La Résidence des Indes - Chambres d'hotes

The hosts were wonderful, happy to arrange restaurant reservations or show us around the house and its museum-quality artifacts. We stayed four nights and couldn’t have picked a more enjoyable place. Our Indes suite looked onto the peaceful back garden through large windows, and both the room and bathroom had been updated. It was comfortable, and the individually decorated suites each follow a country theme. The location made it easy to explore La Rochelle, while evenings stayed quiet.

The last-minute cancellation left us scrambling for somewhere to stay on the train to La Rochelle and put a real dent in our holiday. A brief phone call explaining what had happened would have been far more helpful and polite than a curt email. We’d been looking forward to this stay, so taking our booking and then cancelling it was completely unacceptable. The guesthouse looks lovely, but that doesn’t help when the administration is in such a sorry state. If Agoda was the issue, I’d suggest finding another broker. The owner still hasn’t responded, which says a lot. We also had to pay considerably more for another place at the last minute. Thanks for that.

The house is an easy walk from the port and plenty of tourist spots, and the Sabatiers’ warmth made our rainy, cold two-day stay in early November unforgettable. The rooms have lovely themed decor, and the bathrooms are modern with superb fittings. Our host knew so much about La Rochelle’s history and proudly gave us a grand tour of the mansion, explaining each artifact with the enthusiasm of a private sightseeing guide. They were due to open a tea room in November, so even if you don’t stay, you could visit and experience the place.

Everything else was great, though I did miss being able to make a cup of tea in the room. X