Les Moulins Du Duc

We've been coming here on and off for 30 years, and the hotel has clearly gone downhill. There were maintenance issues too, including a fogged-up double-glazed window in the restaurant that blocked the view and weeds around the outdoor seating by the pool. The location is peaceful, and our room and bathroom were large and comfortable. But service let the stay down. Check-in took 20 minutes, the waiting staff were surly, and after a long wait with the wine list we had to ask to order. Nobody offered tea or coffee after dinner, apparently because it was already 10 p.m.

The grounds are magnificent, and the kitchen was excellent, but there were letdowns: the cheese plate felt like something from a high-school cafeteria, and breakfast was thoroughly average, with no freshly squeezed juice. The room was too small and the bathroom only adequate. For the 500 euros we spent for one night, the place felt pretentious and expensive, falling well short of its high ambitions.

The wildlife is lovely, the views are beautiful, and at first glance the place seems nice. The staff seemed friendly and spoke pretty good English. After that, things fell apart. I had both Nintendo ds's and all my games stolen from our room, over £350 worth of equipment. There was no CCTV, no record of who entered the room, and no real help beyond asking other staff. The manager seemed like a nice guy but didn't really help either, and only offered to pay for my girlfriend's €3 drink. We stayed four nights, which I'd strongly advise against. One night is plenty. Dinner the first evening was ridiculously expensive, with 25cl of beer costing €7-€8, while a 10 pack was €4 down the road. We speak little French, and both got upset when we could only order mains but were served starters. I won't go into detail, but it was upsetting given the cost. The spa is nice, though the floor is really dirty to walk on and doesn't seem properly maintained. The WiFi was terrible too. They claim it reaches everywhere, but we couldn't get it in our room or the spa, only in the main building. There are lots of nearby hotels and other places. I've stayed in better 2 star hotels. The place is alright, but charges ridiculous amounts and your stuff gets stolen. Won't be going back.

The lobster thermidor came out completely burnt under the grill and should never have been served. Staff seemed totally uninterested until we got up to leave. The owner stayed on the phone in reception and left the issue to the manager, who was obviously unhappy about it. We paid the full bill and left, and won't return.