Les Bords de Mer
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Hotel Details
Location
Les Bords de Mer · Marseille, France
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Key Highlights
- ✓Room Size: While generally appreciated, some guests find the rooms to be on the smaller side, though the stunning sea views often mitigate this concern.
Expert Review: Les Bords de Mer
Les Bords de Mer, Marseille: A Comprehensive Hotel Review
Les Bords de Mer in Marseille, a Michelin Key Selected property, consistently receives high praise for its breathtaking sea views, elegant design, and exceptional location. Guests frequently highlight the hotel's ability to offer a serene seaside escape while remaining close to the vibrant heart of Marseille.
1. Overall Rating & Sentiment
The general consensus for Les Bords de Mer is overwhelmingly positive, with guests frequently describing it as "amazing," "beautiful," and "my favorite hotel" in Marseille. It is often lauded as a "lavish seaside retreat" with a refined, extremely clean, and comfortable environment. The hotel scores highly for cleanliness (10.0), comfort (9.4), and staff (9.4) on various review platforms.
2. Key Highlights
Guests are particularly enamored with several aspects of Les Bords de Mer:
- Location: Its prime waterfront position, offering direct sea views from all rooms, is a major draw. The proximity to Plage des Catalans and easy access to the Vieux-Port and city center are highly valued.
- Design: The hotel's aesthetic is described as light, bright, and minimal, inspired by 1950s modernism and contemporary simplicity, creating a calming atmosphere. It features an Art Deco feel with a Mediterranean flair.
- Amenities: The heated rooftop swimming pool, with its impressive views, is a guest favorite, as is the spa, which includes an indoor pool, hammam, sauna, and offers treatments using Susanne Kaufmann products. A sunset bar and restaurant further enhance the experience.
- Service: The front desk staff consistently earns accolades for being attentive, welcoming, helpful, and courteous.
3. Room Quality
The rooms at Les Bords de Mer are consistently praised for their beauty, refinement, and comfort. All 19 rooms face directly out to sea, with many featuring private balconies that provide stunning Mediterranean vistas. While some guests note that rooms can be on the smaller side, the expansive sea views are often cited as ample compensation. Rooms are designed with a light and airy, minimalist style, and are equipped with air conditioning, flat-screen TVs, and private bathrooms with showers. Complimentary amenities include Susanne Kaufmann cosmetics.
4. Dining Experience
- Restaurant: The hotel's restaurant boasts stunning sea views from its dining room and terrace. It offers contemporary, fresh, and unique cuisine, with a strong emphasis on local seafood and Provençal flavors. It serves both lunch and dinner.
- Breakfast: A continental and buffet breakfast is available daily, often described as "yummy" and delicious. However, some guests have reported issues with slow replenishment of food items, occasional understaffing, and a somewhat chaotic experience during peak times. The breakfast costs €30 per adult.
- Rooftop Bar: The sleek rooftop bar provides panoramic views, serving bar bites, classic and signature cocktails, regional craft beers, and Fontenille wines. It operates seasonally from April to October daily, and on weekends from November to March, sometimes offering sea urchin tastings.
5. Service & Staff
The hotel's staff, particularly at the front desk, receives high marks for their exceptional hospitality. Guests frequently mention their attentiveness, welcoming demeanor, helpfulness, and courteous nature. They are often lauded for going above and beyond to assist guests. However, as noted in the dining section, some guests have pointed out inconsistencies with breakfast service, attributing it to perceived understaffing.
6. Location & Accessibility
Les Bords de Mer enjoys an "unbeatable" location directly on Marseille's waterfront, along the Corniche Kennedy. It is situated next to Plage des Catalans and across from the Cercle des Nageurs. The hotel is highly accessible to key attractions, being only a five-minute walk from the Vieux-Port and the old town center. Other nearby sights include the Palais du Pharo, the Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilizations, and Notre-Dame de la Garde Basilica. Public transport is convenient, with the Catalans bus stop just a five-minute walk away. Marseille Provence Airport is approximately 12 miles distant, about a 32-minute drive.
7. Value & Pricing
Les Bords de Mer is considered a luxurious seaside retreat that offers exceptional value for the experience it provides. While the average room price is around $326, which is higher than the average hotel room in Marseille ($164), many guests feel it is well worth the cost for the quality of the stay, the views, and the amenities. Packages including an overnight stay, breakfast, and spa access can start from €298 for two people.
