Hotel Cardinal

Love the building! it is an antique French beauty and the decor is stunning. The location is great, just steps from Cours Mirabeau yet very residential and quiet. The daily ringing of the nearby church bells every evening for a couple of minutes is beautiful. The staff is very friendly and helpful! Our room was huge with a big balcony overlooking the street which we used to sit out on a lot late at night and in the morning. The rate is very inexpensive. It is a family owned independent hotel; thankfully there are still some left that don't look like a corporate team did the interior design based on a Restoration Hardware catalog.

The steps on the stairs are slanted from the aging of the building which make them difficult to walk on but there is an elevator which is always quick to respond to a push of its button.

Hotel Cardinal is a good value hotel, perfectly located in the centre of old Aix en Provence just a few streets away from Cours Mirabeau, the wide and picturesque boulevard. It's a fun place for some shopping, a spritz and people watching, although there are plenty of charming squares dotted around for a less touristy vibe. When I was in Aix in May, the Sud Festival was happening, so there was plenty of live and free music, dancing and street performance going on. The room I was in (No. 21) was clean, spacious and quirky - everything olde world French that the photos portrayed. It had a decent sized window overlooking the courtyard behind the hotel, giving a sense of real life in this charming city. It was also very quiet - unlike other hotels there aren't vast hallways with people walking along and chatting, but they're offset from each other, so I never heard another guest while in my room. The bed was comfortable and I slept well for the three nights I was there. The only thing to be mindful of is there wasn't a separate shower in my room, just a shower hose over a bath. The nice thing was it meant I actually had the longest, most relaxing soak I'd had in years while there. But just to have a quick shower was a challenge. It wasn't a deal breaker, just something a bit different. I had breakfast there one morning, which for 11 Euros, consisted of a selection of fruit, yoghurt and packaged cake, plus fresh coffee in a pot alongside a croissant, some bread, butter and jam. It was perfectly adequate for the price. There's a lift too, which is an added bonus because the staircases are very steep and curvy. Check in and out was simple and friendly. For a budget hotel in the centre of Aix en Provence, it's actually very good value.

A separate shower would be good. A fly screen on the main window would be good so it could be left open at night for fresh air. It was really warm and became quite stuffy - but mosquitoes were an issue (as they were wherever I went on my five week trip), so leaving the window open wasn't an option.

The decoration of the hotel in general, the room and bathroom was really nice. The bed was comfortable and the bathroom big. Everything was very clean. The location was perfect, walking distance to the center. The Staff was friendly.

The sound isolation was not good at all. The doors are old so they do not block the noise from outside. The bedrooms are very close to each other, so you can hear whenever the neighbour goes in or out, or if they are speaking loudly. We kept waking up during the night due to the noise.

Despite being a little difficult to find when you are driving, given the very narrow streets in this part of Aix-en-Provence, this little hotel is a great place to stay for being very close to many of the attractions of Aix, e.g., the old medieval city, the newer Renaissance area, and La Cours Mirabeau. From checking in to checking out, the staff were exceptionally welcoming, friendly, and went above and beyond to help us. (Special thanks to Alain and Chadia.) Our room (#23) on top floor was reasonable size, with a large bathroom. Very cute bedding and armoire. Nice breeze through the windows. We did not take breakfast at the hotel so no comment about that. Lots of great shopping all around the city and on 3 days a week, there are markets all through Aix. It is definitely worthwhile to stay in a hotel like this one so you can just walk around the city.

Parking on Rue Cardinal is a bit of a nightmare, though we were lucky to find a space right in front of the hotel. But you have to feed the parking meters every few hours, around a bizarre schedule where you get 1.5 hours free at 8:00 am., then you have to pay from 9:30 to 12:00 noon, then 2 hours free, then 1.5 hours free again, then pay from 3:30 pm to 7:00 pm, then free overnight till 8:00 am again. And so on. crazy, but we did it and so only paid maybe 15 Euros for two days of parking. The hotel has nothing to do with this, other than being located on a paid parking street.

Big, spacious room with quirky, period appropriate decoration. Close to everything we wanted to see and do.

We booked a ‘superior room in the annex with kitchen or kitchenette’. The photos show a kitchen but all our room had was a tiny nook with a sink, kettle, fridge and microwave. Usable but the real problem is there was no table and chairs at which to eat. Not sure what’s the point of having a kitchenette when there’s nowhere to eat!

The location was fantastic. Our room was in an annex building, which was a bit disappointing, but it was only a minute walk away, and it offered a great view of the neighborhood from the dining area. The place was large—a small apartment with little kitchen and dining area separate from the bedroom/bath. Some might consider the furnishings to be charming antiques. Others might consider them to be worn and falling apart. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle. The bed was super comfortable-more comfortable than it looked. The a/c was strong on a hot day. Would I stay again? Definitely.

If you’re looking for new and modern facilities, this isn’t your type of place.

The location is excellent, right in the middle of the old town area and walkable to everything. Very quaint and historic place, bed was very comfortable if a little lower to the floor than I'm used to, and the room had a good air conditioner. There is a very small elevator to reach the upper floors even though the building is old.

My only real complaint would be that the standard rooms don't have a shower, just a hand held in a VERY slick bathtub. Not a good room for anyone that has issues getting in or out of a tub.

Location great. Breakfast good, but a little sparse. Hotel is old, but nicely furnished and comfortable.

The front desk closes at 23h00. I hadn't focused on this, and our flight landed at Marseilles at 22h10. I had been advised I didn't need to arrange a taxi in advance, and when we exited airport there were no cabs. There was a bus that we were advised to take to Aix which got us to bus terminal close to closing time of Cardinale front desk. We called and asked them to wait for us and they said they would wait until 23h:30. We were able to get a cab in Aix to take us the short distance to the Cardinal which got us there at 23h29! Just in the nick of time. This stressful arrival could have been avoided if we had hired a cab in advance to pick us up at Marseilles airport. Lesson learned.

We booked a room and got a suite, as it was available at no extra cost. A great hotel that is simply French authentic and although a little tired in places, it adds to the charm. The staff are always helpful and nice. Have been coming to this hotel for some years now, it trumps the overpriced glamorous places to stay in Aix. It is in a perfect central location as well.

Only downside, is parking, but there are many parking garages close by or park and ride for much cheaper outside the town.

Very beautiful and spacious rooms (with the elegance of first half of XX century). My room had a few nice paintings. Electric kettle, microwave and refrigerator are available. Quiet, peaceful, in an elegant region, a few seconds away from Granet museum. I don’t know how the stars classification is awarded but my room was clearly better than vrious three or even fours stars rooms that I had during time.