Oceania St. Malo

The AC in our tiny room poured liters of water onto the floor. Our bags had to sit beside it because there was nowhere else to put them, and my laptop bag was soaked along with all the electronics inside. We filmed the damage and reported it to the staff. They came up, took their own photos and video, and eventually handed us a note with an insurance company’s name and address. We don’t speak French, so we couldn’t tell what the note said. After returning to the US, we found the insurance details were bogus. More than $1,500 of electronics were damaged, and the hotel has ignored all our emails and messages. The general manager also wouldn’t answer his phone while we were trying to resolve it in person. I wouldn’t stay here again. There are larger rooms closer to downtown St. Malo.

The gym they advertise is barely equipped, so it wasn’t really worth using. Apart from that, we had a lovely stay. Our room was ready early, and the pool area was a relaxing place to spend time. Breakfast was included with our room through Brittany Ferries and was good. We’d stay here again if we take the ferry to Saint-Malo on another trip to France.

The pool was warm, and we enjoyed the jacuzzi and steam room. Breakfast cost a bit much, though there was plenty to choose from and it was delicious. Our room was spacious and comfortable, with a good bed and bathroom and some thoughtful touches. We liked the sea view, but the room never got sun, and the balcony felt chilly and noisy from traffic on the cobbled street below. We were on the first floor. A couple of small things could be better: ceramic mugs would be nicer than the little cardboard cups we had to keep washing, and an extra bin by the coffee maker would help. There were only two tea bags, but staff brought more when we asked. The team were welcoming and helpful, and the location worked well for the old town and port.

We chose this hotel to spend time in St Malo, but the nightclub next door kept booming bass going through our room until after 1 a.m. We barely got a decent night’s sleep. Management’s response was basically, “sorry, tough.” Be careful when booking.