Cote Ouest Thalasso & Spa Les Sables D'Olonne MGallery by Sofitel

The service was excellent, and the staff were very caring. The hotel has a superb sea view and a lovely little private artificial beach. It’s outside the city, but not too far from the center, and has a gym, sauna, hammam, hot steam room, and more. I’d rate it 7 rather than 8 or 9 because construction was underway to add another floor, and there was a flood in the corridor right outside our bedroom. They fixed the leak right away.

A classy hotel with beautifully designed rooms, lovely surroundings, very courteous staff, and pretty tasty food. There are construction works going on at the moment.

I wouldn’t stay here again. In both visits we booked a Deluxe room for the large balcony, where we like to spend time after our child goes to sleep, but neither stay was worth more than 2 or 3 stars overall. The room was lovely, as you’d expect for 280 euros a night in autumn, though I felt it should have had more coffee capsules. At that price out of season, it just doesn’t feel worth it. When the weather is bad, the balcony, the room’s main feature, is unusable. The outdoor furniture had been taken away and the lights were off, so my husband and I had a miserable evening and went to bed early with our child because there was nothing else to do. Even in warm weather, there’s no privacy: after a couple of steps you’re fully visible to the neighbors, separated only by a rope, and the balconies above look down onto yours. That’s pretty shocking for a “luxury” room at this price. The two stays were very different, and the service was inconsistent. On our recent visit, a welcoming man checked us in, but three hours later a woman at reception snapped at me and was very rude when I called to ask about the ingredients in a room service dish. Staff seem to be either incredibly professional and friendly or incredibly rude and arrogant, depending on who you get. The first visit was fairly pleasant apart from the restaurant. One waitress was incredibly arrogant and rude, and the atmosphere in the room was uncomfortable. The food was awful too, all display and no flavor. On our second visit, we skipped the restaurant and were pleasantly surprised by the shared platters at the bar. We tried both the sea and land platters and highly recommend them. Our waitress there was lovely, bubbly, and very professional. I wish the hotel had warned us about the storm forecast before the day we arrived, since we’d definitely have changed our reservation to another night. The spa was just okay. Both times the saltwater pool was crowded, with too few deck chairs and hooks. The jacuzzi was barely warm, and there was a basic sauna and steam room. I’ve been to many hotel spas worldwide, and this one has nothing remarkable that would justify paying 280 a night out of season.

The room was beautiful, and there were lots of activities at the hotel and in the neighborhood. The staff work very hard but are always friendly. Breakfast was delicious, dinner was overwhelmingly good, and there were nice wines as well. We can highly recommend the hotel and will certainly return.