Like They Used to Make ‘Em

Arles is a perfect French town: architecturally beautiful, rich in history, full of great restaurants, lively beyond the tourist trade, and offering a brilliant privately owned and run hotel from which to base yourself: L’Hôtel Nord Pinus. Even the name tells you to expect something different.

The poster in the Napoleon room tells me not only that the Emperor slept there in 1856, but since then they’ve seen fit to add the word ‘Pinus’ to the original name of L’Hôtel du Nord. Can’t think why, but I’m sure there’s a good reason, because one thing is certain: this is a hotel with pedigree and history. The view from the Napoleon room looks out onto one of Arles’ many charming little squares with a bronze statue of Frédéric Mistral, and if you turn your neck to the right, you’ll see, just past the Roman column that’s part of the façade of the hotel, the very café painted so famously by Van Gogh as the Café de Nuit.

Inside, the hotel has quite distinct floors and styles. Upstairs are some fantastic rooms—huge and spacious, with views over the rooftops, and private terraces. Double glazed windows for quiet and cool, and up-to-the-minute bathrooms—i.e. what you’d expect from a top notch hotel. The lower floors, though, are even more fun. Wrought iron beds, tiled floors, antique furniture, and a gentle hubbub from the street. Then on the ground floor, a salon/entrance room whose door opens onto the square in a way that suggests that the life of Arles flows in and out of the hotel. Photos of famous guests over the ages let you know you’re not the first to fall for its charms.

www.nord-pinus.com

Jack Dancy is quite like Napoleon in his quest to conquer all the countries of Europe—if you can name it, he’s probably been there and can help you plan a trip.