La Bastide du Roy Rene

We were five guests in total with 2 rooms downstairs with garden and one upstairs. We loved the area and the place where I stayed. The history of the hotel is great: It used to be the summer residence of king René in the 12th century! Also, the location is great, so quiet and away from the city centre while easy to get to the center of Aix en Provence by taking the bus that’s on the corner of the hotel (3 min. walk) so no hassle with parking your car. For €1,30 you’re in the center of town. We all had nice rooms (one couple and myself in rooms with kitchenette and bathroom and sitting area, on the first floor without balcony and the other one on the ground floor with garden) and we were all were happy with it. Especially, we enjoyed the garden where we were allowed to take our breakfast every day on a tray and sit outside and enjoy the morning breakfast outside in my (sunny) garden. The owner of the hotel was very pleasant too. The other receptionists were cordial but less friendly and noticeably, for the five of us, less interested in the guests than the owner. This is an area for improvement.

What we did not like was the fact that we paid €10 for each breakfast daily but they would run out of stock. For example oranges were finished to make orange juice, or the muesli jar would be empty or bread finished and they did not refill immediately and when we would come later to get it, a little bit later than 10.30, which was the time that the breakfast ended, we could not get it anymore. ‘Sorry, breakfast is over!’, they would say. We were surprised here because it would be normal for the staff to let us know that the refill had taken place and we could have gotten it then, because it was their fault that there was not enough for all the guests who ordered and paid €10 p.p. for breakfast the evening before. (You have to order breakfast every evening before, so that they know for how many people to cater in the morning as the bread is fresh from the bakery.) Definitely another point for improvement.

Bus service to centre of Aix. Lovely area for walks. This was a third visit, and we'll definitely go again.

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