La Citadelle

Such a shame, because we visit Blaye often and would have liked to bring friends here. We had the set lunch, but the waiters didn’t know what the courses were. My beer was off; the waiter poured another and said it was fine, but it still tasted off and I couldn’t drink it. The main arrived without the potatoes listed on the menu, and the bread was stale. The fruit tart filling was okay, but the pastry was so hard we couldn’t break it. When the waiter asked why we’d left it, we said it was too hard. He agreed it was like a rock and laughed. The restaurant is in a lovely location.

We had a lovely dinner outside at sunset, looking over the river and enjoying really good food and wine. The staff were efficient and served our party of 10 quickly; the food looked as good as it tasted. Our room was cozy and cool, with a powerful shower and a nice bathroom. It’s a beautiful hotel in the fort grounds, with lovely views and a boutique feel.

The family room barely had anywhere to put things, just one small wardrobe, a shelf, and no drawers. The essential oil smell in the corridors and room was intense and aggravated existing breathing problems. Reception said there were no devices in the room, but eventually we found a diffuser in the bathroom. By the third day the smell had faded enough for us to be comfortable. The hotel has a potentially brilliant location, but the price is high, the room quality mediocre, and noise carried on late into the evening. The dining looked so disappointing and expensive that we ate elsewhere each day. It gave the impression of a chef trying to cook beyond their ability.

They quoted us 120€ by phone, then charged 140. They blamed the new person at reception, but customers shouldn’t have to pay for management’s mistakes.