Grand Hôtel Roi René

The Riviera can have the glitz and glamour. Aix-en-Provence is the place to go for a more reserved sort of elegance, and the Grand Hotel Roi René, right on the city-center boulevard of the same name, is a picture-perfect example. The MGallery hotel collection seems to specialize in contemporary updates of classic structures, and this low-rise building, wrapping around a courtyard patio and pool, provides plenty of raw material.

It’s the contemporary-meets-antique refurbishment, though, that elevates this material into something remarkable. The public spaces are crisp and clean, full of brand-new antique-style furnishings, while the rooms lean more toward the contemporary end of things, a bit of Provençal Zen — clean lines married with warm earth tones and plentiful Southern sunlight. The electronics are subtly modern, from the flat-screen televisions to the LED reading lights by the bedside, and the low-tech comforts are accounted for as well, including big beds and luxe baths.

The Table du Roi is a classic French restaurant that’s a step up from the ordinary hotel kitchen, which it must be, given the Roi René’s location, surrounded by a wealth of excellent eateries. It’s the good life, Aix style — quieter than the Cannes or Saint-Tropez versions, perhaps, but no less worthy an escape, in its way.