Villa Saint-Ange
18th-century ode
Majestic Mazarin
Villa Saint-Ange channels the splendour of Aix-en-Provence’s honey-toned hôtel particuliers, reviving their 18th-century looks and salon-esque atmosphere. The hotel is minutes from the city’s central boulevard, the Cours Mirabeau, but its sun-soaked terraces, Mediterranean gardens and 28-metre pool will soon have you questioning whether you’re in a city at all. The elegant rooms are an ode to the 18th century, dressed with chevron parquet floors, Persian rugs, silk curtains and a hand-picked selection of art and antiques. Downstairs, you can sip fine tea in the salon, sample artist-inspired cocktails at the bar and discover the true taste of Provence in the restaurant, a light-flooded conservatory with glass walls and a soaring Second Empire ceiling.
Facilities
Rooms
34, including one suite.
Checkout
Noon, but flexible, subject to availability. Earliest check-in, 3pm.
More Details
Rates usually include breakfast (€39 per person), an inviting array of American and Mediterranean options, including flaky pastries, fresh Provençal fruits, cold cuts and regional cheeses.
Also
The common areas are all accessible for wheelchair users, and two of the guest rooms have been adapted.
Fitness Center
Free Internet Access
Laundry
Pet Friendly
Pool
On-Site Restaurant
Room Service
Spa
At the Hotel
Mediterranean gardens, free WiFi throughout, laundry. In rooms: flatscreen TV, minibar, free bottled water and bespoke bath products.
Our Favourite Rooms
Every room has a unique collection of art, objets and antiques, mirroring the interiors of the 18th-century townhouses that line the streets surrounding the Cours Mirabeau. Floors are clad in chevron parquet, windows are screened with silk curtains and the walls are covered in murals in the style of 18th-century landscape paintings. The finest of them all is the suite, which has a grand, light-flooded bedroom with an ornamental dressing screen and a living room with a scarlet Persian rug.
Poolside
At 28 metres long, the heated outdoor pool is prodigiously sized for a hotel in the city centre. There’s a shallow section running along one side and plenty of sunloungers around the edge, plus a separate Jacuzzi off to the side.
Spa
Shaded from the sun by a chinoiserie screen and perfumed by fresh flowers, the hotel’s lone treatment room is tinged with old-world glamour. The therapists offer a range of treatments, including Swedish, Californian, ayurvedic and shiatsu massages, deep-cleansing facials and reflexology sessions. The spa products are by German beauty brand Dr Hauschka. There’s a small, wood-panelled gym with an exercise bike, free weights and a rowing machine.
Packing Tips
Leave space for a few purchases picked up at the city’s markets, where traders hawk all manner of Provençal goods. On Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, local crafts are sold on the Espace Cézanne and antiques can be bartered for over on Avenue Victor Hugo.
Also
A selection of spa treatments can be carried out in the privacy of your own room.
Children
All ages are welcome, but the hotel isn’t particularly geared towards families.
Gallery
Food & Drink
Top Table
On sunny days or balmy nights, request a table on the terrace.
Dress Code
There’s no need to stand on ceremony, but the decor does lend itself to a dressier silhouette.
Hotel Restaurant
The restaurant is inside a Second Empire conservatory, arguably the most impressive room in the hotel. The high, decorative ceiling and vast windows flood the room with light and showcase the Mediterranean gardens in all their lush, green glory. Potted palms, painted screens and green cabriolet armchairs echo the colours outside, and the tables are topped with white cloths, polished silverware and gleaming glasses, adding a decadent finish. Head chef Thierry Karakachian is one of the region’s rising stars, and has created a seasonal menu that captures the soul of Provence and southern Italy, featuring plenty of fresh fish, sun-ripened vegetables, fresh herbs and fragrant flowers, all coming from tried-and-trusted local suppliers.
Hotel Bar
The wood-panelled, zinc-topped bar is overseen by head barman Joën Saint-Requier, who has created a list of signature cocktails inspired by the city and some of the famous figures associated with it, including artists Pablo Picasso and Victor Vasarely.
Last Orders
Breakfast is available from 7am to 11am; lunch from noon to 2pm; and dinner from 7pm to 9pm. Drinks flow at the bar from 11am to 11pm.
Room Service
A selection of salads, club sandwiches and heartier mains can be ordered to your room from 11am to 11pm. Smoked salmon, cheese plates and the dessert of the day are available around the clock.
Planes
The best place to touch down is Marseille, which can be reached directly from all over Europe, including London Heathrow, Manchester and Edinburgh airports.
Trains
The Aix-en-Provence station, where high-speed TGV services arrive, is a 15-minute drive from the centre of town. Trains from Lyon take an hour; from Paris, it’s three hours. If you’re coming from London, you can take the Eurostar as far as Marseille, where you can catch a connection to Aix-en-Provence’s regular SNCF station, which is right in the centre of town.
Automobiles
There’s little call for a car if you’re planning on sticking within the city limits, as the main attractions are within walking distance. That said, Aix is surrounded by countryside that has inspired generations of artists and featured in some of their most famous work – a solid case for a day trip if ever we heard one. If you have brought wheels, the hotel has valet parking for €30 a night.
Worth Getting Out of Bed For
With the hotel so close to the action, you’ll likely spend most of your time wandering Aix’s historic centre, admiring its grand, honey-toned townhouses, sipping café au lait on tree-lined avenues and tracing Cézanne’s legacy through its galleries. When you’re in need of a breather, the hotel’s placid pool and tree-lined terraces are within easy reach.
Cézanne might be Aix’s most famous resident, but his hillside home in Les Lauves isn’t the only interesting house in town. Equally individual is the hôtel particulier that belonged to Paul Arbaud, a scholar who devoted his life to collecting books and covetable objects, all of which are now displayed at the Musée Paul Arbaud in the Mazarin quarter. The Hôtel de Caumont is another prime example of Aix’s 18th-century architecture, and hosts regular art exhibitions. In summer, the gallery is given over to the work of a single artist; in winter, touring collections adorn the walls. A true taste of Provence can be found at the Musée du Calisson, devoted to the history of the calisson, a Provençal sweet made with candied fruit and almond paste. The museum shares the same almond-tree-studded grounds as the Le Roy René factory, where the classic candy has been made since 1920. Alongside calissons of every sort, the factory shop is stocked with a selection of regional sweets, including nougat, biscuits, sugar-coated almonds and jams. If you’re up for a day trip, consider the town of Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, a long-time favourite of the Parisian artistic set. Charming in its own right, Saint-Rémy is associated with Van Gogh, who was a patient at the town’s psychiatric hospital for a year, producing some 150 canvases during his time there.
Earn or Redeem Points with World of Hyatt
This Mr & Mrs Smith hotel participates in the World of Hyatt loyalty program. As a member, you can earn and redeem points and enjoy exclusive benefits for qualifying nights. .
