Le Corbusier

Louis Tristan

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Throw the architecture rulebook out of the window and stay in Le Corbusier's post-war vision of how the masses would live. Fifty years on it's Marseille's living, breathing monument to urban planning by innovation.

It's little wonder that Le Corbusier's nine-storey edifice was nicknamed La Maison du Fada or 'house of the crazy' in Provencal patois. Post-war overcrowding in east Marseille called for desperate measures and Le Corbusier's grand scheme, known as the Unité d'Habitation, was to push thousands of local residents skyward in self-contained units. The master plan also included the 'Le Corbusier' hotel on the third floor.

Temporary residents are still welcome to make the 30-minute taxi ride from Marseille airport to bed down in a true vision of the future. The 300-apartment block retains heaps of original features, such as the Charlotte Perrian fitted kitchens and huge comma-shaped lamps. Many of the hotel rooms are a little on the small and spartan side but are as well kept as the rest of the building, allowing you that brief taste of urban utopia.

The multi-coloured façade is so painted to hide some dodgy concrete, but Corbusier did have the foresight to surround the Unité with green open spaces and trees, and the rooftop garden offers corking views of the Med. Thanks to another natty piece of urban planning, the hotel is only four Metro stops away from the centre of town.

Architecture enthusiasts (and there are a hell of a lot of them staying at Le Corbusier) can soak up Marseille's redeveloped vieux port area before heading off on the airport shuttle bus from St Charles station. Finally, ten points if you spot a polo-necked designer in Le Corbusier's bar: these trendy types are allegedly snapping up apartments here in droves.

Room rates : Small rooms with balcony and Charlotte Perrian furniture, €45. Room enough for four people, with oak floors adding to the charm, €70. Same as the large rooms, but with totally original fittings and a panoramic terrace, €85. Breakfast €10.

Rooms to ask for : Room 24: Huge room with solid wood floor. Pick this one for the hotel's finest views, with seascapes to die for. Room 340: Find an original kitchen together with Le Corbusier's largest terrace in this 32m² studio.

Number of rooms : 21

Phone : 00 33 4 91 16 78 00

FAX : 00 33 4 91 16 78 28

Address : 280 bd Michelet, 13008 Marseille.

Website : www.hotellecorbusier.com

Map : link to Multimap

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