L'Hôtel Particulier Arles: 5-star Hotel & Restaurant

The hotel needs more staff. It seemed like the male manager didn’t want to be working there. However, Antonio made our stay very comfortable. He did everything from bar tending, valet, room service and helping us with our bags. He was attentive and awesome. We enjoyed the aesthetic & the romantic vibe of the hotel. The breakfast was just okay for the price (30€). And the hotel was down an alley that was hard to find. They need a bigger sign. It would have been impossible to park without valet. Overall, I would not call this 5 stars. 4 stars at best.

Set in a beautiful Renaissance style building, the former home of the Duke of Chartreuse, in a very quiet street five minutes walk from the amphitheatre, the theatre and the church of St Trophime (three must-sees in Arles), this hotel is a lovely spot. Ok so the bathroom in our room (number 3) was cosy, the copper sink wobbled a bit and the towels were thinner than we would have preferred but we had Hermes amenities and a fabulous view over the gardens and swimming pool, the bed was big and comfortable. Staff were unfailingly charming and helpful. Top tip if you are driving is to find a spot to call the hotel from and have them park your car in their garage. It’s €28 euros a night but worth it in a town with many driving restrictions, narrow streets and one way systems. There is a breakfast offer but no restaurant which hardly matters as Le Gibolin (among others) is two minutes walk away and is cheap and very cheerful. There is also no lift so if a gorgeous winding staircase isn’t for you, make sure to get a room on the lower floors. Is the hotel cheap? No. Is it worth the price? Probably. A great location, marvellous staff and a magnificent building very largely make up for minor quibbles around ablutions. Definitely one for the Arles shortlist.

Unfortunately, we felt robbed by a pretty disappointing experience at the Hotel PARTICULIER. Not a 5 star hotel-a 3 star at most or a “has been bed and breakfast”. -bad communication previous to our visit, just one email one day prior to driving to Arles making it difficult to reach the hotel- we had to call- scratched our car on the way. -poorly trained staff- nobody told us the happenings around town- there was a renowned photography festival we learned about when we left! -Scratchy sheets and thin towels- some already shredding. -poor toiletry products. -just 2 bottles of plastic bottled water in small rinky dinky fridge -safe did not work- we reported to staff and not fixed -bar without bartender -no restaurant -spa without equipment -unappetizing breakfast -STAY AWAY from this hotel -photos and info on website are a SCAM

We booked this hotel reading past reviews and expecting a 5-star experience with a nice restaurant and Hermes toiletries. Unfortunately it is now repositioned and run as a basic B&B with no services, but still charging 5-star rates: no restaurant, no room service, no minibar, no coffee machine in the room, lack of personnel, breakfast not included at €26 per person with a meager buffet, if you need to check out before 9am it’s a problem and nobody will be able to pick up your car, no help with luggage. Moreover: Wi-Fi in our room was not working as we were placed outside of the main building and the room door was a window with no curtains, so zero privacy. |Rooms are ok but given current state of the business, this place is currently massively overpriced and it’s curious how it still retains 5 stars.|I put two stars only because the personnel was really nice trying to do their best and juggling multiple jobs at once: cleaner, gardener, usher, waiter at breakfast etc. |for the rest, best to avoid

