Toyoko INN Marseille Saint Charles

It is a big, somewhat anonymous budget hotel with very good facilities. The room has everything one might need during a short trip: it has quite a big writing desk, good lighting, a little fridge, an electric kettle, wifi access (not always excellent, but usually pretty good), a nice bathroom, A/C. It does not offer a wardrobe though, and has a rod with a few hangers instead. For my stay of three nights it was enough. My room was quiet, well insulated both from the inside and outside noises. The continental breakfast is definitely not the most basic, it is more than adequate: bread, cold cuts, cheeses, tea, coffee, juices, milk and muesli, yoghurt, apples, and individually packed little cakes of different description. The selection is not huge, but it's absolutely enough, and it's all nice and fresh. Last but not least the reception staff I talked to were all very nice, helpful and spoke good or passable English, so I had no trouble communicating. The location is convenient: very close to the St Charles Station (a 7 minute walk), not far from the Old Port tourist area (a walk of c. 20 minutes). Overall a good experience.

The location is a double-edged sword of sorts, because the station is full of homeless people and the surrounding area is quite poor, dilapidated and dirty. It does make a solo traveller feel somewhat uneasy, and of course caution is required when moving around. Having said that, apart from the uneasy feeling, I didn't have any unpleasant experiences, I wasn't pestered or threatened in any way, even though I had to walk to the station at 4 a.m.

This hotel was lovely! They were very flexible and accomodating of our very late arrival (1am). The hotel room itself was clean and spacious. The bathroom was clean and the shower pressure was great. Public transport into the centre of town was super easy (bus or train). The hotel staff were really friendly. They let us store our bags the following day which was really helpful, and even offered us iced water for our drink bottles when we picked up our bags! We would definitely stay here again.

Bath towels were a little bit small but it was really not a huge issue!

Nice modern hotel, reasonable value for the price. Comfortable room, plenty of facilities, friendly staff.

The bar was closed three of the four nights we were there, without any prior notification - not a big deal but irritating. I found breakfast OK, but my partner found having to queue to be served rather irksome and time-wasting - most hotels do this on a self-service basis and it usually works perfectly well. The bathroom is very Japanese style - as are the size of the towels, which is not a good thing... :-) Location was handy for the station, but not so great for the main attractions in Marseille.

Good location, close to the train station and most importantly, to the final stop of the bus from the airport. The room was moderate in size, but more than adequate for someone who is looking just for a place to sleep at night and have a shower and put something into a small fridge. As a bonus, they have a Japanese toilet and a small safe and the breakfast is free. Great staff at the reception, good English speaking.

The breakfast could have been better, with just a couple of options for salami, cheese and ham. Interesting fact: they don't serve eggs at all. It is good for a 1-2 day stay, but for more days it becomes boring. As a small issue, be aware of public transport: there is a bus station in less than 100 m from the hotel that connects to the Old City and the port, but beware that the regular buses only run until 9-9:30 PM to this area. There are some night buses, but it is kinda tricky with them.

Breakfast simple but great, Room clean and tidy, spacious and everything working just perfect. Very professional receptionists with a smile in the face all the time made us feel comfortable from the check-in to the checkout.

Room only counter side was the window with a super small opening gap and a non existent view, from 2nd floor all we could see was an abandoned terrain that's just behind the hotel. Location is a bit poor, felt like we were in a favela at Rio de Janeiro or São Paulo sometimes but since we are originally from there it just made us feel a bit more home, still not that safe.

Friendly personnel, good location, clean room, everything is fine inside,

We arrived by car; in order to park it in the basement of the hotel, we had to check in first, and in order to check in we had to park the car somewhere for several minutes. There are some parking places near the hotel but they were all taken! Thus, we were forced to leave the car in a restricted place, and were lucky to leave it just when the police arrived at the scene. No fines, but not very pleasant experience. Later on we saw another car parked in the same restricted place so that it seems to be a typical problem for newly arrived customers.

- Staff was very friendly and accommodated an early check-in for us, even though we didn't ask in advance (we were initially just going to take advantage of their baggage storage services) - Room had a lot neat features not typically found, at least in western hotels e.g. bidet, clothes drying line, wall rack with hangers, etc... - Super close to main Saint Charles train station (~5-10 minute walk) and only about a 15-20 minute walk to the port - Stocked breakfast buffet with indoor and private outdoor seating

- Neighbourhood was quite dirty (lots of garbage laying around) and felt a little unsafe. As a woman, I definitely wouldn't walk around there at night alone, especially by la Porte d'Aix, which was packed with groups of only men once the sun went down

The best hotel of this level that I have ever found. There are so many little things that make your stay comfortable. Starting from a smart toilet to a clothesline There are cups, napkins, and various bags. It would seem like ordinary things, but more and more often budget hotels neglect them. When you get out of the shower the mirror doesn't fog up. Everything is clean and comfortable. Easy to reach all attractions by public transport.

The location of the hotel is quite convenient, but not entirely pleasant. There are homeless people and various dubious characters around.

I enjoyed the stay - a cool mix of French 'Motel 1' hotels and Japanese-style functional hotels. Room was functional and clean, the bath cell (Japanese style) is unusual for some visitors, but worked well. Internet in the rooms was good. Breakfast tasted good. Underground parking garage was good.

Given the size of the hotel, you need to time your breakfast well to avoid too large crowds. The area is close to the inner city and principally safe, but it appears like other neighbourhoods in Marseille, so the occasional smashed car window is not an unusual sight.

Breakfast that is included in the room rates was very good. Easy check in and out, big rooms, 7 mins walk from back area of train station, many bus stops at the nearby round about. Vieux Port, La Major and many restaurants are walking distance. Vending machine inside hotel, all drinks 1 euro, great Japanese bathroom almost like I was back in Tokyo... Love it!!!!

Nothing! I enjoyed walking around Marseille. Its filthy in some places, many young men hanging out around the train station and the main streets but they keep to themselves and never bothered us. Don't be scared but always be respectful to everyone.