Guest User
July 21, 2024
Maison du Collectionneur fully deserves all the praise and accolades it attracts. Hotel is situated in a perfect location for exploring Aix. An old house on a quiet, traffic restricted street, in the historic part of the city. The room we had was on the second floor, tastefully furnished and comfortable with interesting, eclectic, art work – a theme throughout the building. It was equipped with tea and coffee making facility, a refrigerator with replenished bottled water and a safe. On the ground floor there are two compact public areas, a lounge and a small but attractive (and shady) walled garden with tables. Breakfast arrangements are delightfully flexible, you can pre-order the day before from an individually priced la carte menu and it can be taken either in the lounge or garden. The walk to most of the main tourist destinations is easy and pleasant. The Cours Mirabeau, the central boulevard where you can find extensive and high quality markets most days (and often evenings), shops, and bars is 5 minutes away. The superbly well arranged and pleasant tourist office is 10 mins. Two of the main art galleries (Caumont & Musee Granet) are some 3 mins away. Cross the Mirabeau and you are in the network of shops, bars, cafes, churches and historic buildings that make up the historic heart of Aix. This was our first visit and we were enchanted by the vibrant, atmosphere and how well city is organized for tourists. One of the best ways to get an initial taste of what the City offers is to use the Diabline fleet of small buses that serve 3 routes (A, B & C) around the city centre. Each bus holds just 6 passengers and circulate frequently. You buy the tickets from the driver, a single journey of any length costs a fixed 1.30 Euro pp. or a ticket for 10 trips is 9.00 Euro. Our personal view is that the top rating should be awarded where there is an exceptional reason; comfort, cleanliness, décor, location and friendly staff are highly welcome but should be a given. For us what made Maison du Comm outstanding was the very approachable, friendly and highly efficient service provided by the managers Emma and Silvio. Their advice and assistance on a range of issues was invaluable in making our stay memorable and relaxing. We hope this review goes some way to expressing our appreciation.