There are many options for sleeping in Provence, from camping, to the low budget hostels, renting an apartment, or staying in a gîte, or the higher-end extravagance of a luxury hotel.
Some of the higher-end hotel/motel choices are well worth spending the euros on. When choosing a place to stay, consider your budget, your reasons for visiting and the kind of memories you want to take home with you. It’s a good idea to always ask to see the room before taking it.
Many of the hotels in Provence offer breakfast for an additional fee. If all you want is coffee, or coffee and a croissant, it would be less expensive to pass on the hotel breakfast and go out to a cafe instead.
This section is divided by town, the listings within going from least to most expensive.
Aix-en-Provence
Hotel du Globe, 74 cours Sextius, T: 33 04 42 26 03 58
This nonsmoking hotel is priced in the middle range and is conveniently located in front of a main artery through the old town. Clean and fairly quiet, there is a roof top terrace for sunbathing or relaxing. My bed was comfortable, the room was clean. Breakfast is offered every morning for an additional fee, but if you like there are many cafes in the neighborhood where coffee and croissants can be found.
Hotel Paul Cezanne, 40 av. Victor Hugo, T: 33 04 42 911 111
The manager at this hotel is a wonderful host! When he found out that I was an artist, he eagerly pulled out a map and pointed out all of the things I should see during my stay there in Aix. They stocked me up with all of the city published guides, of which there are quite a few! The hotel is located just down the street from La Rotunde and Cours Mirabeau, and within walking distance of just about everything in town. The bed was heaven, and the room was clean and well insulated from the street noise below. There is breakfast offered for an extra fee in the morning, but there is also a cafe next door, and many down the street at La Rotunde. This hotel was a bit pricey for my artist’s budget but the hotel manager went out of his way to make me feel that it was worth every penny!
Arles
Hotel du Cloître, 16 rue du Cloître, T: 33 04 90 96 29 50
I had wanted to stay in this hotel since my last daytrip to Arles. I had taken photographs of it then, but I was already staying in Avignon. This time, as I left the train station and made my way through the streets of Arles, I walked by to see if it was still there – it was! Because I was traveling alone, I had a small room on the second floor that seemed like it was made from a closed off porch with airy windows that looked over to the cloisters of Saint-Trophime. The beamed ceiling was sloped and my shower/bathroom was inside the room. All of this actually made it feel kind of Provençal bohemian and homey. The other rooms I spied in the hotel had separate bathrooms. Breakfast is offered for an additional fee in the mornings. Cafes are around, but the closest is a few blocks away.
Avignon
Hotel Colbert, 7 rue Agricol Perdiguier, T: 33 14 90 86 20 20
Staying at the inexpensive Hotel Colbert was another case of getting the last room in town for the night. But it was just the right one for me! Within blocks of the train station, on a quiet street inside the walls of Avignon, it is within walking distance of all of the museums and architectural sites in the town. The Office du Tourisme is right around the corner on Cours Jean Jaurès. The hotel has a nice little breakfast room as well as a patio to relax on inbetween the afternoon walkabout and the evening’s soiree. Around the corner, on the way to the station is an artisan bakery where you can stock up a picnic for lunch and there are a number of cafes for coffee on Cours Jean Jaurès.
