Having stayed in several 3 star hotels in France and therefore having a reasonable idea of what to expect, my husband and I were a little disappointed with the Hotel Puys D'Averne. The lobby and entrance were bright and cheerful, and the hotel staff were generally friendly and helpful, however when initally booking in I was told "the breakfast is not included in your tarif, even if it was in your internet booking". I was polite and accepting. When later asking the person in reception in both English and careful French if we could upgrade our room for our 3 night stay, and hence be on a higher floor away from the street noise (and pay the extra of course) we were told that "I don't think there are any rooms left, and it's too hard to do"(!). This was a surprise as the hotel was clearly half empty. I gained the impression that the hotel was undergoing repainting or perhaps refurbishing or changing of some kind (although this was never explained). The corridor of our floor and our actual room were marred by badly worn and torn carpets. The recommended hotel restaurant and bistro were not open on Saurday and Sunday night (despite in-hotel advertising that they were). The breakfast room was on the top floor and featured the promised glorious views of the nearby Puys and Cathedral, however the atmosphere was dampened by a skimpy and poorly prepared breakfast offering (not included in the bill) and the many large, potted plants all of which were dead, adding to the general air of neglect. A pity, as this hotel is reasonably well positioned near to the older (interesting historically) section of the town. It is also centered on a square which is surrounded by local bars etc, which were very loud until the early hours of Sunday morning (not a problem at all if you like night life! ). Overall, more a series of small things than any large problem, and our only fairly poor hotel experience in 6 weeks of holiday.