Hôtel Le Corbusier

What an amazing experience and opportunity to stay at this beautiful piece of architectural history! They are a bit understaffed but everything was ok. Air Conditioning works great, which is important for Marseille summers! The bathrooms are a bit dated and awkward, but they are landmarked and required to be preserved in original condition and design. The rest of the building is also beautiful and amazing, and there is a great architectural bookstore on the level of the hotel lobby. The rest of the building is condo/coop apt owners who live there as their home. NOTE: Before you book and stay, research when/how to get on one of the official city government tours of the building. You don't have any advantage being a hotel guest. I couldn't take either of the tours that I saw go by because I didn't pre-book.||The website to book a room is a bit clunky, but I was able to get it to work and check in was straightforward. Breakfast in the cafe on the balcony with a view is a must.||And, it's not even expensive! Highly recommend!

A unique hotel in an architecturally inspiring building. The staff are amazing and so helpful and friendly. The owner Dominique is an inspiration and informative. The chef went out of his way to provide me with the most amazing vegetarian dinner which wasn't on the menu. He did it bespoke for me. The whole stay was truly amazing.

Every architecture lover will be delighted with this building. It’s a living museum with a passionate staff who works there. It is not just a hotel, it’s a history. A capsule taking you back in time.

Corb’s building didn’t disappoint from his utopian vision to the details of rough boarded concrete and imprinted modular man. Dominique the hotel owner is a force of nature and her team looked after us with wonderful meals and hospitality

I am only covering an experience in the cafe and did not stay. ||But be wary - do not expect a warm welcome.||I tried to pay for my coffee and croissant by card. I missed a sign at the bar that said min spend of €20. I offered to pay more than the bill. The owner said that it was the law to have a minimum spend. I’m not French, but I doubt it. ||The point is that it will be easy to get in a dispute in this place.||In the end, I paid nothing and there was a lot of muttering and gesticulating. Not a satisfying experience for either party. But very disappointing/ unnecessary for me to feel the anger of the person berating me.||NB visiting the building for those interested in Le Corbusier is recommended.

For those who know the history of the hotel, it’s a “bucket list” visit, and even to be able to stay here is living a dream. Getting here involves taking tram and bus or taxi across town, but once you’re here, there’s not much point leaving - the “Cité Radieuse” is designed as a self-contained environment, and feels like one. Dinner at “Le Ventre…” is a great idea - for the location and food quality, a five-star fixed menu at around 60€, is about right. It’s by no means a place to stay while visiting a destination- it *is* the destination.

Amazing place - what a privilege to be able to stay in one of Le Corbusier's finest buildings. The whole place really is stunning. I found myself just looking around and smiling at how clever the whole place is. The room itself isn't luxury but they are constrained as to what they can do as this is how Le Corbusier designed the building! It was very comfortable and the owners are fantastic.

I loved it for the view over the city and because I love this kind of architecture and interior design. The room was, however, tiny (which I didn't mind but others might), the walls very hear-through and, what I did mind most: the swimming pool on the roof not accessible for hotel guests, even though it advertises with pictures of it. Breakfast was fine and the view great and just being there very inspiring. Still expensive for what it is.

La Maison du fada... the "house of the crazy" was what the neighborhood called it because they considered it so ugly when it was built. Like a nickname that you call that little fat girl with the buck teeth but then she grows into her body and you still call her Bucky but she is now a model, and everyone wants to sleep with her. She is also called Unite de'Habitacion and some even call her Cite Radieuse. On my first visit I immediately ascended to the rooftop sculptural garden and running track and stunning view of the Mediterranean. I met a little boy playing marbles, interested and interesting. He told me that his father is an architect and his mother is an artist and he is going to be an artist and architect. He asks me what I do...? I say that I am an artist and in architecture school. He said that he is quite sure that his father and mother want to meet me. He told me that he loves living here. He is charismatic, charming, adorable. He is 12. Nine years later I return and he is starting his career as an architect and his girlfriend is stunningly beautiful. They are both super smart, extroverts, energetic, creative... ready to take the world by storm. He tells me that he misses home, and that he appreciates what Le Corbusier created... it has added to his life, to his appreciation of great architecture and helped make him who he is today. I lived in his now empty bedroom for a week and experienced waking up in Le Corbusier's monastery for vertical living. They have a spacious corner unit, 2 stories, great light, plenty of space. They told me stories about the increasing maintenance costs, the concrete that has needed extra attention, and their commitment to this place. Le Corbusier created an island. When you live here, you feel you are chosen to be ON the island. Completely self contained bubble. Restaurant, dry cleaning, cafe, bar, haircut, ping pong tables... Super friendly people who seem to display obvious pleasure in their good fortune and good taste in choosing this amazing place to raise a family. In my world, they are all patrons of the art of architecture... likely paying way too much to repair and maintain a building which was at the forefront of technology... concrete and steel and glass. In addition to staying in one of the flats with a family, I also stayed 2 nights in one of the rentable apartments and I would say, if you love modernism or if you love someone who loves modernism, this is a treat... skinny little cells, sparse, like being on a cruise ship but without the activities, the booze and the buffets of endless food. It was reasonable but beware as the rentable rooms are super small... monastic almost, which I loved. The units are on the 3rd and 4th floor. Everything fit like a Rubik's Cube puzzle, the bed, the desk, the shelves, the bathroom... and felt like it was designed with the efficiency of a ship. It is not luxury by today's definition, though, and actually, the tiny unit I stayed in was not even comfortable. The sacrifices one must make for great art... Make sure to get a room with a view of the sea. Waking up with a view of the Mediterranean and a bright blue sky should not be missed, as long as you made the trip. This building was a breakthrough and is considered one of Le Corbusier's masterpieces in his pursuit of a Machine for Living. 1958 Interview with Le Corbusier... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQayb3glupE&feature=related Do not miss the sculptural concrete on the roof, the cafe, the shops, and making friends. I found most of the people who live here to be very friendly and very appreciative of visitors who appreciate their building. Lots of architects and artists inhabit this machine. Like anyone who chooses to live in an obscure tourist attraction, though, some were a tad cranky... but who knows, it may have had nothing to do with me. Apparently it is currently undergoing more renovations, repairs... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tg9f2FLbiVM&feature=fvw