The Originals City, Hôtel Astoria Vatican, Lourdes

The location is handy, about five minutes from the sanctuary, and the staff were kind and flexible about what we needed. They even offered pasta to us as a Belgian group after we got jealous of the Italian groups, and Stefan deserves a special mention for passing on our request for salad without vinaigrette. The rooms are basic rather than luxurious, but comfortable. Wi-Fi was poor in the rooms, though it worked well at reception.

This place feels like it needs an exorcism. It was worn and dirty, the hotel was noisy, the shower never got hot, and the Wi-Fi signal wasn’t strong enough to use. I’d skip it.

The location worked really well, right in town but on a quieter side street, with shops and restaurants nearby on the way to the Sanctuary. We had a clean, practical room on the 7th floor, with a big comfortable bed and stunning views over the river, weir and Lourdes Sanctuary complex. Everyone on staff was friendly and accommodating, and the restaurant team made sure we had what we needed. We’d booked in 2019 for 2020, but the pandemic delayed our trip until this April. Even after we postponed three times, management kept the booking without any trouble. We’d happily stay again.

There were six of us from Ireland in May, using the hotel as our base for cycling Tour de France stages in the Pyrenees. The staff were brilliant, so kind and welcoming, and very accommodating. It’s great value with half board, and a good starting point for cycling, with hills all around.