A fishing village on the edge of Marseille has quietly become one of the south of France's most stylish stays — thanks in no small part to a single Airbnb that a Condé Nast Traveller writer calls her favourite of all time.
Les Goudes is a tiny former fishing settlement on the rocky outskirts of Marseille, now a magnet for creative types. The village has picked up a scattering of small boutiques and cafés with hand-painted signs and vintage furniture, and it's best known for Tuba Club, a splashy (and pricey) restaurant perched on the rocks that doubles as a laid-back seaside hangout. Traditional harbour-side restaurants still serve Marseillais seafood with sunset views over bobbing boats. And right next door to the rental in question: a gelateria with queues so persistent it became the writer's twice-daily ritual.
The house itself is the draw. Its butter-yellow shutters hide an interior where design rules are cheerfully bent. Downstairs, two identical bedrooms differ only in colour — one entirely pink, one entirely ochre, down to the sheets, sinks, towels and tiles — each with a shower set into an arched alcove and deep feather bedding that makes afternoon naps in the July heat a genuine pleasure. The writer argues the matching twin setup removes all the squabbling over who gets the better room.
Upstairs, the open-plan living space goes bolder: a candy-striped pink-and-green L-shaped sofa, wiggly ornaments, pops of colour against neutral walls, a projector cinema setup, built-in sound system and a high-end outdoor grill. The group played 'guess the price' with image searches and gasped at the answers — it feels more like a boutique hotel than a rental.
Days here follow a simple formula: swimming in turquoise water, hunting out rocky coves along the hills, barbecued turbot and clams overlooking the Mediterranean, and watching impossibly chic French families lunch under striped parasols. Evenings mean a balcony dinner of cheese, charcuterie and fresh bread under candyfloss skies, with fig trees scenting the air.
Why it matters: this is a template for a different kind of French Riviera-adjacent trip — no glitz, no crowds, just a walkable village, swimmable calanques, serious food nearby and a house worth staying in for its own sake. It suits groups (the twin bedrooms and big sofa are built for it) and anyone who'd rather base themselves in a village than a city. Book far ahead in July and August, and pack reef shoes for the rocky coves.
Story via Condé Nast Traveller UK.