La Riviera Victoria

This town and hotel were my favorite stop on a 21 day Euro trip through 10 cities. The shops and artists studios were great to visit, and I wished I'd brought an extra suitcase. It had a small-town feel, unlike Paris, and you don't always have to spend the most to get the most. I stayed there last month and was happy with everything, from the hotel and restaurant staff to the room, food, breakfast and drinks. One night we returned late and found some staff sitting together after closing. We talked for over 20 minutes about where we were from, their lives and the area. My friend knew a little French, they spoke pretty good English, and it felt like meeting good friends.

Yvoire has few places open early, so it was a lovely surprise that we could have the buffet breakfast here even though we weren't hotel guests. There was a great selection, including meat, cheese, fruit, bread, pastries, coffee, tea, yogurt, juices, sparkling water and even macaron, all high quality. We had a wonderful meal before catching the morning ferry for a full day of sightseeing. Being right across from the ferry terminal made it easy to eat and hop aboard. We'd definitely recommend the hotel restaurant for breakfast.

We had Saturday lunch on the hotel restaurant's terrace with our two kids, aged 3 YO and 18 MO, and felt very welcome. The staff were kind with the kids, brought crayons and coloring books, and kept chatting with them. Service was quick and top notch. Our meals were excellent, nicely presented and served warm, and everyone, including the kids, enjoyed them. The food is really good, the staff are great, and the lake view is lovely. The terrace also has a beautiful setting, with vines growing overhead.

The hotel sits in the middle of the medieval town, facing the marina. Staff were friendly and had our key ready when we arrived. Our second-floor rooms were spacious, nicely furnished and looked over the marina, with a small balcony. The beds were large and comfortable, with outlets near the head on both sides. We didn't try the bar, which was closed, or the restaurant. There was a general run-down feel, with little problems everywhere: two of the three bathroom lights were out, the door didn't close by itself, and the lift had missing buttons. There were no stairs, so we had to use the lift each time. Avoid room 207, which is at the end of the hotel facing the Pirate restaurant, where it gets very noisy early, around 6:30am. Breakfast isn't worth the price: a small buffet, little choice, not much fresh food, and machine coffee. Two rooms had an awkward shower over the bath, with no curtain, a short hose and nowhere to attach it. The third had a walk-in shower. The hair dryer was asthmatic, like in many hotels.