Village Vacances Le Richelme

It was generally clean, but the place needs updating and some general improvements.

I booked a night here for convenience after spotting the hot springs while passing through. The reception staff were very nice and even arranged my morning checkout. But the hallways had the feel of an old hospital or retirement home and smelled pretty bad. The rooms looked quite good in the photos. At €80 a night, it feels worth €40 at most.

We had lunch in the restaurant, where the €16.50 menu was a reasonable price for a full meal. The food wasn't haute cuisine, but the staff were friendly, and you can eat outside when the weather's nice. It's next to the spa, so most of the customers are elderly.

If you're visiting the thermal baths, the location is ideal, with a corridor leading straight there. Full board is very good value, and the meals are varied and tasty, though breakfast is disappointing. The housekeeping staff are friendly, especially Deborah, a lovely young woman. The reception staff, on the other hand, are far too nonchalant and lazy. The restaurant is open for too little time, from 12 to 1 pm and 7 to 8 pm. Extending those hours by half an hour would help. There's no air conditioning, and the one air-conditioned room on the ground floor isn't open. In 36°C heat, that would have made a real difference. The bedrooms are stifling, and fans in the dining room would help too. The so-called bar has inconvenient hours and prices that are far too high. Even when paying, you feel like you're bothering the staff. The terrace gets full sun with no shade or misting system, so it's impossible to sit there during the day. The hotel is far from the city centre, so you really need a car. The bus doesn't run on Sundays and comes only once an hour during the week, so missing it is a problem. The hotel needs staff who pay more attention to guests' comfort. I couldn't even get a glass of cold water on arrival, and they require payment for the stay before handing over the room key.