Hôtel la Tour des Anglais

A clean, comfortable room at a friendly budget price, with a great spot high above the river and lovely views. These rooms have wheelchair access. I believe there are some more stylish rooms as well. The staff are friendly, and there are excellent restaurants nearby, especially the wonderful Pizza Restaurant just beside the Cinema.

The upstairs rooms look out over the park, and the back wall of the building where they’re housed is part of the walled garden of Parc du Chateau de Mayenne. There’s free parking onsite, and much of the old town is an easy walk away. The main building sits on the bluff above the Mayenne River, and could become an amazing space someday. There’s an Indian Restaurant downstairs, though we didn’t get to try it. This hotel is a bit of a diamond in the rough, and we’d definitely stay in Mayenne again. I believe Clarisse and William, the young couple who recently took over managing it, have the passion and energy to make the place shine. I look forward to seeing what they do with it.

I spent 6 nights here while visiting Mayenne for work. The new young management is why I gave the hotel a fifth star. The hotel itself gets 4 stars. The name la tour des anglais comes from the history of the fort tower that the hotel partly occupies, along with an extended construction. It has nothing to do with English breakfast, so people expecting that should first learn the history of the chateaux beside it. The young couple managing the hotel are friendly and helpful, and can share information about the area and places to visit. Breakfast is fresh, with croissants, pain chocolat, fruit, muesli and cheese, but the selection is limited. That seems fair given how many guests the hotel can accommodate. There’s ample parking, a good Indian restaurant just below, and 5-6 other restaurants and pubs nearby in the town centre. The hotel overlooks the beautiful river Mayenne and the promenade. If you don’t get a river view room, ask for one with a bathroom river view. The morning sunlight in those rooms is lovely, and it’s quiet apart from the birds chirping early in the morning. The hotel restaurant doesn’t serve lunch or dinner yet, though they may start soon. The room and bathroom doors need hooks for clothes, and the closet could use more hangers. The TV is a bit too high, and the door locks are noisy enough that you can hear what time your neighbour came in last night. I guess there’s no pickup or drop-off from Laval train station.

The host was helpful and full of information. My room was nice and very quiet, and the restaurant where breakfast is served has a fantastic river view. Good location.