Hotel Le Pigonnet

Review of Le Pigonnet

After a mishap with a malfunction in the reserved room upon check-in, I was upgraded to a large suite with an even larger deck looking out onto the grounds. Since it was chilly, I went out for a few moments at a time and it was spectacular.

The staff were excellent. They went above and beyond, especially the managers.

I’d like to point out the best staff members that looked after me:
• Mekki Salmi – rooms division manager-5*
• Frédéric (tall with grey hair and a beard) – concierge
• Alex (light auburn hair and blue eyes) – assistant front desk manager

Emailing with them before end during the stay was seamless and efficient. This is a truly wonderful boutique hotel.

The cuisine was lovely. I thought the breakfast was great as opposed to another person saying it was just adequate.

I also had a fabulous facial and massage which was really needed and was quite relaxing.
I would definitely return; probably in two months time.

The hotel and grounds are gorgeous and it’s hard to believe that it’s walking distance to the tourist district of Aix as it feels like you’re in the country side. The hotel itself is beautiful with very attentive and friendly staff. There were several welcome gifts in the room, including a small cake (although I couldn’t try this as I am gluten intolerant. I had informed the hotel prior to arrival).

Overall this hotel is spectacular - but the breakfast lets it down, as it doesn’t match the calibre of the hotel. There were two breakfast staff present, although we didn’t realise this at first as one of them was dressed in a tracksuit. This was very surprising as the rest of the staff were very well dressed. The breakfast buffet itself was quite small. There is no gluten free bread in the buffet, you need to request this to be brought to you. I ordered a poached egg on gluten free toast. It was brought out on wheat bread. The waiter realised this just as he was about to serve it to me. I asked the waiter if he could bring extra gluten free bread when the eggs returned, but he didn’t, just two very tiny pieces under the eggs. The same thing occurred in the afternoon when we ordered some food from the bar. I ordered some dips with gluten free bread. Two tiny pieces of bread were brought out with a very large quantity of dips (far more than the bread could handle). I asked for some extra bread and the staff were obliging, but it took a very long time. I would recommend the chef try this bread. It has a very strong buckwheat taste that overpowers the food it is served with. There are many brands of gf bread on the market that are much better than this.

Putting the gluten free issue aside, I would definitely recommend the hotel for its beauty, the staff and the experience. Just sitting in the bar or lounge was wonderful.

Would absolutely stay at this lush hotel again . lovely staff, particularly the bar staff. Excellent and varied breakfasts in the beautiful dining room over looking the garden. Comfortable communal spaces to relax with cozy seating and a loads of interesting books. Our well appointed room had French doors that opened into a small balcony overlooking the garden. Our only issue was that our 2nd floor hallway had an odor each day that was nauseating - a mix between fishy and vinegar.
There were large (water?) stains on the carpet near one of the hall windows. We walked up and down the hallways of the other levels and didn’t notice any smells.
The location was excellent. Parking was easy.

My wife and I returned to Hotel Le Pigonnet this November after a year's hiatus because of their renovation construction. I'm very pleased to report that the refurbishment and renewal project was a great success. The hotel has a fresh look, but one entirely consistent with its storied history, but with added contemporary amenities in the rooms. The magnificent private garden remains the hotel's greatest treasure, with 30+ fountains, gravel paths, and a covert view of Mont Sainte Victoire, where Cezanne once painted. The feeling of old stone and long-tended foliage imparts a sense of timeless luxury. The garden alone is worth the visit.

The dining room and the bar have been updated, but still retain their immaculate, classic look. Restaurant La Table serves elegant dinners in the best French tradition, with a wide selection of excellent wines to accompany your meal. In good weather, guests may also choose to dine outside in the midst of beautifully manicured surroundings.

