18 Chemin de Rousset, 13013 Marseille

La Bastide des Culs-Rousset

Name: La Bastide des Culs-Rousset
Address: 18 Chemin de Rousset, Marseille, 13013, FR
Rating: 4.8

Guest house with pool in Marseille

Presentation

The Bastide des Culs-Rousset stands on the heights of Marseille, in the Château-Gombert district, at the foot of the Étoile mountain range. The Rousset path climbs gently between the pines before opening onto this 19th-century building, surrounded by one hectare of garden. The city already seems far away.

You park the car under the trees. Isabelle, the owner, personally welcomes arriving guests, often with a cat underfoot or her hands still full of soil from the vegetable garden. Conversation starts right away, about the journey here, about what we plan to do in Marseille in the days ahead.

On the ground floor, the exposed stone and old woodwork tell the story of the house, restored over five years. A fireplace in winter, a library with a few worn books, a sofa where you end up lingering longer than planned.

Five rooms are spread between the main building and the garden. La Pinède and L'Étoile, upstairs, each open onto a private terrace facing the hills. Le Cabanon, on the ground floor, has been designed for people with reduced mobility, with a lowered bed and a walk-in shower without a threshold, accessible on one level from the parking area to the door. Farther on, at the end of a path winding through the garrigue, the Étang room appears almost by chance, with the feel of a fisherman's cabin.

In the middle of the day, the infinity pool draws everyone in. It overlooks the terraced stone walls planted with orange trees, with the line of the Pagnol hills in the background. The water stays heated until the end of October, which extends the season. The wooden jacuzzi, a little apart, is better suited to quiet evenings.

Breakfast is served under the pergola or in the veranda, depending on the season. Warm pastries, homemade jams, local products. Dinner, however, must be reserved in advance: it is a table d'hôtes, not a restaurant, and seating is limited to residents who requested it upon arrival.

That last point sums up the place quite well. With only five rooms, the house fills up quickly on spring and summer weekends, and it's best to have a car: there is no metro station within several kilometers, and the Old Port is about a fifteen-minute drive away. It is the compromise for enjoying the calm of the Étoile mountain range without giving up proximity to the city.

As the afternoon goes on, the light changes over the garden. The cicadas take over from the swallows circling above the pool. The pétanque court, in the shade of the mulberry plane trees, fills up around six o'clock, when the heat eases a little.

One tip for a first visit: ask Isabelle about the story behind the Bastide's name, as soon as the first aperitif on the terrace. She tells the story of the little bird, the redstart, which gave its name to the place and still lives in the old roof stones.

Summary of a few positive reviews read on the Web

Isabelle welcomed us like long-time friends, with the garden and the house immediately setting the tone. We chatted for quite a while before even going up to the room.
We have had good breakfasts in France, but this one stands out: warm pastries, homemade jams, served under the pergola with a view of the garden.
The room was clean, well thought out, with a mix of old and newer furniture. The bathroom with a walk-in shower is a real bonus after a day of wandering around Marseille.
We needed an accessible room for my father. The Cabanon room, on the ground floor, has a lowered bed and a step-free walk-in shower. Access from the parking area to the door is completely obstacle-free.
We are a quarter of an hour by car from the Old Port, but once you're in the garden, there's no city noise at all. Rely on a car, there is no metro nearby.