Hervé Garrapit

The facade, entrance and reception all feel austere, and the hotel itself seems stuck in the past. The carpets were stained, the curtains dirty and there was dust everywhere. There’s even a DVD player under the TV. A trip back in time, all right, but not in a good way. The photos and reviews don’t match what I found. It may once have been a 5-star hotel, but it’s nowhere near that now. The meals were meager rather than gourmet, and breakfast was reheated frozen food with no fresh ingredients. And I won’t forget the €4 coffee pod. Forget it. It’s time for this place to close.

Ms. Garrapit’s ambition to create a grand traditional French establishment comes through in the details, especially the Houlès trimmings, which I’m especially fond of. The décor could belong in one of the country’s grand palaces. The welcome was courteous, and the cuisine exquisite and full of flavor. A truly French hotel, the kind that’s all too rare. Bravo, thank you, and see you soon!

We were in Mont-de-Marsan for training and planned to stay at this “hotel.” We lasted barely five minutes in our rooms before fleeing. I can’t understand the positive reviews. They must be from the owner, because this felt like a complete scam. A rip-off straight out of a horror movie. He always seems to find a way to avoid refunding customers. We took photos, but we’ll refrain from posting them.

The reception and service were adequate, and breakfast was decent, though they try to charge extra for savory items. That’s about all I can say in the hotel’s favor. I had a bad experience: the service fell well short of its claims and hotel standards, while the price was premium. I strongly advise against staying here, and other reviews suggest I’m not the only one who feels ripped off. I’ve stayed in hotels every week for the past 20 years for my job, and rarely have I seen anything like this. To me, the positive reviews look fake and possibly written by people close to the manager. The website calls this a luxury establishment, says it was once 5-star, and claims recognition from Gault & Millau. But a quick check of the Gault & Millau website showed me the restaurant wasn’t listed. As for the 5 stars, perhaps that was true 30 years ago, but it certainly isn’t now. The place seems frozen in its heyday and has never really changed. The dated décor was obvious as soon as I walked in, and the room confirmed it. The dyes were dusty, the decorative cushions looked like they hadn’t been cleaned in years, the paint was stained, and the bathroom wasn’t very clean, with yellowed grout and stains. I hesitated to leave the room when I arrived. Cleanliness was questionable in places, and the soundproofing was poor. There were only two of us that evening, seated in adjacent rooms, yet I could hear my neighbor’s TV even though it wasn’t turned up very loud. Parking costs €10, and they push you to buy it when booking. I’d checked Google Maps and saw a huge, quiet, completely empty public lot across the street. The coffee capsules with the machine cost €4, so don’t use them. The “bistronomic” meal seemed like assembly-line food, probably reheated in a microwave. I was dining alone and understood the manager was cooking, so there wasn’t a real chef that day. The dishes came far too quickly to have been made to order. I ordered a 1664 beer and a glass of wine. The wine was table wine from a bottle already two-thirds empty. Since I was the only person in the restaurant, it must have been from the day before at best. The drinks came to €17, €7 for the 1664 and €10 for the wine.