Les Chambres Panda

They said on the phone that they accepted holiday vouchers, then refused them when it was time to pay. That’s dishonest business, and I’d tell people to avoid this place and spend their money somewhere honest. On top of that, the room faces a noisy, uncharming street. As the saying goes, you can do business as long as you’re honest, really.

I’m obviously not going to say anything positive about this. I wanted to cancel, but when I contacted them, they offered to move my stay and I accepted. Three days later they took that offer back and said they couldn’t host us on the new date. I’ve emailed twice and still haven’t had an answer, so we’ve lost €90. We’re on minimum wage and don’t often get to afford a trip like this, but we wanted a fun family day at Beauval Zoo. To avoid the tiring round trip in one day, we planned to stop the night before and visit Saint-Aignan on the way, as I imagine lots of people do. The hotel didn’t try to find any solution to help our weekend, and business clearly mattered more than how we felt. I would have accepted some responsibility, but they refused outright. The whole consumer system is appalling. I’m also disgusted that their website didn’t let us cancel directly. It may be cheaper to book there, but there’s nothing in writing about the cancellation rules or what happens if there’s a problem. I should have booked through Booking.com, which would have caused fewer problems. If you can avoid this Panda Room, do. The hotel name is about the only cute thing.

The room was beautiful, roomy, and peaceful, and the accommodation was superb. It’s right in the lovely center of Saint-Aignan, which is well worth visiting. You should take a boat trip on the Cher River too.

We stayed in the large studio as two families. It was very clean and well placed, with tea and a kettle available, and the owner left us drinks. The beds were comfortable, there was a lounge with toys for the children, and parking nearby was easy. I wasn’t keen on the hotel breakfast, though. We were assigned a time, still had to wait, and there wasn’t much choice.