We booked L'Hostellerie des Pins for the first night of our vacation in Provence, as a cheap and convenient stopping off point. It turned out to be anything but.

Unfortunately when we arrived and checked the room, we immediately noticed a very strong smell of urine. We went back to reception, and waited for more than 10 minutes with several other people all waiting for a member of staff to reappear. When someone finally showed up, we complained and asked for an alternate room. The staff member shrugged, said they never had any complaints, they were full, and suggested we go elsewhere.

We ended up spending a couple of hours driving around Montelimar looking for alternatives, as the room smelt too disgusting to sleep in. We eventually checked into another hotel.

If you are looking for a hotel room that is clean and smells ok, don't stay at this hotel.

After a full day of driving from Calais to Montelimar, I was disappointed when I entered the motel style hotel. I think that the place would be great in the summer, but as this was nearly November it was not ideal. The rooms were very much of a chalet/holiday camp style. The floors had a hard finish and the heating still had not been switched on so I was constantly cold. The rooms were very clean and large with a small patio terrace at the back overlooking nice garden areas but they were very dated. The wallpaper was peeling off the wall in the main bedroom area. The TV provided French channels only. On the plus side, there was a separate toilet and bathroom which was great and we could park our car right outside the door to our room. The staff were very friendly and helpful in helping us with directions for our onward journey. There is an outdoor pool at the hotel and the main hotel areas (reception, dining room etc) were colourful and recently redecorated. It's just a shame that the rooms had not undergone the same work. I think the hotel would be fine for a couple of days vacation in the summer as it is very geared towards spending your stay outside your room. The breakfast provided was standard continental style. Overall, a decent place for the money but what a contrast I have found in France between hotels that have all been classed as 3 star!