Maison Volver

For half a century, convivial Le Bar Américain was a favorite meeting place for Arles residents. After the café fell on hard times, an entrepreneurial duo swept in and brought new life to the building, restoring its interiors and opening their own restaurant and twelve-suite hotel. Maison Volver is everything you’d want of a petite urban hotel in a French city: stylish and slightly bohemian, but not trying too hard. On the street level, a lively restaurant with sidewalk seating and chalkboard menus serves up seasonal produce and local wines at rough-hewn wooden tables. Upstairs, guest rooms feature a mix of antiques and modern Scandinavian decor. Pretty details include white linen curtains, Murano lamps, colorful wallpaper, and kimonos in lieu of standard bathrobes. Most have ceramic-tiled bathtubs. After a gourmet breakfast enjoyed alongside locals who swing by for their morning coffee, Arles’ historic center is at your doorstep.