We arrived by taxi from the St. Charles train station. The hotel is small but very comfortable. The rooms have been remodeled and the beds were VERY comfortable. Bathroom was beautiful but no shower door so water splashed all over the floor. Our room faced a small courtyard - very small. But it was quite. The breakfast buffet was very good and overlooked the port. Plenty of cafe's around the hotel - but as of this date they are all smoking locations so that limited us.

Having booked Coupe du Monde tickets for the two QF games in Marseille and having been shunted out of our pre-booked Aix-en-Provence hotel in favour of a hotel a further 100km from Marseille, we decided instead to chance it on the night and see if we could get a room in ANY hotel in Marseille. Through a combination of sheer cunning and enormous luck, we ended up in the Mercure with the best possible view of the whole city, in particular of its residents going absolutely NUTS after a French win against the Kiwis. This, in itself, made the hotel the best in Marseille.

Fortunately, although our room was quite small, it was also very pleasingly decorated, fresh and clean with an outstanding shower and super-effective double glazing which managed to keep out all of the noise on what must have been the craziest night in Marseille in a long while. I can honestly say I had a fantastic nights sleep (nothing to do with the quantity of vodka consumed, I'm sure) in a very comfortable bed. The reception staff were exceptionally helpful and efficient - and we weren't charged an extortionate price in spite of walking in and booking the room on the spot. The bar looked a little bit soul-less but we weren't planning on hanging out there anyway. All in all, a good find.

First of all and this is very important - parking. When we arrived at the hotel we could see if from the road that surrounds the port but could not see how to get to it. We ended up in the streets of Marseille going past the hotel and this was a terrible experience. The road is small most people have double parked and the locals appear to have the instincts of pheasants for walking in front of your car. Eventually we got back to the road around the port and I ran into the hotel with my French failing me due to panic to be told by the very kind desk staff how to get to the front of the hotel and they would park the car for us. When you see the hotel turn into the street and take an quick right onto as street that looks like it is pedestrianised and you will park in front of the hotel.

Check in was nice and easy and the gentleman on reception complimented my french which I am sure was gallic charm but as I had been learning it was very much appreciated.

We paid a little extra to secure one of the rooms on the front of the hotel overlooking the port and it was worth every penny. The room was spacious but still warm and the shower was very powerful. We had robes and slippers and a view to die for .

We went to the bar for cocktails which shared the view so if you have one of the rooms looking onto the street I would spend some time in the bar. The staff brought out a lovely selection of snacks and we lazed a half hour away. Try the Pimms with champange!

We went out into town to try the bouillabaisse and chose the Miramar reccomended in the guide books. Personally I hated it. The restaurant squeezed us into a corner next to the two most dedicated smokers in France and the stew was horrible. Don't take my word for it every tourist in the place tried it and had a look of dissapointment on their first mouthful. However - the locals ate other fish dishes which looked amazing. My husband had a lobster starter which was divine. Just be careful with the stew - at 55 euros it was an expensive mistake.

Back at the hotel we spent some time watching the view which is just as compelling in the dark.

Breakfast is great with ample selection and friendly staff. Checkout was a breeze. If you stay in Marseille I wouldn't hesitate to stay here it was amazing.

We booked our stay via the Eurostar site for our rail trip from London to France - Waterloo via Lille to Marseille (combining a low carbon footprint with a love of the TGV).

As mentioned by others, this hotel has a brilliant location facing the Port. Directly opposite there's a metro stop, boat pier for trips to the islands, tourist petit train and opentop bus tours,etc.

Our room turned out to be a suite and was very tastefully decorated and very comfortable. Yes, the quay-side road outside can be busy but, as mentioned by others, the double-glazing is very effective when required.

All the staff were absolutely splendid from the front of house staff to the cleaners. The staff serving breakfast were absolutely gracious and wonderful and couldn't have done more for us. We stayed 5 days and were almost tearful when we left.

I think Marseille is a brilliant cosmopolitan and vibrant city and could be on a par with Barcelona in some respects. The Old Town is a must-see. Yes - there are some down-at-heel parts but that makes for a much more fascinating visit. There are not too many tourists and the locals speak with their own inimitable accent. But try speak ing a bit of Franglais and everyone is your friend.

Incidentally. there's a Galleries Lafayette either end of the road at the back of the hotel so shopping isn't a problem - there's also Hermes, Bulgari, etc if you're feeling a bit more ambitious. The Lafayette in the shopping centre has a great food hall and there's plenty of place for snacks, great seafood and Pastis of course.

Have a great time!