8. Common Complaints
Despite the overwhelmingly positive feedback, a few recurring issues have been noted:
- Breakfast Service: The most consistent complaint revolves around the breakfast experience, with guests citing slow replenishment of food, a feeling of being understaffed, and a somewhat chaotic atmosphere.
- Maintenance: Some guests have expressed concerns that certain aspects of the hotel's maintenance have slipped since its remodeling, mentioning details like dirty curtains with holes and unstable toilet flushes in some of the more expensive suites.
- Room Size: While generally appreciated, some guests find the rooms to be on the smaller side, though the stunning sea views often mitigate this concern.
- Marseille's Reputation: It's worth noting that Marseille itself has an "old reputation" for being a "rough and tough" port city with organized crime. However, reviewers generally advise that tourist areas, where Les Bords de Mer is located, are safe, and travelers should practice situational awareness.
Sources
Points to Consider
- •Despite the overwhelmingly positive feedback, a few recurring issues have been noted:
- •Room Size: While generally appreciated, some guests find the rooms to be on the smaller side, though the stunning sea views often mitigate this concern.
Google Reviews
1,474 reviews
Recent Guest Reviews
Kent Collins
Perched on a small cliff overlooking the Mediterranean, the hotel feels like a modern villa, with all rooms facing the ocean, ours had a small terrace. The sunset was beautiful, the fit and finish of the room and bath was excellent. We were next to the elevator and never heard it. Staff and food were both first rate. The restaurant serves wonderful creative seafood.
Response from the owner
Dear Mr Collins,<br><br>Thank you for sharing your delightful experience at Les Bords de Mer. We are thrilled to hear that you enjoyed the breathtaking views of the Mediterranean, along with the comfo...
Veronique Passaqui
Fantastic location pieds dans l'eau! Cosy rooms, a bit small for 2 people, but very nicely furnished. We felt like being home during our stay. Excellent restaurant! We will come back!
Response from the owner
Dear Mrs Passaqui,<br><br>Thank you for your kind feedback. We're delighted that you enjoyed the cozy atmosphere and the exceptional location of our hotel. Our unique furnishings are designed to make ...
Pranam Chatterjee
We had an incredible time in Les Bords De Mer for our honeymoon -- they upgraded us to a Deluxe Deep Sea View room and provided us champagne and a balloon to celebrate! The staff were very helpful in coordinating our day in Marseille and we soaked in the amazing views from our room and the pool deck at the top!
Response from the owner
Dear Mr Chatterjee,<br><br>Thank you for sharing your experience with us. We are thrilled to read that you enjoyed your stay as well as our surprises to celebrate this special occasion. It is great to...
Stephen DiCarmine
The hotel is awesome. The best view in Marseille from every room. The restaurant is excellent for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And the hotel staff are so welcoming and take care of whatever you might need. This is probably my 10th visit and the staff are still the same which says a lot about the vibe of the hotel. And the rooftop bar and pool can't be beat.
Response from the owner
Dear Mr Di Carmine,<br><br>Thank you for your heartfelt review and for choosing to stay with us time and again. We're thrilled to hear that you enjoyed the stunning views, delightful dining, and atten...
James Beardsworth-Shaw
No attempt to prepare our room earlier than 4pm after arriving early. To make things worse the facilities such as the bar and the restaurant aren’t open during the daytime so there’s nowhere for guests to be welcomed within the hotel except a tiny sun scorched deck on the roof. Don’t arrive at this hotel until 4pm and don’t expect to feel welcomed. The rooms are tiny. Our deluxe see view was so po...
Response from the owner
Dear Mr Beardsworth-shaw, <br><br>Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We appreciate your comments and would like to address the points you raised.<br><br>Firstly, we always make ever...
Stefanie Wagner
Incredible location to stay in Marseilles. The ocean view from our room was stunning and we spent a lot of time on our balcony. The rest of the hotel was beautiful as well. The location is great with the beach right next to it and walking distance to the old harbor and lots of restaurants. We only had breakfast at the hotel which was delicious. The employees were also very friendly and helpful. T...
Response from the owner
Dear Mrs Wagner,<br><br>Thank you for your thoughtful feedback. It is a pleasure to know that you enjoyed the ocean views and the prime location of Hôtel les Bords de Mer. We are glad that the friendl...
Accor
IHG
Minor