Review: A good place to stay for one night, but with some significant drawbacks
⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3.5/5)
We stayed at this hotel and here is our detailed review:
The positive points:
* Exceptional staff:
A very special thank you to the team,
and in particular to one of the managers who showed incredible kindness,
he really did his best with the resources at hand to help us (like putting our bag and our ice packs in the restaurant's cold room for 2 hours so we could have some cold water),
and offer us small bottles of water upon arrival and afterwards),
such helpful people,
it's precious!
* Very attractive prices.
* Bedding and linens:
Very good bedding,
clean,
just like the bath towels provided.
* Shower:
Very large and practical shower.
* Cleanliness and rooms:
The overall cleanliness is actually very clean!
The decor is simple with clean white paint,
it's just the carpet on the floor that deserves to be changed (though all guests would need to be careful to keep it clean...),
we actually had our two rooms next to each other,
but it came down to a few minutes!
The receptionist initially thought that one of the rooms was not ready,
which would have separated us (the children on the ground floor and us upstairs,
which would have been a real hassle for sharing our things),
fortunately,
her colleague arrived at the last moment to announce that it had just been finished,
phew!
* Practical information and surroundings:
The hotel is ideally located 50 meters from the train station,
with the possibility of entering and exiting at any time thanks to a code,
for parking,
it is very easy thanks to the enclosed train station parking lot (Brive P1 Station) located 50 meters away (€12 for 24 hours),
where you can also enter and exit at will,
the town seems very quiet (at least from what we were able to see),
furthermore,
there are several restaurants nearby,
we particularly recommend Le Sésame about a 15-minute walk away (offering kebabs,
durums,
tacos,
fries/salad/meat plates),
it is very, very good,
inexpensive,
well-served,
hearty,
with a friendly and helpful welcome!
Negative points and disappointments:
* Comfort (heat and fridge):
Since it is an old building,
there is perhaps no possibility of installing a real fixed air conditioning system (due to air intake and exhaust constraints),
however,
there are also portable air conditioners (admittedly a little less efficient than a wall-mounted air conditioner,
but not very expensive),
or even air coolers and good tower fans,
which would already be so much better than the current small fan!
Currently,
it is 12:25 AM and it is a real furnace in the rooms,
regarding the refrigerator,
nothing was indicated on the site's list of amenities,
result:
no fridge in the room,
and impossible to rent one (offered at $5/day or $20/week) because none were available and the last one remaining was broken,
one of the managers even suggested to me,
half-joking and half-serious (the doubt remains!),
that I should have bought a mini electric cooler box on the highway after seeing another guest do it...,
even if the idea is funny,
It is not up to the customer to equip themselves like that!
* Catering and facilities:
The hotel restaurant was closed two days a week (Tuesday and Wednesday) without being warned or written anywhere,
making it impossible to have dinner on-site,
furthermore,
it is indicated that there is a lounge area and a smoking area on the site,
but not at all in reality!
To smoke,
you have to go outside (for me it was not a problem because it is just 5 meters from the entrance,
but might as well not indicate it if it does not exist,
it is the same for the lounge area),
the rooms could also use a good refresh.
* Services and breakfast:
A few mix-ups regarding the price of services (like the room extension, quickly resolved),
and a breakfast charged at €10 per person that we will test tomorrow morning.
In summary:
I recommend this hotel for a short stay of one day or a maximum of two days,
ideal for a stopover on the road,
but no longer due to the stifling heat and the lack of a fridge,
despite an adorable staff that raises the bar!
We will not be able to walk around any more the next day given our departure,
but it is surely a nice little town.
