Avenue de Saint Menet, 13011 Marseille

B&B HOTEL Marseille La Valentine Porte d'Aubagne

Name: B&B HOTEL Marseille La Valentine Porte d'Aubagne
Address: Avenue de Saint Menet, Marseille, 13011, FR
Rating: 3.9

Hotel 3-star in Marseille

Presentation

The B&B HOTEL Marseille La Valentine Porte d'Aubagne is located in La Valentine, an area that has taken shape as a commercial and industrial zone east of Marseille, between the city and Aubagne. You almost always get there by car. The A50 motorway runs very close by, and the large La Valentine shopping complex is just a few minutes away. This is not the Marseille of postcards. It is more its practical backyard, the kind where you park your car without circling for twenty minutes, the kind where evenings stay quiet because no one lingers outside after dinner.

The Garlaban massif closes off the horizon on the hill side. The Route de la Treille leads in a few minutes to the spa center of Camoins-les-Bains. Aubagne is ten minutes away, the Vieux-Port about twenty, and Saint-Charles station is eight kilometers away. For anyone arriving at Marseille-Provence Airport, count on thirty-five kilometers. The hotel functions more as a base camp than as a downtown address: you drop off your bags, sleep well, and head out again each morning to something else. For the Vieux-Port, Notre-Dame de la Garde, or the Mucem, it is better to plan on using the car or the train from Saint-Charles; this neighborhood is not a base for exploring inner Marseille on foot.

The 82 rooms are divided into doubles, with either a double bed or twin beds, and triples. The air conditioning can be adjusted from the room, useful in summer when the mistral is not enough to cool things down. The bedding comes from Bultex, and the pillows and duvets have that slightly thick softness of hotels that prioritize sleep above all else. There is a desk, a private bathroom with a hairdryer, and a flat-screen TV with Canal+ and much of the satellite package. The wifi holds up, handy for starting an episode before going to sleep.

Pets are accepted for a fee of six euros. The property is entirely non-smoking. The soundproofed rooms do a good job of filtering out noise from the road and the parking area below.

On the ground floor, the reception never closes, neither at night nor on Sundays. Newspapers, a safe, express checkout for those leaving early, and luggage storage for those lingering after checkout. Two conference rooms and a snack bar with delicatessen items complete the setup for business stays, along with a banquet room for larger groups. The hotel carries the Tourisme et Handicap label and ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certifications, a level of rigor that can be felt as much in the welcome as in the upkeep of the rooms.

Breakfast is extra: 11.90 euros per person, 4.50 for children up to ten years old. This choice leaves room for flexibility. Those who prefer to grab a coffee on the way out do not have to pay for it. Those who stay will find a sweet-and-savory buffet, eggs, fruit salad, yogurts, fruit juice, pastries baked on site, and madeleines still warm. A lighter option is available from 4 a.m.

The grill restaurant is open Monday to Friday, at lunchtime and from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. On weekends, the dining room is closed, but the bar and terrace remain open, and La Valentine has no shortage of places just a few minutes away by car for a Saturday dinner.

The parking lot, free and self-service, has seventy spaces. Coaches have their own area, closed at night. Holiday vouchers are accepted at reception, as is the B&me loyalty program for regular guests of the brand.

Outside, Marseille La Salette golf course is two kilometers away, and tennis is played nearby. The Calanques of Cassis, about twenty kilometers away, are worth a full morning outing. Gémenos Park, twenty minutes away, opens onto Provençal landscapes that no longer have anything to do with the industrial setting of La Valentine.

Aubagne, ten minutes away, preserves traces of Marcel Pagnol. The Château de la Buzine, the village of La Treille, the hills all the way to Garlaban: enough to fill an afternoon without getting back in the car more than once.

One last tip, for those leaving early for a hike in the Calanques or catching an early flight: ask for the lighter breakfast option from 4 a.m.; the room is ready well before the rest of the hotel.

Summary of a few positive reviews read on the Web

Impeccable room on arrival. Meriem at reception took the time to guide us without rushing.
Good tip found online before booking: ask for room 235, quiet side. Housekeeping comes early in the morning but stays discreet.
Hearty breakfast buffet, several sweet and savory choices, not just the usual coffee-and-pastry option.
Well located for getting around Marseille, Aubagne, and Aix, each less than twenty minutes away. The parking lot is large; I never had to circle to find a spot.
Well soundproofed room despite the road right next door. You can barely hear the cars in the evening.
Small on-site restaurant at a reasonable price for a quick dinner, and a supermarket just a stone's throw away if you prefer to fend for yourself.