96 avenue de la Soude, 13009 Marseille

Hôtel 96

Name: Hôtel 96
Address: 96 avenue de la Soude, Marseille, 13009, FR
Rating: 4.65

Hotel 3-star with pool in Marseille

Presentation

Hotel 96 is located in the southern districts of Marseille, between Sormiou and Morgiou, just a few minutes’ drive from Calanques National Park. It is reached by a small residential road, quiet, almost deserted in the evening. Nothing really announces the hotel before you push open the gate.

The house dates back to the 19th century. It has belonged to the Racine family since the 1980s, and today it is run by Alice and William, brother and sister. You can feel it from the welcome: no one recites a script, questions are simply answered, and directions are given to the calanques and breakfast times.

The garden is surprising in size. A century-old plane tree shades the terrace. Around it are oak trees, bamboo, and a vegetable garden that supplies part of the kitchen. You can hear the birds even before you see the first room.

There are eighteen rooms in total, spread between the ground floor and the upper floor. The lower rooms open directly onto a private terrace and the garden. The upper rooms, with higher ceilings, overlook the hills of the national park. Each has a different theme, Haute Couture, Rétro Colors, Bois & Fer, Mare Nostrum, designed by members of the family themselves, the mother for the tapestries, the daughter for the decor and the garden.

In the morning, breakfast is served under the veranda or on the terrace depending on the season. Bread and homemade jams, fruit juice, mostly organic and local products. One point to know before booking: it is not included in the room rate. Once seated, the generosity of the buffet quickly makes you forget that detail.

At the back of the park, the pool looks like a natural basin, surrounded by pebbles and trees that filter the light. A sauna and massage room are available on site, without leaving the property. One room is adapted for guests with reduced mobility, and the hotel has the Green Key label for its water and energy management.

Here you are far from the bustle of the Old Port, about a twenty-minute drive from the city center. For the calanques themselves, allow about ten minutes by car. Without a vehicle, getting around is a bit more complicated, even if two bus lines connect the neighborhood to the Rond-Point du Prado metro station. Those coming primarily for a break from it all will find plenty to suit them here.

Two workshops, Fanny and Marius, host groups for seminars or private meals around seasonal cuisine, partly sourced from the vegetable garden. In the evening, outside these events, people usually head to the fish restaurants in the neighborhood, just a few minutes away by car.

A tip: book your massage in the late afternoon, when the pool empties and the low light brushes across the garden’s oak trees.

Summary of some positive reviews read on the Web

One room is adapted for guests with reduced mobility, and the free parking right in front makes arriving by car much easier.
Very quiet upstairs room, comfortable bedding, we would have happily stayed a few more days.
Warm welcome from the first evening, Alice takes the time to explain access to the calanques and breakfast times.
Decent homemade breakfast, jams and fresh bread, but to be planned as an extra on top of the room rate.
Very quiet location in the south of the city, but it is better to have a car, the center is about twenty-five minutes away by road.