La Maison d'Aix - Hôtel Particulier et Spa

Neither fish nor fowl, neither Riviera glitz nor Provence farmhouse rustic, the old Roman town of Aix-en-Provence isn’t easy to pigeonhole. Fitting, then, that one of its finest hotels should be one so unique as La Maison d'Aix - Hôtel Particulier et Spa. The name isn’t an attempt at false modesty — it really is essentially just a house, one with just four bedrooms plus a pint-sized spa and a common room that’s somewhere between a library, a cinema and a games room.

It doesn’t get much more low-key than that. Which certainly doesn’t mean it’s unimpressive. A pair of contemporary architects spent three years refiguring the old residence, and the result is something modern (if not modernist, something full of life and personality — there’s little you’d be tempted to call “design,” but no shortage at all of style.

Obviously you’ll find yourself without certain grand-hotel luxuries, but as a residence, the Maison is an exceedingly comfortable one. Bathrooms are clad in Jerusalem marble, and bedrooms are supplied with entertainment centers and Bose iPod-ready stereos. After breakfast you’re on your own, but it’s for your own good — La Maison is yards from the Mazarin, the historical center of Aix, and it’s walking distance from everything you’re here to see.

• 4 Rooms
• Style: Contemporary Classic
• Atmosphere: Quiet

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