Azureva Hauteville-sur-Mer

Cool.

A good center.

The karaoke on the last night was a lot of fun, thanks to the atmosphere our group brought. That was a bright spot in a holiday I won’t repeat. My stay during the week of May 25th was very disappointing, especially in the heatwave: there was no air conditioning or fan, and the old accommodations could use an update. There was just one key for two people, and no hangers, fridge, kettle, or coffee maker. The drinks were always hot, too. The bar shut in the afternoon, the coffee machines were unplugged, and they didn’t take cash. In the evening it closed at 10:30 pm, far too early to get a drink. Meals lacked variety and were poorly stocked, though the restaurant staff were extremely kind and friendly. The entertainment was boring. The four-part lottery was over too quickly and the prizes were awful 😩. You can see the street art by walking around the residence on your own. There was a show with a very nice singer, and a sunset outing, but we didn’t actually see the sunset. Between the heat and the flies, it was over very quickly. The visit to Mont Saint-Michel was very poorly planned, and the site was hard to access. For someone with a disability, it was a real ordeal. Our guide had the bus stop at the entrance to parking lot P7. We spotted a disabled parking space and even told our driver they could park there, which would have saved us walking across the whole lot. We then walked to the shuttle, which was like an oven, with no disabled seats. You had to fend for yourself. We got to the entrance at 11:45 and turned back. The guide then decided to take us to lunch before returning to the shuttle. The restaurant was perfect, another great experience. But by the time we went back to Mont Saint-Michel, I was exhausted from all the walking. I stayed at the entrance and waited for the return trip because I couldn’t walk any farther. I asked the guide why the bus couldn’t take us to the Mont, since we had people in wheelchairs. She said it wasn’t possible, even though our bus was wheelchair accessible. I checked the Mont Saint-Michel website, which clearly says to plan ahead so arrival can be prepared and the bus can reach the Mont. The guide was a bit rough around the edges for my taste, and seemed inexperienced and short on tact. Singing “Au Clair de Lune” on the bus felt like treating our seniors as children.

The bedding was adequate, and the service staff were excellent, doing what they could with the resources they had. The room itself was average, though the toilet smelled of urine, and the pétanque court needs work. The holiday village feels outdated. There was no air conditioning or even a fan, which made the rooms, dining areas, and performance hall a nightmare. We were a group of 30 elderly people with reduced mobility, but management was nowhere to be seen. The activities coordinator should rethink how she talks to older people: her humor was low-brow and disrespectful. Outings were poorly organized, and her lack of professionalism stood out. She even asked us to strip our beds, something I’d never heard of. Maybe she should have cleaned them too.