Les Granges de La Coste

We won’t be coming back, even though the hosts were very friendly and the price was great. The room is huge and has everything you need, but some finishing work still needs doing. The grounds feel like a building site, with materials lying around and raw concrete underfoot, and the dog and cat waste wasn’t cleaned up. At first everything seems clean, but looking closer we found spiders, cobwebs, and dirty spots. The hosts are lovely, though they’re already over 70, so the remaining work may take a long time. Five stars for their friendliness.

The breakfast was a highlight, with homemade bread and a heavenly egg custard made from eggs laid by Geneviève’s hens, whom she looks after like a mother hen. The room is thoughtfully laid out, the linens are beautiful, and the pillows wonderfully soft. The kitchen is superbly equipped down to matching plates and cutlery, and everything was spotless. Geneviève and Alain are kind hosts, and the view is magnificent. The access may sound complicated, as I’ve read, but a few steps are a small price for that scenery. I loved it all, and the value is unbeatable. You do need to appreciate the finer things and have stayed in several B&Bs to recognize this as top quality without an exorbitant price.

The surroundings and the rough, unpaved drive are really only suited to the hardy. The basement apartment has a bedroom and bathroom, and there’s a kitchen. It’s acceptable apart from a slight musty smell. This is a very remote B&B for anyone after peace and quiet, with the patio looking almost entirely out onto the forest.

The cicadas sang all evening, and one of the two domestic hens kept jumping up to eat rose petals. It felt like a real escape. Genevieve and Alain were such a welcoming couple, and the place is truly lovely. Thanks again for the kindness, the hospitality, and the superb meal, a real breath of fresh air. Corinne and Vincent