Villa Bellevue

Dominique made this stay special. He’s incredibly kind and knows so much about Albi, and he’s happy to share whatever you need to know. The place is a little gem right in the heart of town, with homemade breakfast and a pool where you can relax while getting some work done. The Cathedral is about a 10-minute walk away. Worth every cent, and I’ll be back. Thank you, Dominique!

We stayed in the very nice Pyrenees room, with its own bathroom and an attic space for the children. There was air conditioning, but no ventilation upstairs, and I felt claustrophobic since none of the windows could be opened. Breakfast was adequate, though a little limited. The location was fantastic, and the host shared lots of helpful information about places to visit and Albi’s history, sometimes at rather great length.

The historic center is an easy 10-minute walk away, which is very convenient. The room was reasonably clean, though the shower grout was black and needed replacing, and the vacuuming seemed rushed. The breakfast area was much less appealing: medications were left near the coffee maker, along with a hairbrush full of hair. The garden looked neglected and the pool water was dirty. Dominique is eccentric and makes no apologies for it. That’s fine, but it may not be what you expect from a bed and breakfast.

It’s about a 10-minute walk to the center, but the stay had plenty of problems. The rooms were noisy because of the floorboards, had mold, and there was no shampoo in the shower. The air conditioning barely worked, and the outside insulation was terrible. The pool was dirty and poorly maintained. Service was slow and sparse, and the owner kept talking about politics, which we found annoying. Maybe it was French humor, but we couldn’t understand it.