ibis Poitiers Beaulieu

Breakfast was served and the stay was very satisfying, with good access to the university campus. It gets a bit dark at night, and public transport isn't always convenient. That's down to the buses in Poitiers being irregular and delayed, though.

We just wanted one good night's sleep on the way home, but couldn't sleep because the air conditioning didn't work. The receptionist gave me a key to another room, which turned out to be under repair. I was furious, but kept calm and put the mix-up down to my poor French. Cleanliness was a problem too. The room didn't look as if it was cleaned every day, and the place felt abandoned.

The building has seen better days, but the rooms are clean and the WiFi was excellent. I did miss having even a small fridge in the room. Towels are changed daily. Breakfast is a fresh, tasty buffet with limited choice, though there's enough for a stay of a few days. Parking is available under the hotel. Shops are a dozen or so minutes away on foot and close early, before 8 pm, so it's hard to buy food in the evening. If you're coming from outside France, keep that in mind.

Check-in and checkout were easy, and the rooms were clean, if a little bare. We arrived late and the hallway lights didn't come on as we walked to our rooms. I understand they may have been kept off so as not to wake other guests, but it made finding our rooms difficult. There wasn't enough parking.