Radisson Blu Hôtel Marseille Vieux-Port ★★★★

As you come in to Marseille, what you’ll find is a city bursting with character and energy. Even though it is not on the traditional tourist trail, it is the epitome of the real south of France that has been in existence for a lot longer than the tourist hotspots. It is France’s oldest city, founded by Greek traders 2,600 years ago. It’s been bustling ever since, and last year had a major makeover for its turn as European Capital of Culture. Over £450 million was invested in creating international-class museums and cultural centres, refurbishing old ones, regenerating water-fronts and generally making the city match up to its world status.

And when you arrive at the Radisson Blu Vieux Port, those good first impressions shoot through the roof! A glass and stone modern façade welcomes you into an interior that is all you would expect of the Radisson standard, with welcoming staff and a sense of relaxed and smooth efficiency. Our room was spacious and very comfortable with a relaxing muted colour scheme of blues and beiges and thoughtful lighting design. The furniture was high quality with a good sized desk and large flat-screen TV, and there were lots of accessible power sockets (often missing even in the best hotels). The air-conditioning was good, and we had a mini-bar as well as tea and coffee-making facilities, so we were off to an excellent start. The bathroom was lovely too, with lots of toiletries that were replaced daily. The view from the window beyond the swimming pool, over the gently lapping Old Port and across to the Citadel of Saint Nicolas, really is astonishing.

Once we had settled in, we headed off to the third floor, where there is a beautiful outdoor pool. We had a swim and lazed in the warmth of the Provençal sun, watching some more energetic guests playing badminton against the backdrop of the ever-amazing view. For even more energetic people, there was a cross-trainer exercise machine by the pool too.

Marseilles is a great city for eating out, but eating in was a treat as well. The hotel has a choice of venues: the Solaris Restaurant, where the menu is focused on international staples, seafood and local specialities; Café Terracotta, a classic French brasserie with a Provençal menu, and the Le Blu Square by the pool for fresh al-fresco dining and chilling! We enjoyed the restaurant and the brasserie, but our favourite was the terrace by the pool, where the food was good but the added attraction was being in the open air with that exhilarating view.

The hotel has a lovely idea where they transform the terrace on the first floor into a mini version of a typical Marseilles square. We played boules and table tennis, and watched other visitors on the mini golf driving range. We sampled pastis, local meze and tapas, all of which were absolutely delicious. That was our trigger to go out exploring and discover some real Marseilles life. Much of what Marseilles has to offer is concentrated around the Vieux Port and is in easy walking distance. There were so many little bars, cafes, shops and market stalls that we really didn’t feel the need to explore further afield, except for one boat trip to the Parc National des Calanques. That was beautiful, and the colours of that boat trip, the whites and pale tans of the cliffs, the gorgeous blue of the sea, and the way it all shaded into a pale muted orange at sunset, is a picture that will stay with me as the palette of Marseilles. That, and the lovely stay at the Radisson Blu Vieux Port made my stay a truly memorable one!