Hotel Saint Jean

The lady serving breakfast was a lovely surprise the next morning, warm and smiling, and she spoke French and Polish. That’s how guests should be welcomed. My arrival the previous day was much less pleasant. The man at reception was rude and said that I was in France and should only understand French. My family had been waiting in the car after a long drive, and we just wanted clear parking directions. He only told me the information was in my email, which wasn’t helpful or a good way to treat guests. You get what you pay for. The hotel is a little dated, but it has its own charm.

We were a family of five travelling to the Alps. The old hotel’s room was quite basic, but it had a great view, was very warm and had plenty of hot water for showers. The owners and staff were friendly and helpful, and we loved the continental breakfast. The staircase was lovely, and they’d made clever use of the space for extra toilets.

We were lucky to get a room for that same night when we called on a Saturday afternoon in June. Room 32 was large and bright, with a lovely river view. For two people, the room and breakfast came to around 100€. Breakfast was excellent value. The town was lively, with a free concert by the river and lots of restaurants and bars to choose from, yet the hotel was super quiet. My wife and I love it.

The reception staff were lovely and friendly, and the hotel is very central for exploring this lovely historic city. The bed was comfortable, with one of those traditional sausage-shaped pillows from years ago. Period details add charm, from the stair handrail and paintings on the walls to the toilets tucked into the stairwell. The free parking isn’t reserved for hotel guests and was full, so we used a local car park and paid €14. You can reserve a space in the private car park for €8, but that was full too.