Le Castel

The staff were great and the service was impeccable. It’s a no-frills place, with basic rooms and big beds. The mattresses sag a little, but they’re still comfortable, and our balcony looked out over the garden. There weren’t any sockets at the work area, and we couldn’t control the room heating.

The room itself was nice, but the rest of the stay was frustrating. We were given the wrong directions to get there, and no one mentioned that breakfast needed to be reserved, so they turned us away despite empty tables. The bar was never open, and the restaurant wouldn’t take dinner walk-ins either. It didn’t feel like the hotel cared about making guests happy.

We had some of the worst restaurant service we’ve experienced. The Family Room layout was great, though, and so were the pool and the location. It worked well as an overnight stop south of Lyon.

The pool was lovely, and the towels were soft and fluffy. The wine list was great and reasonably priced, the food was delicious, and everyone was friendly. The dry aged entrecote with fries cooked in beef fat was excellent. Still, we paid a lot for what was meant to be a 4 star hotel and got a 3 star experience. It’s a beautiful property in an iconic location with plenty of potential, but the lack of care really affected our stay. Staff shortages are hard, but many of these were basic problems that seemed to start with management being absent. Our balcony was covered in spider webs along the railing and ceiling. We asked to have them cleared while we were out, but it wasn’t done. I reminded them and asked again while we went to dinner, and they promised to take care of it. When we returned, there was a half bottle of wine as an apology, but the webs were still there, just a few less than before. They stayed that way until checkout. I included a photo of one of the several full webs left in plain sight after the second request. They also didn’t restock the coffee during cleaning, which another reviewer had mentioned and the hotel had agreed should be done. At checkout, nobody asked how the stay had been, so I politely told them all of this. My friend went to the “spa” after we called and were told to come by, but nothing was working. The sauna was closed for maintenance, the jacuzzi had no water and its jets sprayed everywhere, and the hamam was switched off and needed time before it could be used. It seems odd for a 4 star hotel to charge for more than 20 minutes in the sauna and jacuzzi, but it didn’t matter in the end since neither worked. The restaurant service was disorganized too. The sommelier was uncomfortable decanting the bottle in front of us, said she’d do it privately, then come back. This is a hotel attached to a winery for guests who care about wine. They also had only one bottle menu for their wines, so it took nearly 30 minutes to see it. They really need more copies, especially for guests so focused on wine. I know hiring people is challenging these days, but this was disappointing for several reasons.