Le Petit Nice Passédat

France’s second city rarely tops anyone’s list of travel destinations, perhaps unsurprising given the competition along the neighboring stretches of Mediterranean coast. There’s plenty worth seeing, though, including Le Petit Nice Passédat, Marseille’s most exclusive hotel, converted from two Greek-style villas in 1917 and managed by the Passédat family ever since.

Not just hoteliers, this family is something of a culinary dynasty as well. Gérald Passedat and son preside over the kitchen, serving a cuisine that’s sensibly heavy on Mediterranean seafood, whether simple fresh fish or delicacies like sea anemone — and for their trouble they’ve been awarded a third Michelin star. Patrons dine in a glass-walled dining room or, in summer, outside in the garden, overlooking the rocky shoreline and the Mediterranean beyond.

In contrast with many small French hotels, the style here is minimalist and modern, with occasional accents in bright Southern colors and the odd bit of design whimsy here and there, including abstract artworks and bold Fifties-futuristic geometric prints.

In the end, Marseille may not be what comes to mind when you think of a holiday in the south of France. But Le Petit Nice is proof that there’s culture and sophistication to be found in this oft-neglected city—and you’ll be spared the herds of bronzed sunbathers that beset the Côte d’Azur, an important consideration indeed.

• 16 Rooms
• Style: Contemporary Classic
• Atmosphere: Secluded
• 2 Guest Reviews

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