Residence du Vieux Port

From the quai of the old port of Marseille, you can hardly miss the shimmering, geometric gold-and-silver concrete facade of La Residence du Vieux Port, so startlingly different from the traditional Provencal architecture surrounding it. The landmark hotel, built in 1954 by young architect Andre-Jacques Dunoyer de Segonzac, is a mix of Le Corbusier-inspired clean-line minimalism and a touch of snazzy Art Deco. Once a popular celebrity hauntfrequented by Orson Welles, Francois Truffaut, Yves Montand, Francoise Sagan and Provencal author Marcel Pagnol, among othersthe hotel still offers guests a mesmerizing view that hasn't changed since its heyday. From the bay window and sun-drenched private terrace of every room, there is the same sweeping vista: wooden fishing boats, the sparkling sea and the spires of the city's emblematic Notre Dame de la Garde basilica on the distant hilltops With an extensive, year-long makeover, current owner Marc Bore has revamped the hotel's interior into a bold, vintage 1950s-style gem, and also added an excellent ground-floor terrace restaurant. Beyond the lobby, with its monumental Jean Lurcat tapestry, there's a playfully psychedelic salon ablaze with color, including bright stained-glass windows and a hot pink, purple and saffron-yellow sofa by Kwok Hoi Chan. Upstairs, a slightly more restful mood kicks in. All the luminous, nearly identical 50 rooms, apartments and suites have been designed by Franz Potisek in soft cream and beige neutrals with judicious splashes of primary colors. Stylish simplicity and a large comfort factor go hand in hand: furnishings are 20th-century modern a la Charlotte Perriand or Jean Prouve, walls are hung with faux paintings in the style of Alexander Calder and Joan Miro, beds are draped with fluffy white duvets, bathrooms are done in checkerboard tiles with shiny black basins