Pale stone arcades, collonaded courtyards and a long terrace hanging over the Vieux Port: this vast 18th-century hospital is now the grandest hotel in Marseille. Designer Jean-Philippe Nuel has dressed the interiors in mineral greys and pale wood. Rooms face the water or Le Panier behind, and the best open onto private terraces with the gilded Madonna glinting on the hill opposite. Les Fenêtres runs from breakfast until late, Le Capian pours pastis above the boats, the Clarins spa hides in the old vaults, and after dark the façade lights up like a stage set. Nobody here is being subtle.
/5.37048047428572,43.298636049995736,6/600x400?access_token=pk.eyJ1IjoidGltYnVrdHV0cmF2ZWwiLCJhIjoiY2poMGw1eHpkMmRkbDJ6bW8xYWZ5OGpjYyJ9.PYvAO7lUJ40SOpGvwmQLqw&attribution=false&logo=false)
The arcades and collonaded courtyard sit just as the hospital's architects left them, whilst the mineral greys, black cone lamps and embroidered Provençal bed runners are firmly modern. The long terrace out front is the reason people book: café tables, the harbour laid out beneath you and the lit façade behind you once darkness falls. Les Fenêtres turns out Provençal brasserie plates day and night, and the Clarins spa tucks its treatment rooms into the old vaults, alongside a small covered pool.
The house divides by view: the harbour, with Notre-Dame de la Garde on her hill, or Le Panier's tumble of pastel roofs on the other side. Go for the water every time. Mineral tones, soft greys and pale wood run throughout, and a good number of the harbour rooms have a balcony big enough for a breakfast table above the boats. Larger categories add sofa beds and elbow room, and the junior suites a proper sitting area, armchairs turned, inevitably, seawards.
Everything worth seeing starts at the Vieux Port, where the catch is still sold off the quay by the people who landed it. Climb (or bus) up to Notre-Dame de la Garde for Provence's second city spread out below, drift through MuCEM's concrete lattice at the harbour mouth, then sail out to the Château d'If of Monte Cristo fame. Boats to the calanques leave from the same quays. And the bouillabaisse? Order it here, where it was invented, or don't bother at all.
Sunset on the terrace, when the port goes copper and the gilded Madonna above Notre-Dame de la Garde turns molten.
Skip the taxi to Le Panier. The lanes just above the hotel climb straight into the oldest part of Marseille within minutes, past soap shops and painted shutters, and it's the best walk in the city.
This is a big, busy city hotel rather than a hideaway, so expect conference badges in the lobby. The indoor pool takes 20 people at a time and is booked by the hour, which makes it a place for a swim, not an afternoon.
Start with a recommended trip or create one from scratch
InterContinental Marseille - Hotel Dieu can be booked with Timbuktu as part of a tailor-made France trip, rather than as a standalone room reservation. Start online, customising one of our recommended France trips featuring InterContinental Marseille - Hotel Dieu or get advice and suggestions from one of our France specialists who will design the trip around your dates, check availability and handle every booking for you.
Stays at InterContinental Marseille - Hotel Dieu start from around $120, or US$120, per person per night as part of a tailor-made trip. The exact price depends on your travel dates, room type and the shape of the rest of your itinerary. A Timbuktu travel specialist can give you an accurate quote for your dates.
An aromatic wonderland where lavender whispers sweet nothings to the olive groves, and the light seems to dance with an artist's touch.
