My main criteria when I was looking for somewhere to stay for a week in Marseille, is that I did not want full/half board, I did not want a cleaner knocking on the door at 9 o'clock every morning, and I did not want to hear people crashing down the coridoors every minute of the day and night. I had a studio apartment with 2 single beds, a functional kitchen with a cooker, microwave, fridge (with ice compartment), dishwasher, iron, vacuum cleaner etc...
I was given the key, and left on my own in peace for the week, with nobody knocking at the door the whole time I was there (heaven!).
The location is very good. The traffic noise is minimal, and the seafront is about 3/4 minutes walk away. There are a good few bars and restaurants along the seafront, most of which have A La Carte menus, offering fish and meat options. The beaches were clean, and not too busy. The sea was clean, and no seaweed in sight!
There is a beautiful parc called Parc Borely, which is a very short walk away, with plenty for the children, and all shapes and sizes of bicycles for hire.
There were a few small shops nearby, but if you want the big supermarket/hypermarket, there is a huge Carrefour in the middle of a shopping centre that is about 20 minutes walk away (cutting through Parc Borely on the way).
All the people were polite and friendly; I will definitely return again one day!
I would just add to my above comments by mentioning that you can have a daily cleaner if you choose, and that there are breakfast facilities on the ground floor of the block, as well as a small outdoor swimming pool.

This hotel was out of the main port area but was still a good location which was close to the beach and underground stop. The room had great facilities for selfcatering and was clean and tidy. There was also a shower and hairdryer which I hadnt seen stated on their website, although no safe. Our balcony had no onlookers and a nice view, the pool area was also clean and quiet. Staff were friendly, greeting you everytime you came in/ went out.
The balcony was fine although had some damp problems, and we were unsure about if our room got cleaned. It was not cleaned or towels changed the 5 nights we were there. There were also no nearby shops which sold supermarket food, which was not so good as it was a selfcatering apartment. You would need to go on the underground into the centre of towm to get this.
Overall, I would recommend the hotel for value and and enjoyed my stay in Marseille

We spent a week in May 2010 at the Adagio City Aparthotel for 87 euros/day including garage parking and taxes. This is a deal that's hard to beat! If you call from the US, their direct number is 011 33 4 91229700. The neighborhood is lovely and very quiet, with a large and attractive park just across Avenue du Prado. We had a car but were told that public transportation was only a couple of blocks away. It's about a 15-20 minute ride to Vieux Port. and just a short walk to several casual restaurants by the beach. The staff spoke English and was very nice and helpful, calling on our behalf for dinner reservations and giving us tips on what to see. Our bedroom, although very small and simple, was immaculate and had everything we needed, even a new TV, a towel warmer, a hair dryer, liquid soap and shampoo. No wash cloths though -- it's not a European thing, so if you want one you should bring one from home. We asked for twin beds rather than a pull-out couch and they were perfectly comfortable. The kitchenette built along one wall was well equipped; we made dinner there once and several breakfasts. If you prefer to go to the breakfast room for 10 euros, you will find ham, cheese, yoghurt, cereal, bread, juice, coffee, etc. All rooms have a balcony. When we saw that the chair on our balcony was broken we called the front desk and it was replaced within five minutes. The Adagio provides housekeeping only once a week -- i.e., after people leave, in most cases. So we tidied up after ourselves and also bought additional toilet paper at MonoPrix, the nearest grocery store. (I think you could probably get more from the front desk, though.) There are a coin-operated washer and dryer, which we didn't use, in the basement. The swimming pool was very attractive, but they had no lounge chairs around it -- perhaps they put some out when it's warm enough to swim. If not, that would be a minus. The exterior of the hotel is unprepossessing, and it's not so easy to find -- you see the garage first and you really can't drive up to the hotel's entrance as there's no place to turn around. But that really doesn't matter once you've gotten yourself situated. It's not the Four Seasons, of course, but it provided everything that we needed for a clean, quiet, comfortable, and convenient stay at an extremely reasonable price.

A fine location and apartment to discover Marseille. At 100 meters there are lots of nice restaurants, the beach and also the bus stop to the city centre. The bus takes around 25 min. to get to the Old Harbor but travels along a beautiful coast road and is with € 1,50 pp a cheap way of getting there. A supermarket and bakery are very close and a breakfast is not difficult to come by. Also at walking distance there is Park Borelly. A good way of spending your Sunday afternoon, together with the Marseillans themselves. The numerous small beaches are a bit polluted and full with little gems. Very nice is the neighborhood around metro station Nouaille. Here you can find a market and nice cozy streets. The apartment is very complete, even the kitchenette. Cleaning is only around once in 5 days so take some extra toilet paper and clean towels with you. The pool is small and has no sun beds but lovely for a fresh dive. At arrival, the bed is made into a couch, mostly not a very good sign, but at our surprise, it turned out to be rather good.
With the metro and bus to the airport is the cheapest way (€ 10,- pp) a taxi will take you there for around € 65,-. We were satisfied with our choice of the Adagio. If you are going to book it; we wish you a nice time in Marseille. We really enjoyed it!