Résidence Hôtelière Odalys l'Archipel

The room was a decent size, there was air conditioning, the pool was nice, and the parking lot is closed at night. Beyond that, the stay was disappointing. The Wi-Fi barely worked and topped out at 10 Mb when it did. Earlier reviews mentioned improvements, but I saw no sign of them. There are no electric car chargers at the hotel or within a 10-minute drive. They charged €100 for a dog, even though guests have to clean the apartment before leaving and there was no cleaning service during the stay. The beds were old and noisy, and I couldn't see why €300 was reserved on the payment. Check-in and check-out times weren't guest-friendly. Breakfast looked very poor, and the area has boat workshops and many homeless people sleeping outside at night. The place claims four stars, but guests still have to take out the garbage and the room isn't cleaned during the stay. Too many stars for what it offers. I wouldn't recommend it, and don't expect things to improve.

The apartments were clean and good, but they didn't feel like a four-star hotel. There was no good bakery nearby, and getting to the city centre meant a 20-minute walk. The location was okay otherwise. Noise from children was a problem, with babies audible every morning around 8 and again in the evening. The pool was too cold for me and my mother, even though it was supposed to be heated. Wi-Fi was slow, so I wouldn't recommend it if you need to work.

We were given a six-person unit for the four of us. It had two bedrooms, a living room and a kitchen with a cooktop, dishwasher and mini fridge. Everything looked new, clean and well kept. The reception team were very friendly and helpful, and spoke both French and English. We also rented bikes directly through Odalys. Beach bike co supplied locks, helmets and baskets for the adults, which made getting around Ile de re and La Rochelle each day really convenient. The location worked well for the old town and the Bastille day fireworks, and the station was a 10-15 minute walk. We stayed for three days over the Bastille weekend. Buffet breakfast was available, and the pool was open from 10-7pm.

The bed was comfortable, and the place was clean and roomy, with plenty of parking. The pool looked fine, though I didn't use it. But the room was uncomfortably hot during my stay, even at night. There was no air conditioning, just two tiny windows that opened, so airflow was poor. The shower pressure was weak, the small dishwasher didn't work properly and I had to wash everything by hand. There was no room phone to call the front desk. The building is plain and functional, with little charm, and the location among university residences and boatyards isn't attractive. It felt like student housing, with pin codes for the front gate, underground parking and entrance. No staff were around from 8pm to 8am. Breakfast was basic, with a self-serve coffee machine and similar offerings. Wi-Fi stopped working on my second day. Nobody seemed to notice until I asked the front desk to restart the router after it opened. After that it kept dropping out and needed manual reconnection after periods of not being used. The online registration was chaotic too, with so many conflicting or misleading emails beforehand that I was annoyed before arriving. All told, it was average and mildly inconvenient. I won't return. La Rochelle has plenty of better places to stay.