I found this hotel to be comfortable and welcoming, and definitely good value. It has a great location, very near the Vieux Port and Le Canebière, but on a small side street that isn't very noisy. The double-paned windows offer pretty good sound insulation as well, sufficient even during the Fête de la Musique. The standard room, while not huge, was larger than I'd expect for a French hotel at this price, and the shower would accommodate someone up to ~6'4" without problems (not always the case in France).
The staff were all welcoming, and kindly allowed me to use my mediocre French during my entire stay. (I did see one of the two primary mangers speaking with another guest in English, so I know he at least spoke good English.) The hotel does follow the annoying (but common in France) custom of making you drop off your key at reception any time you leave, but reception is staffed 24/7 (impressive for such a small hotel), so this isn't really a limitation. I didn't feel unsafe at night in this area, but obviously you'll want to take normal precautions for a big city.
The breakfast is nothing extraordinary, but is perfectly good: usual selection of hot drinks, bread, croissants, yogurt, cereal, and fresh-squeezed orange juice. I found it worth taking most days, and it's nice that they serve it for so long (7-11am), allowing an early start for a Calanques hike, or a lazy morning after a night out. One warning: if you make a reservation for a room including breakfast, they will charge you for breakfast every day, even if you don't take it. This was not made clear to me ahead of time.
WiFi reception was great in my room, and though there was a minor annoyance in having to get a new password for it every day, it worked fine, with good download speeds.
- Saint Ferreol Hotel
- Saint Ferreol Marseille
