Hotel Royal Bon Repos

The location was perfect, but some attention to the rooms and guest care is needed. The layout was good, though parts of the room were worn, the mattress felt old, the towels were damaged, and the shower head leaked so badly there wasn’t a proper stream of water. The service issue that bothered me most was a late-evening card charge attempt at 8:30. My bank declined it for security reasons, even though I had more than enough funds. Instead of letting me pay at checkout the next morning, they asked for another card while we were out eating.

It’s a small, colorful Provençal hotel with comfortable rooms, some with little balconies. The bathrooms are clean and spacious with plenty of hot water, though the toilet was much higher than standard. There’s no elevator, so I had to carry my elderly dog each time and help my elderly mother with her luggage on the stairs. Parking and pets both cost extra, and the snooker table isn’t available because it’s used to set out breakfast. There were a lot of rules, which sometimes made the place feel like a youth hostel. Check-in ended at 8 PM or there was a big penalty. Pets could come, but couldn’t be left alone in the room even for a few minutes, such as during breakfast. There were also lots of instructions for opening the door and a rule to keep the key card only inside your wallet.

I wouldn’t recommend staying here, especially if you have dogs. We were passing through Sainte Maxime and booked two nights, asking beforehand if our two calm, travel-used dogs could come. The owner initially said there’d be no problem, but later complained about them barking a little while her own six-month-old puppy was at the hotel. She was intolerant and rude, and made us feel inadequate. At check-in she spent half an hour explaining the shower, toilet seat, and electronic key, treating us like two five-year-olds who needed everything explained. It was impossible to get information by email without calling. Breakfast was unhygienic. Flies and gnats were around the fruit, cold cuts in plastic containers had darkened in the air, the ham was brown instead of pink, and the salami was blackened. The tea water was only lukewarm. The garden-style outdoor tables were dusty and dirty, and at one point water dripped from the roof onto me. The price was terrible for this experience: €200 more than the amount quoted when booking by phone. There was no transparency about the total, including breakfast, parking, dog charges, and tourist tax. The final amount was a third higher than agreed. They charged €20 per dog without even providing a water bowl.

The rest of the stay was very nice, but I was disappointed by the lack of clear pricing. I called before booking through Booking.com because the hotel said it could offer a better rate. Booking.com showed €254 plus taxes, but the hotel charged €268 plus taxes. Then they added €25 for parking, which hadn’t been mentioned beforehand, bringing the total to €297.