On hindsight, our stay in Aix de Provence, France was probably a mistake as Avignon would have probably been a better option. However, at the time of booking, Aix was the place we chose and Hotel Cardinal, the preferred hotel.
Reaching the city-center from Aix TGV station is easy, takes less than 30 mins on a dedicated bus. The bus stop is about 10 mins walk from the city center, Cours Mirabeau or Rotonde. And the hotel Cardinal is another 5+ mins walk from there through a mix of cobbled streets – a tough one with heavy bags. The location is not excellent but not bad either — next to the Church and Musee Garnet and 2 mins from one end of Cours Mirabeau which is the happening part of Aix. The old city is about 20 mins walk and Voila!! You have seen the whole town in less than 2 hours
Hotel Cardinal is quite beautiful, A small entry just before the church, it has a small reception facing a lobby doubling up as the café for breakfast. Nicely decorated with antiques and paintings, it has an old world charm. We got room # 2 in the ground floor itself, at one end of the hotel, adjoining a small open area beautifully decorated with flowers.
The room was also, well, ‘cute’; again with paintings and artifacts all around a lovely bed. The bathroom was modern and a contrast to the room and décor, though very practical with all basic amenities. The breakfast was minimal and we gave it a miss, opting for better options at Cours Mirabeau.
Would recommend having deserts at La Boutique du Glacier on Rue Marechal, enroute to Mirabeau. Abundant dining options available nearby as well. While returning, it was raining so we took a taxi from Rotonde, picked up our bags from the hotel and drop to the bus station for less than € 13. The shopping options near the Tourism Office at Rotonde is excellent as well.
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