Review: Grand Hotel des Sablettes Plage

We stayed at the Grand Hotel for 2 nights in August (peak summer season) and it was absolutely lovely. This is a Curio collection hotel by Hilton, and we were so impressed by the hotel, location, and the lovely staff there. It is in an area called Le Seyne-sur-Mer, which is about an hour drive from Marseilles.

Room: We stayed in a 2-bedroom suite because it was actually cheaper than booking 2 separate rooms. In much of Europe, you book your room based on occupancy, so it's hard to find a hotel where 2 kids + 2 adults are able to share a room. The room was super spacious with a living room area and 2 bedrooms. We had a private balcony with a hot tub, which was a real hit with the kids.

Location: The location can't be beat in this area. It's just a few steps away from the beach, which has nice soft sand and the water was a perfect temp in August for swimming. There is a street right next to the hotel that closes down traffic every night in the summer and a market is set up with stands selling all sorts of different wares and food. Best of all (for the kids) was just a few minute walk away was a little amusement park called 'Funnyland' with carnival-type rides and games. The kids had an absolute blast here and it was very clean and well-maintained. Only downside is that it can get a bit loud in the area (as is expected with a great central location) so bring white noise machines or use an app for the kids' rooms!

For those traveling without kids - the nightlife here seemed to be great. We obviously didn't go out on the town with kids in tow, but there were a lot of bars with live music and outdoor tables that looked like a lot of fun.

Pool & Spa: There is an outdoor pool with plenty of chairs to sit in the sun (or under an umbrella). The pool is a bit small, but it was never crowded, so there was always space to sit and take a dip in the pool post-beach. The spa has it's own indoor pool that is adults-only as well as a jacuzzi. The actual spa was just okay, I got a massage that was not the best or the worst I've ever had, pretty no-frills basic massage rooms, but they were very clean and spacious.

Food: The hotel has 2 restaurants, which looked lovely, but we didn't end up giving them a try. Most restaurants start serving dinner around 7 PM or later in France, and after spending a full day at the beach in the sun, our kids were not likely to sit politely through a 7 PM dinner so we got food from nearby casual restaurants both nights.

That being said, we did have breakfast at the hotel (it's included if you are a Hilton Gold level!), and it was fantastic. They had a huge spread with plenty of sweet or savoury options, fresh squeezed orange juice, and coffee. We sat outside on the patio each morning and enjoyed a leisurely breakfast listening to the sounds of the waves, truly the best way to start your day!

Other: The staff was really friendly and helpful here. They were great with our kids and super responsive to any questions or needs we had.

Lastly, the suite had AC in every single room and as much of Europe has yet to fully embrace the beauty of air conditioning, this is a major plus for me :)

https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/tlnspqq-grand-hotel-des-sablettes-plage/?SEO_id=GMB-EMEA-QQ-TLNSPQQ