Tuba Club - Cabanons et Restaurant

"You’d be forgiven for walking right past one of France’s most talked-about openings of the past few years. Set in the Marseille fishing neighborhood of Les Goudes, on the edge of the Calanques National Park, this is classic business-up-front, party-in-the-back territory. The former scuba-diving centre once frequented by conservationist Jacques Cousteau is not only facing the sea, it’s practically in it. Those who come without a swimsuit for a cocktail on the rocks—as in actual rocks—consider yourself forewarned: you will get splashed. Inside, a subtle Seventies dive-school theme flows throughout: a wooden beaded curtain in the restaurant; rough-hewn ceramic vases that look as if they were recovered from an ancient shipwreck; Fernand Léger flame-shaped wall lamps. But that’s all part of the appeal of this five-bedroom hotel and restaurant, founded by a self-dubbed friends collective of design and hospitality veterans, which has fast become the hangout for a creative set; staying here is an instant shortcut to the South of France’s hippest scene. —Sara Lieberman" - Lanie Goodman, Sarah James

"Tuba Club is the place to eat, drink, swim, and sleep in Marseille’s Les Goudes, a picturesque fishing village on the western edge of the Calanques National Park. And that’s exactly the point: Co-owners Greg Gassa and Fabrice Denizot say they created it with social gatherings in mind. Formerly a free-diving school frequented by noted French diver Jacques Mayol in the 1980s, Tuba Club consists of five cabins, a three-suite guesthouse, and a restaurant, all sitting directly on the Mediterranean Sea. The hotel revives the seaside hut vibe à la Corbusier with fresco work painted by Emmanuelle Luciani and a retro design scheme from interior designer Marion Mailaender. Views aside, the big draw for locals is the food: rising culinary stars Sylvain Roucayrol and Paul-Henri Bayart work wonders with seafood at the restaurant. (Get the red tuna tartare and don’t skip the Provençal cookies and mascarpone ice cream for dessert.) Equally delicious is the menu of Mediterranean snacks on the terrace bar, Le Bikini. When guests aren’t dining or drinking, they’re likely luxuriating on yellow-and-white striped loungers at the water’s edge, or taking advantage of such outdoor activities as boating (with a Tuba-prepared picnic basket for snacks), paddleboarding, canoeing, hiking through the Calanques, or rock climbing." - Lindsey Tramuta, Mary Winston Nicklin

"Marseille has slowly evolved into France’s next creative capital, and was therefore in need of a free-spirited meeting place for locals and travelers. Enter, in 2020, Tuba Club, a cluster of buildings in the seaside neighborhood of Les Goudes with five simple cabin-like rooms, a restaurant, and a beach club. Paris-based designer Marion Mailaender gave this former scuba-diving school a retro-glam makeover, complete with bird-shaped bedside sconces and industrial-chic shower tiles. Guests get first dibs on beach loungers and dinner reservations; they can also take the hotel’s restored 1970s fishing boat out for a spin. Doubles from $241." - Travel + Leisure Editors

"Tuba Club is a small five-room hotel and restaurant located at the foot of a rocky cliff in the Goudes area of Marseille. The property, which once housed a diving school frequented by the legendary French diver Jacques Mayol, has been restored by co-owners Greg Gassa and Fabrice Denizot. The venue aims to preserve its historical essence while bringing new energy to the eclectic city." - Monica Mendal

"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