Best Spa and Wellness Stays in Arles

L'Arlatan offers families a rare combination in the old centre: a garden, a terrace and an outdoor pool, five minutes from the Amphitheatre. Family rooms, sofa beds and room service make evenings easy, and the restaurant covers lunch, dinner and high tea. The Baths of Constantine and the Roman Theatre are near, so sightseeing and swimming fit into one day. The garden is a calm place for the evening.

The Place du Forum gives families an open-air living room: cafés, a lively square and the Van Gogh trail at the door. The garden pool gives children a place to cool off between monuments, and the Amphitheatre and the Théâtre antique are an easy walk. Rooms in a family house are not huge, and the square can be noisy in the evening, so request a garden-side room.

Families can stay at Le Calendal, but the spa is reserved for adults, so the stay works best when parents take turns or when the children are old enough to explore the old town. The Théâtre antique and the Amphitheatre are next door, family rooms are available, and the restaurant serves simple light meals, with organic fruit juices and smoothies for the younger ones.

Mireille works for families who want a garden hotel with a pool, away from the loud centre. Mornings start with breakfast in the shade, afternoons belong to the outdoor pool, and the Amphitheatre is a 15-minute walk for the cultural part of the day. Air-conditioned rooms and bathrobes make it comfortable, and the day trip to Les Baux-de-Provence, 23 km away, is straightforward by car.

A family stay at Mas de la Chapelle is about space: a 5-hectare park to run in, a pool and a tennis court for the afternoon, and bicycles to hire for rides towards town. Parents can book the private hot tub and hammam for two once the children are asleep, at an extra hourly cost. The station is 5 km away, so a car or a taxi is part of the plan.

Families and friends who rent a few rooms together will like the layout: a pool, lawn chairs and a raised park outside, a table tennis table for rainy afternoons and a picnic area for lunches. Breakfast runs from 07:30 to 10:00, and the hotel bar closes at 20:00, so evenings are quiet. Arles is 2.7 km away, which is an easy drive or a bike ride.

A family stay here runs on the pool and the garden. Children have somewhere to burn off energy after a morning among Roman stone, and parents get a terrace or balcony above the water in the room. The 1.3 km to the Amphitheatre is a bike ride rather than a stroll, which suits older children, and the activity list adds cooking classes and walking tours for rainy days. Pets are welcome, so the dog travels too.

This is a hotel where the children decide the evening plan: the heated indoor pool, the playground and the table tennis keep them busy long after the Roman sites close. Parents can use the fitness centre, and the covered garden is a cool place to sit in July. Staff can suggest Camargue trails 12 km away, which turns a pool hotel into a base for flamingo-spotting mornings.

Families get a rare mix here: a rooftop pool for the children and a location within an eight-minute walk of the Amphitheatre. Sofa beds and family rooms ease the space question, soundproofing helps young sleepers on busy nights, and breakfast serves local specialities alongside pastries. The rooftop is the evening plan, and the old centre is the daytime one, which keeps everyone moving without a car.

Families can stay at Jules César, which accepts family rooms and pets, and the floral gardens and the seasonal heated pool give children room to move. The Cinq Mondes Spa suits the parents, with its hot tub, sauna and massage cabins. Room service helps on tired evenings, and the restaurant, Lou Marquès, is more suited to a grown-up dinner than a quick meal with small children.

A family reading of Le Cheval Blanc focuses on practicalities: a lift for strollers and cases, air-conditioned rooms with a minibar and a safe, and a whirlpool bath that the room's occupants can use. The Roman amphitheatre and the Saint-Trophime church are each five minutes on foot, and breakfast on the veranda is an extra, so families should decide whether to eat in or out.

For a family on the move, ibis Arles removes friction: free parking, a family room, a restaurant and a bar in the building, and a breakfast with baked pastries, fruit salad, yogurts and madeleines. The 04:00 light option helps when a flight or a long drive starts early, and the Amphitheatre is 1.4 km away. Evenings are quiet and functional rather than scenic.

Families who bring a car find an easy rhythm here: the heated outdoor pool in the morning, a drive into Arles for the Roman sites, then an afternoon in the tree-lined park. Family rooms and free parking keep logistics simple, and rooms with a private terrace give parents an evening spot. The centre is 5 km away, and the Alpilles park begins next door.

Families with a car will find a hotel built for ease: a year-round outdoor pool, a garden and a sun terrace, free parking and a minimarket for snacks. Family rooms have a minibar and air conditioning, and the breakfast offers a continental, American or full English option. The Amphitheatre is 6 km away, so sightseeing days start with a short drive. Pets are welcome too.