Unfortunately, I did not read any recent reviews before booking and staying at L’Hotel Particulier. I wish I had! |Our first time visiting Arles, we wished to stay in the best hotel we could find. We were drawn to this hotel by its website, and although expensive (€549 per night for the Terrace Suite) we booked for 3 nights, the third night in a different room as they couldn’t give us the suite for all 3. We left after 2 nights….|Specifically we found the following:|Very poor facilities:|Small, awkward reception which still seemed to have its Covid screens up. No welcome drink/sit down whilst you complete registration.|Locked entry system to the hotel, you had to ring a bell and wait for someone to let you in.|A basic, tiny, bar, which only seemed open if people were there. No social seating area to relax in.|The gym/wellness area 3 pieces of equipment in a cramped, no air conditioned room, which didn’t even look clean. Unusable!|The massage room (down some stairs), also poor, so upon seeing it, my wife cancelled her massage (which took two requests to book in the first place).|The only food available was breakfast (hence the B&B), which is served on a very peaceful terrace by the pool. Our rate apparently didn’t include breakfast(!) so we decided not to bother with it, as we already felt we were being overcharged! Staff were friendly enough (especially Antonio), but changed everyday - it felt like they were struggling to manage.||Our Terrace room:|Thin, worn towels (some were actually fraying). Scratchy bed linen. Air conditioning only worked from the bathroom, so to keep the room cool, the bathroom had to be very cold. Tiny, weird toilet.|No sound system (says there is on the website). No in-room tea/coffee facilities. The only drinks in the room were bottles of water (which were cheap 50ml plastic ones, in a rickety mini fridge!)|Having decided we couldn’t face a 3rd night we informed them on day 2 that we would be leaving a day early. It was only on departure that the (apologetic) staff informed us that they had been told to charge us for the 3rd night, minus €50 - another €409.||I note that the owner has opened a new hotel near Arles, which also features on their website. I think it is very clear where they are investing their time and money. Don’t be confused by website photo gallery, there is no bistrot etc at his hotel. At some point pre Covid, L’Hotel Particulier was clearly a different much better hotel, but now, it’s basically a very expensive, faded B&B, with a nice pool/outdoor area, needing an overhaul and some new linen.||I have given it 1 star (I rarely write reviews, and this is my first negative one) - because as someone who stays in many Relais & Chateau hotels, this is all this deserves.||

This hotel is a gem, Antonio made our experience unforgettable. His attention to detail is unparalleled

the worst hotel I have ever stayed at and worst hotel experience I have ever had! I am an artist and was there for the opening week of the rencontres d’arles, I stayed one night in the hotel during the opening week of the festival. When I arrived they informed me my room was on the ground floor, it is the only one on the ground floor and opens into the courtyard and has a glass solarium that has no curtains or privacy of any kind and anyone can see into. Then they informed me there would be a party in the courtyard, that is quite small, and they were expecting over 200 people. I told them I was not comfortable staying in this room, as it had no privacy and I didn’t feel safe as a female traveling alone. Not only that but I am sick and wanted a place where I could rest. They assured me the party would be over by 9:30pm, it wasn’t, it went til 10pm, was unbelievably noisy and I felt like a prisoner in my room. Then in the morning there was another party in the courtyard that I was never even informed about and when I came out of the shower there was a complete stranger who was not even a guest of the hotel sitting in my room on the phone! Exactly why I did not want to stay in this room. Nowhere on the website or when I made the booking was it indicated that this room was on the ground floor, if I had known I would have never booked this room. They didn’t inform me that there would be TWO parties in the courtyard of the hotel, during my stay and again if I had known I would not have stayed here. I was unable to use the pool because it was very dirty when I arrived and only cleaned for the two parties. I am also vegan and they do not have food options for me. If you want relaxation stay anywhere else. This hotel should not have a five star rating.

Based on the on-line pictures, I thought L’Hotel Particulier was located in the suburbs. Actually, it’s located on a narrow one-way alley in the heart of old Arles. It was a great location just blocks from the river, restaurants near the old Forum and other sites. Valet parking is a must at about 20 Euros a day. The hotel has the ambience of a very exclusive country villa. The interior grounds are beautiful with lush plantings and a lap pool. The patio area is perfect for an elegant breakfast. Our room was on the ground floor and very large with an old wooden beam ceiling and private patio area. The concierge was very helpful with lots of good advice. He even helped us find the site of Van Gogh’s painting “Le Pont De Langlois Aux Lavandrieres” which is about 15 minutes by car outside Arles. One of the joys of staying in an old villa is its peculiarities. For us it was the hot and cold knobs on the shower which we could never figure out, and the old style key locks, which were tricky to use. Due to our schedule, we didn’t have time to enjoy a dip in the pool, a leisurely breakfast, or afternoon tea, but it was a perfect place to get a feel for the magical mood of Arles.