Les Vignes de la Chapelle, The Originals Relais

I usually don't write reviews like this, but maybe this will help someone. At 420 Euro a night, the value is way beyond acceptable. If you enjoy camping, you might like it, because the comfort felt much the same. The family loft was unbearable in summer. Upstairs, the bedroom has no windows and just a tiny opening, so it gets hot enough that sleeping is impossible. You have to leave the doors and windows open for any air, which means no privacy with the bungalow-style layout and the bedroom facing the parking lot. The hotel does claim the windows are soundproofed. The stairs to the upper floor are a very steep ladder, and the safety lock didn't work. I'd say it's hard for children under four. This feels like a pricey B&B with some cleaning, rather than a hotel. Our room wasn't cleaned for two days. Cleaning is the only service included; everything else costs extra. The Wi-Fi was down for two full days, a third of our stay. One missed cleaning or a bit of unreliable Wi-Fi wouldn't normally bother us much. It's all the little problems together, especially at that price, that made the stay disappointing. The worst part was management's attitude. When we politely raised the shortcomings, the response felt arrogant and lacking in self-reflection. How management responds matters as much as what goes wrong.

Breakfast was very tasty, with organic items like fruit, cereals, jam, juice, charcuterie, several kinds of bread, pastries, and fresh orange juice. The staff were friendly, and the rooms were clean, cozy and functional. We had a nice stay by the water, with easy parking outside the paid parking area. A couple of small drawbacks: there's no AC, and we hit our heads on the awkward headboard several times. We'd come back.

A quiet hotel in the remote village of Saint Marie de Ré, with a strong focus on organic products, though I'm not sure that fits a four-star hotel. The rooms are minimalist, and the entrance door is the only way to air them, which must be hard in hot weather since there's no AC. Rooms connect through interior doors, useful for families but poor for keeping noise out. Wi-Fi was very poor, and there was no English-language TV channel. There are lots of extra charges, including parking, tea and coffee in the room, and an expensive minibar. The young staff were attentive, but their friendliness felt very old France rather than natural. Even after prepaying four nights and breakfast, they blocked 65 Euro on my card in case I took the key or forgot to declare minibar use. In 40 years of frequent travel, that was a first. There were also many signs forbidding things. Smokers have to go outside the premises to the street, and animals aren't allowed.

The crew were friendly, though this felt more like a hostel than a hotel. Wi-Fi was advertised, but it wasn't available.