Hôtel de France

The lady at reception was very gracious and let me park at the hotel for free. The restaurant looked sumptuous. My complaint is only about my bedroom: the wallpaper and carpet needed replacing, and I’d be ashamed to rent out a room in that state.

The staff were lovely, and their kindness at breakfast was unusual. My husband had coffee but no food, while I ate but had nothing to drink, so they charged us for just one breakfast between us. The hotel is charming and well placed for the town and its open-air market, in a lovely old building. The room, though, was awful. It looked as if it hadn’t been redecorated since the sixties, and the bedding and towels seemed just as old. You entered through a little lobby with a bathroom, then went upstairs to the bedroom, with the lavatory next door. There was so little headroom in the lavatory that you couldn’t stand up, and the same low ceiling ran along one end of the bedroom. It must have been servants’ quarters back in the 19th century.

We couldn't find the hotel when we arrived in Loches, even though we went to the listed address. Its name and address are wrong on several online booking sites. The hotel took no responsibility for the mistake and still charged us. Disgraceful.

Hotel de France is a real hidden gem, and in my view the most underrated restaurant in all of Central France. The Turbo filet with beuere blanc sauce was a wow. Sylvie, one if the owners, is superb and speaks several languages. Loches is a fun city with two incredible markets each week, and this is probably one of the best restaurants outside of Paris. Don’t miss it!