Padja Hotel & Spa, Vannes

The rooms are okay, but this was a bad experience. We chose the hotel for the spa, yet barely got to enjoy it. The pool is ridiculously small, hardly enough to swim in, and although they advertise a spa, access is limited to one hour a day. We called to book two massages. The receptionist took my mobile number and said she had to check with the “massagist,” but she never called back with a time, despite us waiting all day. We couldn’t enjoy the pool or get a massage, and the hammam was “of course” under repair, though who knows since when. The neighbourhood is horrible, an industrial zone with nowhere to enjoy a walk.

The bartender was the one bright spot, really nice. Everything else felt disorganized and patched together. We came because the booking said we could reserve a private spa and pool, but both were closed, and nobody told us beforehand. The pool area had cleaning supplies beside a very dry pool that looked like it hadn’t been used in over a week. Reception wasn’t much help, either: we were quoted €260 a night by phone, then faced a charge of over €350, and when we questioned it, the rate was apparently €239. For a four-star hotel, we could barely check in by 4 pm because the rooms weren’t clean. Laundry filled the hallways, and the place seemed badly understaffed. That four-star rating must be self-awarded.

We’ll be back. The rooms are lovely, the spa and hotel are great, and there’s secure parking. Breakfast was exceptional.

The room looked out onto steel, metal, and concrete from the surrounding buildings, with no grass or trees around. That’s a shame, because the hotel itself was nice, the rooms felt cozy, and we were welcomed warmly. The spa was nice too.