"Why book? This is the place to come to “boire et manger” with France’s in-the-know creative set. Bring a suit for a dip off the rocks, or be among the lucky few to score a dinner reservation or one of the five small, but cozy sea-facing rooms. Set the scene: Even before it opened in July 2020, this blink-and-you’ll-miss-it destination on the Mediteranean was generating big buzz on social media and within creative circles. Fashion designer Simon Port Jacquemus listed it among his favorite addresses in Vogue, and French street artist Invader unofficially blessed the building with one of his trademark mosaics. Whether you come just for a swim, a cocktail, a meal, or to stay overnight, book ahead to feel among the cool French elite; parading around in their barely-there bikinis, caftans and straw hats. All types are welcome, but it’s definitely a hip and young crowd; the type to wear Veja sneakers with Sandro sundresses and keep their Thierry Lasry shades on well into the night. The backstory: Founded by a self-dubbed “friends collective” of Marseillaise locals, Tuba gets its name from its past life as a scuba diving center. “We heard that oceanographer and filmmaker Jacque Cousteau used to come here,” said co-founder Greg Gassa. “We wanted to keep the story of the location. We also hope to do a partnership with Bauchon who created the original scuba masks.” This is Gassa’s first hotel, but he’s worked in London and Paris handling hospitality and events for a variety of fashion brands, hence the immediate buzz that surrounded Tuba’s opening—even during a pandemic. The rooms: Stylishly designed and coveted as they may be, you really don’t come to Tuba for the rooms themselves—they’re tiny. The largest, No. 3 at about 180 square-feet, is the only one with a private balcony, complete with a table-for-two smack in front of the sea. (This balcony connects to the restaurant’s outdoor dining deck, but they’ve smartly hung a canvas curtain for room guests should they want privacy.) Designed by Parisian Marion Mailaender, who grew up in the Marseille’s famed Cité Radieuse designed by Le Corbusier, the decor style is ‘70s vintage glam, with color highlights of deep ochre, ocean blue and sunny yellow. The diving theme continues with books about “la plongée” on the shelf and shell-shaped lamps bedside. The bathroom is minimal and evocative of showers you may use just off the beach, complete with old-school plumbing faucets and a spray hose to rinse wetsuits et. al. Also: There is no curtain or shower door so expect a wet room. There’s a small window in the shower that provides a view of the sea—or whomever you’re bunking with a view of you bathing—and while there are no closets, a chair, luggage rack and bamboo hatstand offers alternatives to dry towels and bathing suits or hang dresses. Food and drink: Speciality cocktails such as the cleverly dubbed “Tuba Libre” and “Sormioule” (named after the nearby national park’s largest cliff and cove, Sormiou) are tasty and refreshing with house-made herb syrups. Sip one on the rocks during apéro while the sun sets, or have one with lunch or dinner on the deck or inside if the area’s famous mistral winds are blowin’ up your spot. Seafood is the name of the game, of course, with the speciality being their “Linguini Tuba” a clam sauce with fish row and crispy bread crumbs. They’ve shifted chefs since opening, but the 31-year-old Antoine Techene's plan is to remain sustainable and seasonal, sourcing products locally and using a newly-added Japanese BBQ to smoke meats and fish. Highlighting ingredients is paramount with basic, but bountiful baskets of whole organic veggies on offer for a whopping 18€ for two people. For those who stay the night, the small buffet breakfast is classic French with fresh-from-the-oven flaky croissants and DIY soft-boiled eggs. The neighborhood/area: Located in the Marseille neighborhood of Les Goudes, this area is almost like its own little fishing village, complete with a small port and signs made out of driftwood. Only accessible by bus or car, the neighborhood itself is walkable and features a handful of other seaside restaurants, cafés and grocers. Its location on the edge of town right near the National Park known for its famous “calanques” (limestone cliffs that soar above the sea), make it the perfect jumping off point for a hike to take in the views or visit the Baie des Singes restaurant and beach, which is only reachable by foot or boat. If you intend to make the trek, be sure to wear proper footwear and bring your suit. Note: reservations are necessary for dining or resting on one of the private lounge chairs. The service: Since there are only five rooms, staying here is like staying at someone’s house. It’s super casual and very DIY in that you may need to ask for your room to be made up or if you can grab that bottle of wine you asked to keep cold in the kitchen fridge. But nothing is a hassle and everything is done with a smile and an “avec plaisir.” Guests of the hotel get special treatment in regards to reservations at the restaurant, as well as priority sunbathing space on cushioned loungers at the rocks area, which is otherwise open to the public. During the day, barely-clothed staff will read you the specials and bring you a second with little more than a wink or a wave. The blond-haired and bejeweled manager canoodles with guests as if they’re her best friends (and they may be!). Accessibility: There is no elevator and there are stairs to reach both the rooms and the sunbathing rock area facing the sea. Anything left to mention? Since our room had a balcony with a table, it might be nice to have breakfast, or at least coffee, in the room. I’m sure if we asked we could’ve, but it’s not really a room-service-type place and there’s no kettle to DIY. (They do leave a carafe of filtered water each day, though.) That said, with only five rooms, breakfast is actually the one time of day where the property is guests and staff-only so there’s a nice sense of quiet and exclusiveness to take advantage of outside the room. The air conditioning in the room was quite welcome as it gets hot in the summer, but we wanted to fall asleep and wake to the sound of the waves so having a door stopper or a screen (for mosquitoes) would’ve been helpful. That said, the waves can actually be rough and loud, not to mention since the rock area is open to the public and guests of the restaurant stay quite late—especially on weekends—even with the doors closed you can hear the noise outside." - Sara Lieberman
