Hotel, Guesthouse and B&B Reviews

These are my personal notes on some of the places I have stayed on my travels. I have chosen to only comment on those places that I was generally satisfied with; I see no point on this website in describing accommodation that I would not recommend to anyone else. For the same reason, I have not attempted to rank or score the places. However, where I have particularly liked somewhere, I believe that the tone and content of my review will make that obvious. The opinions below are my own and are just that – opinions formed on the occasion of my visit. For this reason, I have given the date of my visit at the bottom of each comment; things may have changed since.

France: Languedoc

Hôtel La Chaumière, Quillan. My welcome was friendly and helpful. The room was clean and very modern and I had a comfortable night. I did not have dinner at the hotel (as I originally planned) as it seemed rather "up-market" and I felt I was too late to do it justice. Breakfast the next morning was perfectly OK, but seemed to me to be a little overpriced at 10 euros.

Date of stay: 26 April 2012

Au Petit Verger, Puivert. I have stayed in some super-luxury B&Bs in the UK in recent years and this was not of the same type at all! It is an old-fashioned, muck-in-with-the-rest-of-us, family-run and family-style B&B. It met with my complete approval, especially the unexpected (but, to be honest, half-hoped-for) pleasure of a real English cup of tea when I arrived at the end of my 20-mile hike from Comus.

Date of stay: 27 April 2012

Hotel Des Trois Couronnes, Carcassonne. I booked this hotel in advance, including breakfast. When I arrived, at about 8 pm on a Saturday night, I was a little disappointed to be told that the restaurant was fully booked. The room was very clean and very modern and well equipped. As a budget room (I guess), it faced the back of hotel and so I did not get the glorious view of the medieval (well, sort of...) cité. The breakfast was very good, although the room itself was a little too warm and stuffy.

Date of stay: 28 April 2012

Chez Sheila, Prémian. Friendly, slightly eccentric, English-run B&B in very small village. I was provided with a nice cup of tea upon my arrival. [I believe that the estimable Sheila has now moved back to the UK and that this B&B has now closed its doors.]

Date of stay: 1 October 2014

Auberge de l’Espinouse, Fraïsse-sur-Agout. The village is very pretty but the hotel/inn looks quite ordinary from the outside. Inside, however, my room was very clean, modern and pleasant (in a simple, rustic sort of fashion). My single room seemed excellent value to me. I had a very good dinner (with wine) in the restaurant for €29.50. (I had the cheese for dessert – the three cheeses were fantastic and came in HUGE slabs!) In the morning, I had a good breakfast for €9. Overall, I was very happy with this hotel/inn.

Date of stay: 2 October 2014

Manoir La Trivalle, Mons La Trivalle. Rambling, characterful old mansion filled with original furniture, most of which has seen better days. It is now run as a B&B by friendly Dutch hosts. I was served a very good breakfast in the morning around a large communal table in the kitchen.

Date of stay: 3 October 2014

Hôtel Confort, Béziers. My room was clean and comfortable but small. I was not unduly troubled by street noise (although, remember, this is in the middle of a French town). The staircase up to the rooms is very narrow and could with redecoration – but how much time do you spend on the staircase? The owner/hostess was very friendly and spoke excellent English. Overall, I was satisfied and have no complaints.

Date of stay: 4 October 2014

France: Provence

Hotel Arles Plaza, Arles. The hotel is in a quiet corner of lovely Arles, down by the canal, but it was easy to find when I arrived on the first evening as it is very well signposted through the town. The hotel's atrium is very grand looking and this favourable impression continued into my room, which I thought was clean and modern. I had booked in advance and my rate included breakfast, which was very good for a French hotel. For dinner, it was a 10-minute walk to the Rue Clemenceau where there were a choice of restaurants. Overall, I was very impressed. Two very minor negatives were that the milk for the coffee in the room was not replaced on the second day and that the hair-dryer in the bathroom was not working.

Date of stay: 14-15 June 2014

Hotel Kyriad, Marseille–Provence Airport. The free shuttle service to and from the airport, which is shared with the Holiday Inn Express opposite, was excellent in both directions. The hotel appears to be newly built and my room was modern, clean and bright, with a huge shower, which I liked. The hotel serves breakfast from 5 am in the morning but I did not avail myself of this facility. What I did want when I arrived at about 6 pm was dinner but the hotel does not do this. Instead, I had to cross the road to the Holiday Inn Express where I could choose between a tapas meal for €20 (which seemed unappetising and very overpriced), a panino from a vending machine (!?), and a plastic packaged sandwich for €4 (I chose the last of these – it was not very nice). So, all in all, I really liked the Kyriad as a functional, modern airport convenience hotel. They just need to sort out some better food options in the evening.

Date of stay: 16 June 2014

Ibis Budget, Saint-Martin-de-Crau. I stayed here for three nights while wandering around the nature reserves of the Camargue and Crau. This budget hotel is very modern, very clean, and was easily comfortable enough for my simple tastes. The situation is excellent, with two "chain" restaurants next door and the local village only a very short drive away (across the N113 "motorway"). A pleasant but simple breakfast was included and the staff were very friendly and helpful.

Date of stay: 11-13 September 2016

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