Hotel Les Templiers in Aigues Mortes a Boutique Hotel that Feels like Home

Hôtel Les Templiers, a home-turned-hotel, offers a personal twist on French hospitality.

Aigues Mortes Boutique Hotel

The hotel is housed in a 17th-century merchant’s house in the fortified, medieval village of Aigues Mortes, nestled between the Rhône River Delta and the Mediterranean Sea. Originally a small hamlet of fishermen and salt gatherers, the monumental old city is encircled by 17,653 feet of quadrilateral city walls, including six towers and ten gates. Hidden under a canopy of wisteria along the north wall’s pedestrian street, the hotel is a leisurely walk from the touristic main square.

Family-Run Hotel

The owners, Anne and Igor Alary, have created a maison d’hôtes that exudes a unique combination of charm and artistic character, an ambiance enhanced with objets d’arts brought back from years of travel to Morocco, Vietnam, Spain, Italy, Thailand, India, Brazil, Indonesia, the United States and Mexico. At the beginning of their adventure into the hospitality business, they bought the existing ten-room hotel 25 years ago, first as a family home when their sons were 4 and 2 years old, then reopened as a hotel with a restaurant they decorated in a very warm and personal way. A few years later, they bought an adjacent property to add rooms, a second restaurant on the street side, and a swimming pool. Today, they have 14 rooms, 12 of which are rentable, while the other two remain private for the family.

Their sons run the restaurant and the bar, while a friend has managed the second restaurant on the street side for 18 years. “Igor and I are particularly pleased to have managed to transmit the love of our home to our two boys despite the trials of life and our separation. We are always delighted to receive clients who are sensitive to everything we love with all our hearts.”

A Place to Relax

As I was, you will be immediately won over by their hospitality and the hotel’s warmth. There are lounges with comfortable sofas, a cozy bar, worn leather club chairs, and soft, ambient lighting. Books, posters, and antique furniture set against crimson-red walls contribute to this comforting atmosphere. A beautiful stone staircase leads to lovely rooms, all different but decorated with the same spirit. Some overlook the pedestrian street (air conditioning and double glazing isolate them from exterior noise), while others open onto the charming inner courtyard with its refreshing fountain and swimming pool.

Star Quality

Most French hotels are rated at 2, 3, 4 or 5 stars in the French national rating system. The number of stars depends not on a subjective quality measure but on objective physical factors: number and size(s) of rooms, furnishings, lighting, bathroom facilities, food and beverage services, etc. One of the main advantages of 3-star hotels is their affordability. They balance price and quality, making them a great option. While 3-star hotels may not have all the amenities of higher-rated hotels, they still provide a comfortable stay. Book your stay in Aigues Mortes at this boutique hotel!

Hôtel Les Templiers is classified as a 3-star hotel. Its amenities include breakfast, a wine cellar, air conditioning, non-smoking rooms, wi-fi, a pool, a restaurant and a bistro-bar, not to mention its setting inside the fortified city’s medieval walls. What more could you ask for?

Hôtel Les Templiers (website)
23, Rue De La République,
30220 Aigues Mortes, France
Telephone: +33 (0)4 66 53 66 56

Why Visit Aigues Mortes?

In the mid-13th century, the Camargue was the only Mediterranean coastline belonging to France. To secure this strategic position, a port was constructed by King Louis IX (1226-1270), who wanted direct sea access. It is from the walled village of Aigues-Mortes that King Louis IX left twice for the Crusades: the Seventh Crusade in 1248 to Egypt and the Eighth Crusade in 1270 to Tunis, where he died of dysentery, typhus and scurvy. Aigues-Mortes refers to the many stagnant marshes and ponds extending around the village (Aquae Mortuae in Latin, Aigas Mòrtas in Occitaine, meaning “dead water.” King Louis IX built the Constance Tower and a castle that no longer exists. The one mile of ramparts enclosing the town was built in two successive stages: the first by his son and successor, Philippe III, the Bold, and the second during the reign of Philippe IV, the Fair.

Read About the Best of the Camargue

Image credits: Sue Aran of French Country Adventures took all the photos in this article.