Plage de la Grotte de Gardanne Tours and Activities

This is not a conventional hotel; Reception is often unattended and guests are trusted to look after themselves. Maids will not enter your room when you are out to tidy, clean and make the beds, though a member of staff did offer us clean towels when we needed them. For those on a budget, there are facilities for preparing and eating food in the rooms. Everything is clean and well appointed. The staff - mostly young women, as far as I could make out - are exceptionally charming and helpful. I was contacted by a staff member a day or two before our arrival, to give us instructions on how to find the hotel and access the hotel using a pass-code. She also provided prompt information when I asked for it. Our room overlooked a main road but we were not disturbed by traffic noise because double-glazing reduced external sound by at least 95%. The rooms are air-conditioned, of course. AMMI is nicely situated on the edge of the old city, just seconds from the lanes and passage-ways which make this part of town so attractive, with their bars, cafes and restaurants. I'd guess that it's a 15 minute stroll to the beach. Recommended!

A castle on the beach, it's quite a dream! Steps away from the sea, you walk up a tower (literally) into the magical Chateau de Theoule, where you walk along stone-paved gardens from the pool, restaurant/bar, spa, and spacious rooms. Parking is available and the valet staff was very professional. The hotel has a private beach club and the water is less crowded than the other beaches nearby. For the price tag and luxury experience, though, I was surprised by the lack of personal care and grooming options available in the room. On the contrary, the spa is worth checking out and the prices are very reasonable! We also were woken up with a blaring fire alarm in the middle of night, were asked to evacuate (the staff had no idea what was going on) and after the entire building was awoken at 4am and the alarm stopped (approx. 10 minutes later), all they said was "it was just a test, you can go back to your rooms." A "test" at 4am?!? All in all, it was a great stay despite a few misshaps. I think the staff as a whole could have been more friendly and hospitable. Most of them seemed very uptight and like something was going wrong at all times (that was just their state of being, nothing was actually happening but it felt like a constant red alert).

Wonderful staff, attentive to our needs. The hotel has a shuttle to Monte Carlo