We stayed in a Garden Suite, and enjoyed our own private terrace overlooking the grounds—a perfect setting in which to read and write. The room(s) are tastefully decorated in subdued tones of green which lend a serene atmosphere in which to relax and enjoy the silence with a glass of wine at hand. The main room of the suite boasts a double set of French doors leading to the terrace, and comes equipped with refrigerator, writing desk, club chairs and a luxurious daybed on which to while away the hours. The bathrooms have been updated and gleam with refreshed glass, tile and chrome. Towels and linens are ample and immaculate. Two small suggestions for improvement might include the addition of rugs to the tile floors, and a few more wastebaskets. Other than that, the rooms were perfection.

Like any exceptional hotel, the staff at Le Pigonnet are highly trained professionals, and experts in the field of hospitality. From the desk personnel to the wait-staff, to the bar tenders to the cleaning staff and the grounds crew, we were invariably greeted with a "Bon Jour" and a smile. From the minute we arrived, we felt like family. Every request was greeted with a genuine smile, and addressed immediately. Most of our needs were anticipated before we could even articulate a request. Mornings, we enjoyed the lavish breakfast buffet, with a wide selection of fruits, breads, pastries and meats. Eggs and omelettes are prepared to order by the kitchen—creamy scrambled-eggs as only the French are able to accomplish (perfection).

We expect to return for another visit next autumn. We've stayed at a number of hotels in Aix-en-Provence over the years, but Hotel Le Pigonnet is our hands down favorite. Highly recommended!

I feel bad that I'm leaving such a bad review but this felt like a big scam and I'm very unhappy that we paid this amount of money for a hotel that is in reality a 2-star at best.
- The corridors of the hotel were very shabby and tired, our room very disappointing. Very basic, old (but not charming) furniture, worn walls and doors, badly lit. A place you don't want to spend time in, so we tried to be out as much as possible.
- The WC didn't have a functioning light and despite telling staff 3 times during our stay, nobody bothered to even come and investigate. We were using our phone torches whenever we had to go to the toilet..
- The bathroom was moudly, old, in desperate need of renovation, the door even had a big visible hole which no one had bothered to even cover. See photos taken.
- Amenities in the room: none. A mini bar with only water and nothing else.
- Lighting of the room was very poor and in the entrance it was practically non-existent.
- Worst of all: my husband took one of the clean rolled towels after a shower and it had blood on it! Not just gross but a health hazard. See photo.
- Staff were at a loss every time we asked for the simplest thing. Although some were friendly and tried what they could, it was clear that they don't receive adequate training and that the management is grossly lacking. We kept hearing the phrase "c'est pas possible" for whatever we asked, staff don't communicate among them (when we told one of the housekeeping people about the WC light not working, she said we should tell the front desk. Another example: when we asked the front desk if they could book us into the spa, as the spa therapist was engaged at the time, they said no and we had to go directly to the spa and wait). Most times there was no one at the front desk when we entered or exited the hotel, instead they hung out in the side room.
There were other little things too but it's not even worth me mentioning them as the hotel failed us in every way. I have stayed in 3-star hotels that were better. In fact last year I stayed at the small Cezanne hotel for a couple of days and it was far better and its price reflected what I was getting.
What infuriates me with Le Pigonnet is that the price they charge is too far off from what it is and also the fact that they have 5 stars. Very deceptive! I will certainly write to the bodies that award the stars as this is a rip-off that shouldn't be happening.

Some positive things among our ruined holidays:
- some staff try what they can (some don't).
- grounds are full of charm and the hotel has a lot of potential if given the right investment and management.
- the spa and gym were the only areas that were actually renovated and were very nice.
- I had a fabulous massage with one of the massage therapists.

This hotel is old and tired. Our room was awful; it was simply subpar. The bathroom in particular was awful and looked like it had not been renovated in years.
Service at breakfast was disorganised. The breakfast buffet was passable, but the food was obviously left out from one morning to the next, with the same stains under the yogurt display and the leftover fruit. This hotel felt like a scam.

