Frequently asked questions, La Magdeleine Hotel & Restaurant in Provence

La Magdeleine is a splendid 18th-century Provençal bastide, the former home of the d’Albertas family, which has become a charming 5-star hotel in the heart of the village of Gémenos. Nestled in a 2-hectare wooded park with century-old plane trees, between Marseille, Cassis and Aix-en-Provence, it offers a historic, elegant and unspoilt setting, ideal for a complete getaway on the doorstep of Marseille.

Check-in is from 4:00 pm and check-out is before 12:00 noon. To adapt these times to your work or travel constraints, please contact our reception: we will do our best depending on availability.

Yes. A private, free car park under video surveillance is available to all our guests without prior booking. Free Wi-Fi is also available throughout the hotel.

Yes, dogs of all sizes are welcome at La Magdeleine, for €25 per night. A resting mat and a bowl are provided for their comfort. Please let us know when you book so that we can prepare the best possible welcome for your companion.

Chef Mathias Dandine orchestrates two complementary experiences:

• The gourmet restaurant La Magdeleine – Mathias Dandine: awarded one Michelin star and 3 toques by Gault&Millau, it celebrates the flavours and producers of Provence through contemporary terroir cuisine.
• Le Café Magdeleine: our bistronomic restaurant, ideal for lunch on the terrace under the plane trees, a refined tea time or a convivial dinner.

Given the high demand and the exclusive nature of our Michelin-starred table, booking is strongly recommended, whether you are staying at the hotel or coming from outside. The restaurant welcomes you from Tuesday to Saturday, for lunch (12:00 – 1:30 pm) and dinner (7:30 – 9:00 pm). Book online or through our reception.

From mid-June to the end of August, the gourmet restaurant is open from Tuesday to Saturday for dinner, as well as on Friday and Saturday for lunch.

Served from 7:00 to 10:30 am, our breakfast is a generous buffet, entirely homemade from fresh, local produce: a variety of breads from the baker (including gluten-free), pastries, honey from the estate, homemade jams, fruit tarts, seasonal fruit, Rove brousse cheese, matured cheeses, gravlax salmon… A continental breakfast is also available through room service, in the privacy of your room.

Yes! The Sunday brunch at Le Café Magdeleine, served from April to October from 12:00 to 2:00 pm, is a gourmet highlight of the region, open to everyone. Its colourful menu changes every week with the market: savoury and sweet buffets, fish, meat, regional cheeses and seasonal fruit tarts. Remember to book a few days in advance.

Our wellness area includes a sheltered outdoor jacuzzi (water at 38°C), a sauna, an outdoor pool, a fitness corner and a massage room that opens onto the lavender garden in fine weather, moving to the cosy atmosphere of a treatment room inside the bastide in winter. A truly intimate haven of peace, reserved exclusively for our guests.

Treatments and massages are given by our professional therapists and must be booked in advance, subject to availability. Enjoy them alone or as a couple, in the private patio in summer or in the treatment room in winter. Feel free to plan your programme with our team when you book your stay.

Our large outdoor pool, in the heart of the park and surrounded by sun loungers, is open seasonally, during the fine days of spring and summer. It is closed in winter, when the jacuzzi and the sauna take over for your moments of relaxation.

A pétanque court is available to our guests in the park, and boules can be borrowed from reception for a game in the shade at the end of the day. We also offer a giant chess set, board games, electric bikes to borrow, as well as visits of our wine cellar and wine workshops on request.

Ideally located in the heart of the village of Gémenos, at the foot of the Sainte-Baume massif, the hotel puts Provence within easy reach. By car: Aubagne, birthplace of Marcel Pagnol, 5 minutes away; the Calanques and Cassis 20 minutes away; the Circuit Paul Ricard at Le Castellet 20 minutes away; Marseille and Aix-en-Provence 35 minutes away.

The hotel is easily reached via the A50 and A52 motorways. By train: Marseille Saint-Charles station is 25 minutes away (high-speed lines, Paris 3 hours, Lyon 1 hour 30) and Aix-en-Provence TGV station 30 minutes away. By plane: Marseille-Provence airport is 45 minutes away.

The historic layout of the bastide unfortunately does not allow us to guarantee full accessibility: a few steps lead into the building, and some corridors, the lift and some doorways are narrow. We can still welcome you, preferably with a companion. Please talk to our team before your stay so that we can assess together the arrangements best suited to your needs.

We do not have a dedicated charging point yet, but a 220 V socket is available in the car park with an extension cable. Charging points are planned.

Yes, the bastide is an ideal venue for exceptional events in Provence: weddings and family celebrations, as well as one-day or residential corporate seminars, board meetings and product launches. In the heart of a 2-hectare private park, we have 4 flexible, fully equipped function rooms (Garlaban, Sainte-Baume, Magdeleine, Orangerie) and a dedicated team to design a tailor-made event. La Magdeleine can be partially or fully privatised.

Our 28 rooms and suites feature an authentic Provençal style with every modern comfort (bathroom with bath or shower, air conditioning in summer, bathrobes and slippers).

For families, the Family Suite (up to 68 m²) offers two bedrooms and a small sitting room with a fireplace, while the Suites (41 to 50 m²) sleep up to 4 guests with a view of the park.

A baby cot can be added in all rooms, and both restaurants offer a children’s menu.

For large groups, the Villa Le Mas des Soubeyrans (up to 8 to 10 guests) can be booked privately.