Villa Glanum

The rooms, most of the staff, and the setting were great, but my interaction with Sophia at reception was disappointing. She was pleasant when I checked in, then got irritated when I asked her to call a cab. I don’t speak French, and since she speaks both French and English, I didn’t think it was a difficult request. I wouldn’t have been able to speak to the driver on the phone. She also snapped when she used the French term for the spa’s steam room and I didn’t understand what she meant. I expect the receptionist to be nice throughout the stay, not just for the first five minutes. The hotel is at least a mile from town, and the only food is breakfast, which was very good.

We stayed for a week and really enjoyed ourselves. The hotel was quiet at night, and the blackout curtains were fantastic. It’s a good 15-20 minute walk into town, but we had a car for when we were too tired to walk, and the fascinating Vincent Van Gogh museum is very close. The hotel is beautiful, with lovely, spacious rooms, comfortable beds, and a fabulous shower. The pool facilities are beautiful too, and the dining room serves a delicious buffet breakfast each morning. The staff are lovely, and the cleaning team did an especially great job.

The rooms were comfortable and each had a small outdoor courtyard. It’s a quiet, lovely hotel, about a ten-minute walk from the town center. The pool area was relaxing, with enough room for all the guests. The only downside is that it’s quite expensive for three-star accommodation.

The property is lovely, with tasteful decor and very nice facilities. We were impressed enough to extend our stay from one night to three, but the service changed how we felt about it. We arrived as lockdown restrictions were starting to lift, so we understood reopening could be difficult. Still, we saw only two staff members during those three nights, and one treated us as though we were a nuisance. After three months in lockdown, we expected a warmer welcome, but didn’t get one. If we’d known what the service would be like, we would have moved elsewhere. On our second morning, there’d been an early shower of rain. We asked to have breakfast in the garden and got a lot of huffing and puffing because the staff member had set the tables inside. She was reluctant even after we pleaded, and we ended up carrying our own knife and fork out. The other guests, perhaps eight or ten at most, came down and went straight to the garden too, which brought more huffing and puffing. We were willing to pay for the nice room, but breakfast was overpriced and poor value. Then I left a shirt in the wardrobe. Half an hour into our drive, they confirmed it was there and said I’d get an email. After I called every day for a week without a callback, I was eventually told they didn’t have it. It’s a very nice place, but because of the service we definitely won’t return.