Outstanding hotel- old classic French villa- nice history- pool. Very nice. Massage was amazing- and I loved the fountains, cedar trees and fragrance of the garden, jasmine, flowers and the sound of fountains totally tranquil. They have bikes you can take out. Not thrilled with the photo shoots and private party closing the restaurant, but they have to make money to maintain the absolute beauty. Staff better than the guests. Everyone was genuine, pleasant and helpful. It is seriously a gorgeous refuge in Aix. Great library- everything is really well curated. Also, have a drink in the bar after dinner- they have a fire! I cannot say enough. Breakfast was fresh with lots of added details like wonderful breads, butter, and delicious jams from the area as well as local honey. Coffee impressive. Loved to sit out by the pool or write at one of the tables under the flowering trees.

This hotel exuded French ambiance with beautiful grounds and gardens..

Wonderful gardens!

Friendly staff. Nice breakfast and grounds.
This is not a 5 star hotel. Rooms are small with substandard furnishings similar to 2 and 3 star hotels. Hotel is tired. Handicap parking not near entrance. Location is a long walk to the Aix center.
The hotel is not a Relais &Chateau hotel brand which has higher standards.

The hotel is somewhat dated and the restaurant is terrible. We had dinner and breakfast, food quality at dinner was low, at breakfast it was reasonable. However, service in the bar and restaurant was amateur. Bar service was slow, and food service was as if they all started a day before, disorganized and slow.

Luxury from start to finish!

The hotel, location and FOOD was divine! We loved our stay here and will be back.

We would have liked a little bench or stool to put our clothes on in the room and a steamer, but everything else was perfect.

Overall nice property with beautiful gardens and in a tranquil setting out of the main town. Fails to meet the standard you would expect of a 5 star, mainly due to poor service and a few other issues. Often when trying to order a drink for the pool, you had to actively seek out staff who would be clustered together on their phones and not attending to guests. There was also a dirty McDonalds bag left on our floor for over 24 hrs without being removed by cleaners. We got turn down service only 1 out of 3 evenings, giving an inconsistent experience and often the pool area was left covered in used towels, glassware and plates. Also they advertise a free drink and music/ reading at 4pm each day, but this never happened on any day that we were there. Overall a pretty hotel that needs to improve its service to achieve value for the price - this seems to be a consistent topic on other reviews too.

Perfect relaxing stay

We loved our stay at Le Pigonnet. The property is over 100 year old mansion! There were different parts of the hotel that you can stay at each having their own pool. The gardens were out of a story book. It was pure serenity! However our room had some plumbing issues and the view not that great. They accommodated and handled the situation with such grace. We absolutely will come back to stay there!

The gardens are amazing and staff is more than helpful and friendly.

Breakfast was wonderful and the hotel grounds were amazing! Beautiful hotel!

Le Pigonnet is a very pretty hotel, in lovely gardens and a good pool. The common areas are stylishly, if traditionally, decorated. We found the service generally good, although a bit hit and miss at breakfast.
The room however, was the worst we experienced on our trip through Provence staying at 10 different hotels.
Admittedly, it was their entry level room (classic), but I would still expect drawers or shelves for T-shirts, socks and underwear etc. We had to use a chair for these.
The mini bar fridge just contained 2 bottles of water, and was not in a cabinet, just placed at the end of the bed.
The bedside tables were so small as to be useless, just enough space for a drinking glass and nothing else.
I’ve had more charmingly decorated rooms in an Ibis.
As we could see the hotel was full we did not ask to change rooms. It was fine to sleep in, with a comfortable bed, just not somewhere that you would wish to spend any time, which is not what I would expect in a 5 star hotel.
Breakfast was good, though missing some basics - no plain yoghurt for the entire time we were there.
We enjoyed the pool, but would not visit this hotel again, as the risk of a bad room seems too great. Next time we will try Villa Gallici, which although more expensive looks to be a totally different level in terms of design and service.

Overrated Overpriced. Service and attitude. Supposed to be collected at Train Station, nobody arrived, ordered car for a trip to another town. They forgot to order. No water in room. Breakfast awful, had to hunt down a waitress, asked for a Croissant and just got shrug from the lady putting out the food. No glasses to pour water, no plates to put bread etc. Basic basic. And all for $1500 per night!!!!!

The staff was very attentive and helpful