Hotels and Spas

Big downtown hotels often possess a quaint, chic charm, and become timeless witnesses to the history of our cities. Let’s listen to the history and secrets of Arles that the Grand Hotel Nord Pinus recounts!

By Marine Normand - Photos Nord Pinus - November 30, 2011

“Le Nord Pinus plays a part in the memory of all Arlesians,” announces Christian Lacroix, native to the region. Located on the Forum Square, in the middle of the city, for years the hotel has been recounting a mythic story – that of travelers making a stop in a city that will have no other face than that of the night, of celebrities on tour enjoying an anonymous evening in Arles to relax and take stock of their lives. The Grand Hotel Nord Pinus, like all grand hotels, is a repository for the memories and images that compose the region’s story. Its windows gaze on the soul of Arles, allowing viewers to take in all the elements

of Provence , from bullfighting to photography. Far from the boring standardization so common in luxury hotels, the owners of Nord Pinus display with pride their establishment’s identity, as well as snapshots taken by its fleeting residents. On the wall, Peter Lindberg and Dominique Isserman reveal a little more of the history of this place. A Picasso sketch on a tablecloth appears, and we quickly imagine the painter at one of the restaurant’s tables, while Fernandel dips an anchovy in his Pastis at the bar. As soon as we enter this 19th-century building, the place’s original personality can immediately be felt; the furniture

As soon as we enter this 19th-century building, its original personality can be felt; the furniture perfectly interprets the atmosphere of this asylum for true Arlesians. Brown Chesterfield armchairs dialog with Modernist pieces in pale wood, evoking Scandinavian design. Photos from the past hang on the walls, among an eclectic selection of objects. The interior has evolved over time, incorporating new finds, picking up furniture unearthed with love, and creating a coherent and warm ensemble, without denying its origins. Typical materials of Provençal decoration are present throughout the hotel’s many rooms, but take on a new dimension. Wrought iron abandons its primary use, and becomes a sculptural bed head, creating an ocean of baroque curls in steel. The bedcovers are embroidered, but in an imaginative way, employing

delicate craftsmanship to give a unique, vintage and Provençal touch to the rooms. At the hotel, the past is fearlessly entwined with the present, in this very personal interpretation. Each room and apartment possesses its own identity, a décor that you will make your own. Become one of the characters of the history of the Nord Pinus, for just one night…

 

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Grand Hotel Nord Pinus
Place du Forum
13200 Arles en Provence
www.nord-pinus.com