La Voile d'Or

It’s quiet here but still central and easy to get around from. The restaurant was a highlight, with great food, a superb view, and welcoming staff who were happy to help. The hotel isn’t the most modern I’ve seen, though its retro character has real charm, and the views are among the best in the area.

The breakfast team were lovely and clearly doing their best, but the rest of the service was slow and felt lazy and incompetent compared with how it used to be. At the upstairs pool, towels often ran out and nobody seemed to check whether guests needed attention. I also came back after 10 pm to find cleaning staff in my room, and there was no room service during dinner hours. A frustrating stay that wasn’t worth the money, and not what I expect from a five-star hotel.

The dangerous bathtub setup caused me to fall and get injured. The hotel then refused to deal with its failure to meet its legal and contractual safety obligations professionally. After decades as regular guests, my husband and I left feeling that our last stay showed how much the Voile d’Or had declined since the recent change of owners. We had booked a room of our choice, but on arrival at the last minute we were made to take a different room that wasn’t very clean. Check-in was handled very unprofessionally. This experience was nothing like what a five-star hotel, or any hotel, should be. I strongly advise people to avoid this place.

The room had no coffee machine, and when we asked for coffee we waited 20 minutes just to reach someone, only to be told service was suspended. Room service and the restaurant were unavailable, the television didn’t work, and the internet was inconsistent. There was no minibar stock, toothbrush or toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, or body lotion. The reception also refused our request for an iron and ironing board. We had booked La Voile d’Or through Booking.com, where it was listed as five-star and had nearly 69 apparently satisfied reviews, though I question how accurate those reviews are. Beforehand, we asked by email about early check-in, late check-out, and confirmed parking. The usual times were 4 pm check-in and 11 am check-out, and the hotel replied that everything could be arranged subject to availability. I paid through the link they sent the day after booking, and the money left my account on August 26. When we arrived around 4 pm, only a security guard was at reception and he didn’t know how to arrange parking. There was no dedicated hotel parking, so my husband had to go look for a spot while I took our bags to the room with the guard. As my husband returned, someone at reception named Guillaume asked for his credit card and charged us again for the room. I raised the double payment, and Guillaume admitted it was his mistake, but we still haven’t been offered a refund. Don’t book here and waste your money or spoil your holiday.