The eccentricity of the Hotel Nord Pinus is both its strength and its weakness. But there can be no arguments about the superb location at the head of the place du Forum in the historic centre of Arles.
The hotel is an imposing 19th century mansion incorporating a stone column from Roman times. Photos of Picasso, Cocteau, Hemingway, Houston (et al) adorn the walls - testimony to the crowd of carousing artists and writers who were welcomed in the 1950s by the owners, a cabaret singer and a celebrated clown.
Today’s charismatic female management will appreciate your interest in the hotel’s colourful past. The ambience is laid-back and stylish, arty and sensual. The rather sombre Corrida Bar acknowledges the magnetism of a favoured toreador. Open at weekends, you can order grands crus here by the glass. In the lounge hang huge prints of African wildlife, some in various stages of distress; they're the distinguished work of the photographer Peter Beard, a friend of Karen Blixen.
A stone staircase leads to the accommodations with their iron bedsteads and eclectic furniture. Some are strong on faded grandeur but most are of a good size, including a vast apartment with its own terrace. The hotel is therefore something of an acquired taste – whatever your view, there’s nowhere else quite like it.