Le Corbusier Hotel, Marseille

Nicknamed la maison du fada ( fada' meaning crazy' in Provençal dialect) by the Marseillais in reference to its designer Le Corbusier, the 55,000 tons of this building resting on gigantic pillars and surrounded by three hectares of grounds provides an unusual setting for the three-floor Hôtel Le Corbusier. Built in the immediate post-Second World War period, this colossal apartment block was conceived as the ideal family habitat, complete with supermarket, bakery and tennis court. Hotel rooms are on the small side but attractively decorated and furnished, and from the rooftop you get a great view of the sea.