Hôtel du Phare

The pan-fried sea bass was incredible, and the service was fantastic. I dropped in for a meal last week and was blown away by the food and the pretty setting. I’ll definitely visit again.

The Phare used to be where we always had our last meal in France before catching the ferry, and the meals had always been fantastic. We checked online and saw lunch was served until 2:30 pm, so we arrived at 13:40 after travelling for over three hours. We were told they weren’t serving anything, though at that point any food would have been welcome. The woman initially ignored us, then said the kitchen was closed and went back to what she was doing. There were still empty tables, even though the place was busy. They’ve lost our custom, as we’ve found another fantastic place around the corner.

The ferry is conveniently close, but that seems to be the only reason this hotel can get by with such low standards. I booked three rooms for my family, and none of it made for a good stay. My room smelled stale, the toilet and bowl were caked with specks of excrement, the shower tray was cracked and wallpaper was peeling. The shower in my son's room didn’t work. Perhaps the worst hotel I’ve stayed in in Europe.

My mother and I don’t eat fish or dairy, so the restaurant’s only option for us was a lettuce and tomato side salad. That wasn’t the issue by itself. Both of our vegetable salads had a random, well-hidden piece of salmon at the bottom, even though we’d already told the waiter we don’t eat fish. Since it was just one small piece in each bowl, it seemed intentional. The room and the staff, other than the person I assume was the chef, were passable.