My husband and I are in full agreement with the Calgary and Baltimore reviews, below.
Regarding the hotel, there really wasn't anything wrong with it but there was nothing special about it, either. True, the provence bedspread and curtains were very nice, but overall the room was tired and worn. There were no common areas (i.e. in the reception area) that added any charm to the hotel.
We selected the hotel based on its recommendation in Michelin and several other guidebooks----fodor's gave it a "star" as a very special location.
We should have listened to the reviews on trip advisor---they are far more accurate: location is great but nothing else great. I certainly don't know what is so quaint about this hotel---it just came off as a very basic two star accomodation. Essentially, we got what we paid for.
Aix is also not a necessity as a stop in Provence. We were very surprised by the "outdoor mall" feel of the streets. Yes, the Cours Mirabeau is pretty and the cafe scene nice-- --but Arles is far more charming.
If we returned to Aix (which we won't) we would look for a different hotel----

Our family (young couple with one-year-old) stayed at this narrow, centrally-located hotel for two nights, March 3-4, 2007. Despite the very pleasant and helpful staff, we found both Aix and the hotel a little disappointing, and not suited to our needs. We might recommend it, but only to singles or couples travelling on a budget who are willing to sacrifice some comfort for a little eccentric charm.

The location, just off the Cours Mirabeau, is quite good, but there is no hotel garage, just a public parking lot several blocks away, and old Aix is a bewildering maze of narrow one-way streets. The woman at reception spoke excellent English and gave us a map, which she marked with directions. No elevator, so we had to climb five flights of stairs. The room was a shock: by North American standards, it was unexceptably tiny. Once the baby cot was set up at the foot of the bed, there was no room to stand or open luggage (no drawers or shelves anyway) and the crazily slanted ceiling with exposed wooden beams forced my husband, who is of average height, to crouch when he ventured off the bed. The spread and curtains were tasteful, but many of the floor tiles and bathroom fixtures were worn. The bed was nice and firm - but there was nowhere else to go! Eventually, I adjusted to the cramped space and even began to see the room as unique and fun, but my husband continued to view it as shabby, uncomfortable and a poor value. We slept very well with the windows open and the breeze blowing in, but the room would be absolutely suffocating in summer.

I'm afraid we were in some ways immune to the graces of Aix, too, like the reviewer from Baltimore below ("Underwhelming"). With a baby, we weren't interested in cafe life or high-end shopping. We enjoyed our trip to Cezanne's studio, but couldn't follow the 45-minute lecture in French. The food was expensive and ho-hum. Neither Aix or the hotel particuarly suited us, but they might be appropriate for the traveller who doesn't care for standardized, predictable accomodations.

my family stayed in several rooms at hotel des quatre dauphins over a 2 week period in march. the rooms are small (the showers even smaller), but the location and the staff of the hotel are fantastic. and the price is right. the rooms were charmingly decorated and there was no smell of smoke in our rooms, although smoking is permitted. you are steps from the cours mirabeau and the front desk was incredibly helpful. we left for several days to travel to paris and they stored our big bags until we returned with no extra charge or hassle. being on the main street side (forget the name of the street) can be noisy. and there's no elevator, so the 3rd floor trek could be problematic for older people. but i would highly recommend this hotel.

This is a very small hotel in an excellent position very close to Cours Mirabeau. Rooms are small but charmingly decorated in Provencale fabrics. My room overlooked Rue Roux Alpheran and was very quiet. Staff were most helpful. This hotel is fairly basic(no mini bar or safe) but so appealing it simply doesn't matter. I love it