Aquabella Hotel

The Aquabella Hotel sits in a slightly dated four-story building with a flat beige facade, constructed in 1999. The grounds are dated too -- but in a good way: The hotel is built right among the ruins of Roman baths and Medieval fortifications, with remnants of a great stone tower among the nicely manicured gardens, plus part of a wall along side the outdoor pool. (The hotel's spa also makes use of its location with direct access to geothermal waters.) While the terrace and pool are closed seasonally, the indoor restaurant has high floor-to-ceiling windows that look out onto the outdoor space. The lobby lounge pairs dark green carpeting with velvety red couches and dark wood furniture, giving it an old-school vibe that isn't quite in tune with the lighter Provencal room decor. But the main draw here is less the decor and more the extensive spa facilities and the great location just a few minutes walk from Old Town. It's particularly popular among couples, though families find their way here, too.

The Aquabella Hotel is exceptionally located on a quiet, narrow road surrounded by typical Provence homes, beautiful gardens, and Roman ruins. It's just on the edge of the historic old city of Aix-en-Provance, just a four-minute walk to Place Cardeurs, a bustling city square full of restaurants and shops and a three-minute walk from Aix Cathedral. Cours Mirabeau, a long pedestrian boulevard known for its shops, cafes, and fountains, is an eight-minute walk. The markets at Place des Precheurs are also about an eight-minute walk, and Le Musee Granet (which houses works by Granet, Cezanne, Picasso, Matisse, Monet, and Van Gogh) and Cezanne's Atelier are each about a 15 minute walk. Marseille-Marignane Airport is about a 25-minute drive or a little over an hour via public transit. 

Aquabella's guest rooms have an airy, classic French-country feel thanks to wood floors, white and beige walls, gently distressed white furniture. The light purple or gray accents recall Provence lavender fields. While rooms are clean, tasteful, and fairly roomy, the simple decor lacks the "wow factor" of other upscale properties. But framed pastel drawings of potted greenery on walls do add a bit of charm. Bathrooms are contemporary with wood floors, beige tiled walls, and combination showers and tubs. Rooms are air conditioned and feature desks, flat-screen TVs with international channels, safes, electric kettles for coffee and tea, minibars, and free Wi-Fi. Bathrooms have hairdryers, nice individual toiletries, plus robes and slippers. 

The hotel's best extra property feature is its full-service spa, which is directly connected to the hotel. The hotel is situated on top of old Roman baths and, in addition to showcasing ruins, the spa makes use of its continued access to a geothermal springs on the property. Besides individual treatment rooms (for beauty treatments, massages, etc), the hotel has Turkish baths, a sauna, and aquasports in indoor pools. For most guests, the highlight is the heated outdoor pool, which is situated among the gardens and features sitting areas and loungers -- but it's closed seasonally. The spa also a tiny gym, though it's sparsely decorated and only has a few pieces of cardio equipment.

Guests can grab drinks at the hotel's lounge bar, which hosts live jazz some nights and is opened from the afternoon through the late evening. The hotel's on-site restaurant, L'Orangerie, is a classy spot serving up a standard daily buffet breakfast (for an extra fee), plus nice Mediterranean dishes for lunch and dinner. Lunches are also offered on an outdoor terrace grill, La Terrasse de la Tour, though this is only opened seasonally. Room service is available 24 hours. 

The hotel has meeting and event space, a 24-hour front desk, helpful multilingual staff, and free Wi-Fi. Dogs and cats are permitted for an extra fee. Parking is available near the hotel, though it costs an extra fee, and the hotel offers free shuttle service to the casino.