Gironde Estuary

The hotel was disappointing to say the least. We booked the “sparkling “room, which turned out to be a bog standard room on second floor (precisely, what I didn’t want and why I paid for upgrade). The communal areas looked tired. The hotel clearly received 4 star rating only because of the spa, which was very modern, however we couldn’t use it, as even though I emailed the hotel 2 weeks in advance to reserve time slots and the reservation was confirmed, the actual staff knew nothing about the reservation and the jacuzzi was switched off. Breakfast was nice, glad it was a free add on, as definitely not worth the £20 something they otherwise charge.

Pros: location to the Louvre and walking distance to Orsay, Notre Dame, etc. couple very good restaurants around the corner, grocery store, and shopping. Pretty quiet overall. AC was decent. Cons: beds were stiff, shower water was like warm at best. Only made aware after our stay that there was an issue. Should have been upfront about the problem so that we could tell the staff if it was not fixed. At the end of walking 20K steps in the heat, I just want to take a hot shower. Water gets everywhere when you shower and towels won’t help. Stairs only. Not their fault, but be aware especially if you are on the 4th floor like us. Staircase is spiral. The closest train station is Chatelet les Halles which is a 15 min walk. Overall, was not impressed with the hotel itself. I think I could find a similar value elsewhere. I think if you’re needing something basic and the Louvre is your focus, then it’s great. Otherwise, keep researching.