La Bastide des Cul-Rousset

We had a wonderful stay at Bastide de Cul Rousset, a true hidden gem just 20 minutes from Marseille. Nestled in the green hills, this place is an absolute oasis of calm and beauty — the perfect base to explore both the city and the stunning surrounding countryside.||The garden is fantastic, full of charm and shade, with little corners to relax and enjoy nature. Our room was beautifully decorated, with great air conditioning, a private terrace, and a real sense of style and comfort.||Every morning, we were treated to a delicious breakfast served at the table, including fresh eggs and vegetables from the garden — simple, authentic, and absolutely delightful.||Above all, what makes this place special is the incredible hospitality. You feel truly welcome from the moment you arrive. We left feeling refreshed, inspired, and eager to return.||Highly recommended for anyone looking to combine visits to Marseille with rest and relaxation in a peaceful green setting.

We spent €330 per night at La Bastide des Cul-Rousset and left feeling completely baffled by the gap between the price and the actual experience.||The setting is remote and picturesque, but the property is shockingly under-managed. There was no on-site staff presence throughout our stay — no reception, no assistance, and WhatsApp messages were ignored for over six hours. We eventually had to call, and while the host was polite, she admitted she couldn’t help with anything.||The room was unbearably hot. There was no air conditioning — only an ineffective underfloor cooling system. At night, the temperature remained at 29.5°C, confirmed by the thermostat. We opened the windows in desperation, only to be swarmed by mosquitoes and bugs (unsurprising, given the nearby pond). Adding to the misery were the loud frogs croaking through the night — sleep was nearly impossible.||What’s worse, the windows have no mosquito screens, and the room has no alternative ventilation. This means: if you want fresh air, you must open the windows; if you open the windows, you will let in insects. For a property that markets itself as a luxury countryside retreat, this is a glaring design failure — and not during a heatwave, just a normal summer evening in Provence.||When we mentioned the unbearable heat to the host, she and her assistant expressed surprise and insisted "most guests are fine." But that’s precisely the issue — the property is either unaware or dismissive of real, practical shortcomings.||Privacy was also compromised: the curtains didn’t fully cover the large glass terrace doors, which felt uncomfortable when changing or showering.||There was no Wi-Fi in our room or anywhere on the estate. When we finally got the host on the phone late in the evening, she casually said, “Oh, the Wi-Fi is broken” — yet there had been no communication or notice provided at check-in. This lack of transparency was frustrating, especially given how isolated the property is.||To reach the room, we had to drag luggage over uneven gravel and grassy paths — impractical and poorly thought-out.||The estate has potential, but at present, it is amateurishly managed, lacks basic comfort, and feels entirely unworthy of its pricing. Sadly, this was one of the worst stays we’ve experienced in France. I genuinely regret booking this property.

I don’t recall the last time I left a one star review for the ~2 decades I have been using Google. The room was unbearably hot (29.5 degree throughout the night after the supposedly floor cooling set at 22 degrees). We were told to keep the windows open but then mosquitos swamped in and the frogs around the pond was very loud. There was no mosquito screen and I would add that there curtain also cover the whole windows so privacy was “partial”. WiFi was down for the day but the host didn’t bother to mention until we asked. We tried to speak to a staff before we left for dinner at around 5pm and no one was in sight. We Whatsapp’ed the owner whose number was given to us in case we need help but there was no response for the subsequent 5 hours until we tried calling. It was good that the owner picked up our WhatsApp call. Our broken French was just enough to make sure we understand each other nevertheless the result was more or less a “polite shrug” since there was no staff on site and nothing we can do. Otherwise, breakfast was nice

In itself a very nice facility, decorated with many beautiful details. Unfortunately, the service was not adequate for this price category. Starting with our arrival, it was unfortunately not possible to inform the host of our arrival time, as nobody was available by phone and our email was not answered. When we arrived a little earlier, the room was not ready of course, but this was solved with quickly easily so that we were finally able to check in earlier. Then we were guided to our room, unfortunately without any further information. There was a note with breakfast times, information about the opening of the gate, etc., but a short briefing should have been provided. On the second day we returned from a day at the beach and were surprised that the room had not been cleaned and the towels had not been changed, until we realised that you have to put a note on the door if you want service, which unfortunately was not communicated on arrival either. The same applies to the change of towels. The next day the room was at least cleaned, but there was only a single towel for two guests. When asked, we were told that the other towels were being washed. The next day, the towel change note on the door was apparently blown onto the floor by the wind, so unfortunately we didn't get another towel again. Unfortunately the balcony was completely forgotten during the cleaning, the furniture was full of leaves. The breakfast was very good, the staff in charge were also very friendly and courteous. It's a pity that there are no drinks during the day, no service and the dinner from the homepage was not offered. The pool area is very nice in itself, but unfortunately the umbrellas arrived on our day of departure. Without umbrellas, the area was hardly usable. In addition, the building site was unfortunately not nice for the atmosphere either. All in all, not recommended for the price we paid.

poor service and inexperienced hosts. I stayed in villa at the beginning of July and until this day hosts have not found my loundry which they took for washing and lost. their understanding of "good service" shows their own organised construction works at the pool area all day long

Super beautiful estate in the hills, very dreamy decorated and super nice stuff. Amazing pool and view over Marseille. We stayed for almost a week and it was amazing 🤍

We spent €330 per night at La Bastide des Cul-Rousset and left feeling completely baffled by the gap between the price and the actual experience. The setting is remote and picturesque, but the property is shockingly under-managed. There was no on-site staff presence throughout our stay — no reception, no assistance, and WhatsApp messages were ignored for over six hours. We eventually had to call, and while the host was polite, she admitted she couldn’t help with anything. The room was unbearably hot. There was no air conditioning — only an ineffective underfloor cooling system. At night, the temperature remained at 29.5°C, confirmed by the thermostat. We opened the windows in desperation, only to be swarmed by mosquitoes and bugs (unsurprising, given the nearby pond). Adding to the misery were the loud frogs croaking through the night — sleep was nearly impossible. What’s worse, the windows have no mosquito screens, and the room has no alternative ventilation. This means: if you want fresh air, you must open the windows; if you open the windows, you will let in insects. For a property that markets itself as a luxury countryside retreat, this is a glaring design failure — and not during a heatwave, just a normal summer evening in Provence. When we mentioned the unbearable heat to the host, she and her assistant expressed surprise and insisted "most guests are fine." But that’s precisely the issue — the property is either unaware or dismissive of real, practical shortcomings. Privacy was also compromised: the curtains didn’t fully cover the large glass terrace doors, which felt uncomfortable when changing or showering. There was no Wi-Fi in our room or anywhere on the estate. When we finally got the host on the phone late in the evening, she casually said, “Oh, the Wi-Fi is broken” — yet there had been no communication or notice provided at check-in. This lack of transparency was frustrating, especially given how isolated the property is. To reach the room, we had to drag luggage over uneven gravel and grassy paths — impractical and poorly thought-out. The estate has potential, but at present, it is amateurishly managed, lacks basic comfort, and feels entirely unworthy of its pricing. Sadly, this was one of the worst stays we’ve experienced in France. I genuinely regret booking this property.

Perfect place