from a couple of surly old guys manning the reception desk, this place is ideal for Aix. The location could not be better at the edge of the pedestrian area with ready access to the car park. There is tremendous choice for restaurants and entertainment within steps of the property - rooms are good value and the ambiance excellent.

Great location. Nice hotel. Would recommend it for anyone. 1 block from main street of Aix.

Fantastic location. Bathroom's large but outdated. There was no shower curtain in the bathtub resulting in water spraying all over the floor. Also poor lighting in the bathroom. Pillows were thin and hard.

The location is fantastic, in the middle of the old town. Parking is scarce and expensive. The rooms are serviceable and clean but a little on the shabby side. Still a good value for the price.

Good location,nice relationship between quality-price!