Hotel de Lion sur Mer

We were extremely disappointed by our experience at this hotel, and particularly by the behaviour of the owner. This was the last stop of our two-week tour of France, and we had booked the hotel specifically as an overnight stop before catching the morning ferry home. After two weeks of travelling, we were looking forward to a quiet and comfortable final night before our journey home. Sadly, what should have been a pleasant end to our holiday was completely ruined by the way we were treated. From the outset, it was clear that the owner was annoyed that we did not arrive to check in until the evening, around 7:30. Nowhere in the booking information or online listing was a cut-off time for check-in stated. Our late arrival was also completely unavoidable, as we had experienced a delay during our 8 hour journey. We had not deliberately ignored a check-in time or caused any inconvenience. When I informed the owner that we would be leaving early to catch the ferry, he questioned my timings and mentioned he had other guests who were leaving later for the ferry and seemed cross that would be leaving early despite us not asking for any adjustments such as an early breakfast. The situation then became even more unpleasant because of an issue with Expedia and payment. We understand that the owner is running a business and, quite reasonably, wanted to receive the money owed to him. However, Expedia had held the payment (made in June) and had not yet transferred it to the hotel. This was clearly an issue between the hotel and Expedia and was completely outside our control as guests. We had also made numerous bookings via Expedia during our two-week trip and had not encountered any similar issues elsewhere. What we found particularly unacceptable was that the owner made no apparent attempt to contact Expedia himself. Instead, we were left to contact Expedia and try to resolve the matter ourselves. While we were in our room, we could hear the owner shouting and behaving extremely unpleasantly towards the Expedia representative on the telephone, only after my husband asked Expedia to contact the hotel directly. We heard him state that we would have to leave immediately if Expedia did not pay him. This was particularly distressing because we had two children with us, both of whom could hear the shouting and became frightened by what was happening. It is completely unacceptable for children to be made to feel frightened and insecure in what should have been a safe and welcoming hotel environment. Ultimately, we were told to leave because the payment had not been received from Expedia. There was no apology whatsoever for the situation, for the way we had been spoken to, or for the distress caused to our family. We completely understand that this is a business and that the owner wanted to be paid. What we cannot understand or accept is why the situation had to be handled in such an upsetting manner. We were paying guests who had made a legitimate booking. The payment issue was not of our making, and neither was our delayed arrival. Problems with Expedia or any other booking platform can happen. What matters is how a business deals with those problems. In our case, instead of dealing with Expedia directly and communicating calmly with us, the responsibility was placed on us and we were ultimately told that we would have to leave. The whole experience was extremely stressful and upsetting, particularly with two children present. It completely ruined what should have been the final, relaxing night of our two-week holiday in France. Instead of ending our trip on a positive note and enjoying a peaceful night before our morning ferry, we were left distressed and upset by the owner’s behaviour. Good hospitality is about how guests are treated when something goes wrong, and unfortunately this experience demonstrated a complete lack of professionalism, empathy and basic courtesy. We were only in the room for a short time whilst waiting for a resolution and it was a lovely room and would have made for a comfortable stay.

A very pleasant, friendly, and kind welcome. Impeccable cleanliness. A perfect, diverse, and hearty breakfast, quality products. Good value for money.

We called in for a drink and Andre made us feel so welcome by chatting to us .It was a very hot day so it was so cool sitting in his bar.The decor of the hotel is a credit to him and his wife.We wish them every suceess for the future .Its a pleasure to meet such a hard working couple.Kind regards Chris and Jean. The very hot English couple from near Birmingham