ibis budget Loriol le Pouzin

We were a family of five driving toward the south of France and needed two rooms for one night. The €6 charge for a litre of water felt extortionate when it was over 30°C outside, which brought the value down. La Pouzin itself is a pleasant, quiet little town, with a good bakery and a couple of cafés or bars, though there aren’t many places to eat.

For the price, Ibis Budget is good value. The bed and shower were good, and the breakfast was very reasonable, especially by French standards.

The room was clean, the staff were friendly, and someone was still at the desk at 11pm. Our booking included breakfast as a special offer, and there was a decent choice of cooked and continental food. The location was the main drawback: it’s on a VERY busy road, probably because it’s so close to the motorway. The air-conditioning wasn’t great, so we opened the window and got the full noise from lorries and scooters. There’s a petrol station almost opposite, but no restaurants, bars, supermarket, or boulangerie within walking distance; you need to drive a short way for those. The room also felt like it belonged to an older Ibis, based on the furniture. We each got just one small pillow, and the toilet light runs on a PIR sensor and stays on far too long. If your partner gets up in the night, the light wakes everyone because there’s no curtain to screen off the bathroom area like in other Ibis hotels.

The buffet breakfast was decent, and the place is bicycle-friendly. The accommodation itself is basic but fine. There was no fridge or tea and coffee setup in the room.