Le Richelieu's strength lies in its character and location. Marseille has a stack of deathly dull chain and tourist hotels around the old port, so it's a breath of fresh air to be able to walk another fifteen minutes to the Corniche President Kennedy, where le Richelieu has a delightful setting - one of the only buildings on the sea front street that is between the road and the sea, rather than across the street. Be sure to ask for a room with a sea view to benefit the most: the setting is perfect. We slept with the windows open and woke to the sound of waves crashing on the rocks below our balcony.

As other reviewers have noticed, le Richelieu does lack some conveniences - namely an elevator, and most rooms and corridors are smaller than your average hotel. But it should be compared with other budget hotels and hostels, and not with the characterless chain hotels in the city centre. It's brilliant value, especially off season, and every room has eclectic but thoughtful decoration. Breakfast is also great value, and worth enjoying one morning in bed.

The Richelieu Hotel is a small hotel without elevator.
You need to go up to the 1st floor to check in.

Our room was on the 3rd floor in front of the sea. The view is exceptional : you are nearly in the sea.
I could ear the sea all the night : great and in the morning : a great view...
We walked to dine at "L'epuisette" **** but you can also dine "chez Michel" **** where the speciality is the Bouillabaisse.
You can walk in the street along the sea : everything is calm , no danger and we came back from dinner at 11 PM.

The bed was not good at all because it was not hard but much too much soft. It was very clean.
The decoration is very old and has to be done again (painting is badly made).

The continental breakfast is very fine.
The "terrace", where you can have breakfast, is cold (no sun at 9 A.M.in October)
so we preferred having our breakfast in a small room near the terrace and the check in.

The staff is very kind and works hard.
Mind the costly cancelling fees...

We had a good time in Marseille.

We (me and the wife) stayed here over a long weekend in October to see the Rugby World Cup 1/4 finals. We generally stay in 4 star accommodation so we were uncertain what to expect, but I can say that we were delighted with the standard and location of this place. The staff were friendly enough - even with my basic French ability and their (better) English we managed to get on well and all our requests were met. It is situated in a great location right on the sea front, with great views from the bedrooms - a lot better than most of the more expesive hotels. There is a lovely walk in either dierction and their are bars and restaurants close by (it was a 15min level walk up to the metro and the Vieux port area). The rooms were clean, albeit small and basic, and the beds comfortable. For a good place to stay at the 'cheaper' end of the scale this is a great place to visit.

Cheap and clean hotel, with excellent views and welcoming hosts.

However be prepared for ultra crammed spaces. The hotel is built onto 4 floors with no lift. Be warned that restaurants and venues beside it offer live (and loud) entertainment that goes throughout the night.