Hotel Kolam Air Panas di Marseille

What makes this place special are the people. Yes, it is modern, tastefully designed and immaculate with great access to public transport and a couple of local treasures, the front desk with Tata, Tania and Sujata, complete with broad smiles and great local knowledge are a compliment to manager Emmanuel and Mr Fixit, Julian.

The InterContinental Marseille is undoubtedly the best luxury hotel in Marseille. Housed in a converted historical hospital, it offers a unique and charming ambiance. The breakfast served at the Terrace boasts breathtaking views and includes delicious freshly made waffles and refreshing orange juice. The rooms are impeccably clean, and the beds are luxuriously comfortable. However, upon our late arrival at 11pm, we were disappointed to find only cold sandwiches available for room service.

Stayed in this hotel in June 22. Have to admit that my first impression was student halls but we adapted well. The apartment was small but very clean. We had one bedroom but only big enough to house twin beds and a bedside table and a lamp. The beds were very comfortable. There was a separate toilet and a small bathroom with a over bath shower. I first thought that the bath was not clean but it was just here the enamel had worn away. There was a small kitchenette with cooker, fridge and dishwasher. We didn’t use it except for tea and coffee as we had B&B which was good the lady in the dining room was very friendly and was happy to help. We ate out for dinner. There is a table and chairs and a sofa bed in the living area plus a tv. The balcony was big and facing the sea which was nice with lovely views over the bay. There were patio table and chairs. If you are staying less than 8 days you won’t get room service but will provide it at an extra cost. There is a free safe deposit in all rooms. I think this is because of covid. There is free WiFi and a safety deposit box. There is no hairdryer in the rooms but you can get one from reception at no cost if you ask. Reception were ok but didn’t speak much English but we were in France after all so got by. The pool is small but nice the only thing is that there is no seating around the pool. Most people were just sitting on the decking on towels. The hotel is just 5 minutes from the beach. The only thing is that it was not Sandy but stony and gritty not good for making sand castles. There are no sun beds or parasols to hire, and very little shade. There is a Sandy beach further down the bay about 10 mins walk. There are restaurants close by but also more on the Sandy beach which is lovely. Also a good supermarket near too. You can get a bus into the city on the road next to the hotel the No 83 is €2 per person each way along the coast to the marina. I have to say that the external walls of the hotel need to be tidied up they look very tired. A lick of paint is needed badly, and maybe the rooms brought up to date a little. Maybe the hotel group could invest some funds into doing this. All in all we had a good stay but it could have been better. Thank you to all staff the made our stay comfortable.

It’s not often that we stay at a hotel with a current Trip Adviser Traveller’s Choice award and are disappointed. Sadly, in this case, we were. The location is good to base yourself as one can get to the nice restaurant and cafe areas (in the old town especially panier and the old port) and most of the tourist sites. The Basilica is the other side of old port but I have stayed on both sides and this side (La Residence) is definitely the best side to stay. The Vieux Port metro stop is a short walk from the hotel. The view of the port and across to the Basilica is stunning and so lovely to wake up to every day, but the balcony itself was not very inviting - it is narrow with tired furniture and dirty flooring and dirty glass walls to the neighbouring balconies. Annoyingly the balcony door lock had long ago been broken, so a thief from neighbouring rooms could easily access the room. The port is busy and very noisy at night and not especially inviting. The bathroom was extremely tired with a few broken tiles, and a bath/shower that has not seen a proper clean in a very long time. The step over the bath is quite steep so not suitable for someone with mobility challenges. There was an occasional stinky sewerage smell in the hotel. The carpet in the room had big stains on it. The bed was comfortable but the layout of the shelving of the room is slightly insane, as you have to kneel down to use the coffee machine and half kneel to use the safe. The hotel’s statement that “every room in our hotel has been newly renovated” was clearly written many, many years ago! The staff were friendly and helpful and looked good in their varying versions of their navy striped Bretagne style tops.

I never write reviews! But we were super impressed. Fantastic boutique hotel. Two minutes from the train station. Spotlessly clean and super helpful. We were only here for a short time but were made to feel like we were at home. We will be back.

We stayed in Sofitel Marseille for 3 nights in the summer of 2023. The hotel is located right on the periphery of the old port of Marseille where all the shops and restaurants are located. It takes about a 15-minute walk to get from the hotel all the way to the centre of the old port so the hotel is fairly insulated from the hustle and bustle of the old port. The exterior of the hotel looks a bit dated but the interiors feel very fresh, clean and bright. We upgraded our room to a deluxe room facing the old port at the reception and we thought it was worth it. We never tired of waking up to a view of the old port with a clear blue sky. The room itself was quite clean and spacious. There was enough room to open up two luggages and still move around comfortably. There is also a turn down service where the staff will put out the bedroom slippers and play some nice Jazz music when you come back. The bed was nice and comfortable and the pillows were fluffy. The only complaint we had was that the air conditioning would turn off in the middle of the night. The air conditioning control did not seem to work and it seems like the air conditioning is centrally controlled so the in-room controls did nothing. I could not sleep the first night as it was too warm and stuffy so we asked for a ventilateur (fan) the next day. That helped us to sleep better. Obviously, if you are planning to stay during the winter months then the heat at night should not be an issue. The staff at the reception were always pleasant, warm, friendly and polite. We were upsold the room with a view when we checked in so that should say something about how friendly the staff were. It was EUR70 per night for the room with a view and it included overnight parking (EUR27 per night) so it was really only about EUR50 extra per night. The valet and the concierge were all very helpful and nice and they all speak English well enough. If you intend to park here, do note that the roads within the hotel property can be quite narrow and the parking lots are quite narrow as well. It may be worthwhile getting the valet to help you park your car at least for the first day because driving from the car rental agencies at the Marseille train station to the hotel was stressful enough for us. We paid around EUR300 - 350 a night but we thought it was worth it and we thoroughly enjoyed our experience.

Worth the price, fancy hotel close to city center. Breakfast is awesome

The hotel is a beautiful old building in a great location. The room was clean and well-insulated from any outside noise. Staff were attentive and accommodating. The spa was small but nice. Not sure I’d pay for a day pass but having it included was good. There were a couple of minor let-downs: the television didn’t work at all and the hotel wasn’t able to fix it during our stay, the extractor fan in the bathroom hadn’t been cleaned in a long time and was full of dirt, and the shower didn’t drain fast enough so we had to turn off the water every couple of minutes.

I found staff really helpful. They changed my room for me so I could get a terrace and sea view and I really appreciated this. The hotel has an airy light Califonia feel and is well situated up the Corniche. The hotel can be reached very easily by a bus (no 83) from the port of Marseille and runs up and down so frequently, you'll never be waiting long and there is a stop right infront of the hotel. It's a very easy journey, and very beautiful too along the coastline, and I'd say it took about 10 -12 minutes. In fact, I left someting in my safe and had to contact the hotel and go straight back on the bus from Marseille centre and it was not too much stress, again staff very helpful. The bay it's in is lovely and its really charming walking along the coast of the Corniche. The hotel benefits from being close enough to the centre of Marseille with regular transport and just enough away from the bustle of the port for a more tranquil experience and to enjoy the stunning coastline and the surrounding bays and beaches. The bus route and the hotel itself provides great views of Chateau d’If. Peacful at night, I enjoyed sitting on my terrace with a drink watching the view well into the night. I was travelling alone and I never felt unsafe at all in Marseille, in fact, I'd love to go back.

Very good breakfast, good service. The rooms sizes vary a lot for the same price. The hot water was an issue at first, but you have to let it run for 10 min and then it worked. We did not try the spa. The TV is on the small side.