This is an OK 3 star country hotel unfortunately it charges 5 star prices and they are just not justified. There are issues with maintenance and housekeeping.
We had a standard room in the old building (perhaps the suites in the newer buildings are much better) and it left a lot to be desired. The room was very musty and even after two days with the window open it still smelled as if it hadn't been used for a long time. This is Provence why not stick a bowl of lavender in the room?
There is a tiny en suite shower room but no separating door. The shower head was full of lime scale and only a few of the nozzles worked, they sprayed water almost everywhere except on the person taking the shower and as there was no shower curtain the whole of the bathroom ended up very wet including the single toilet roll!
The toilet seat was loose and chipped. Soap and shower gel was provided but you will need to bring your own shampoo etc.
There were instructions on how to use the phone but there was no phone in the room. There was a flat screen TV but the fitted plug would not fit in the only available socket. No wardrobe, a shop rail was provided with a real motley collection of mismatched hangers, it had all the charm of the local charity shop!
There was no hair-drier.
For 145 euros a night I would have liked a second pillow and bed clothes which weren't stained (looked like blood?).
There was no room safe despite that being advertised as available in the hotel brochure.
There were spider webs in the room and a dead spider!
The bedside table was broken and one had to be careful not to get splinters.
There was a mini bar but only a single wine glass which we had to share! This glass wasn't replaced for the duration of our stay and it was still stained with my lipstick when we checked out. Unfortunately there were no toothbrush glasses either. The maid laid our toothbrushes on a rather grubby wooden shelf! Yuk!
There was a nice and simple continental breakfast (nice cheese, ham, bread, pastries, cereal, juice and coffee) but it cost a whopping 21 euros a head. And if I am paying Paris prices I don't want a chipped coffee cup.
We didn't eat dinner in the hotel but the menu looked nice however it was approx 75 euros for 3 courses.
The public areas of the hotel look nice however the cream sofas in reception were stained as if someone had sat on them in a wet swimsuit.
The grounds look nice however there are planters with dead plants (how long does it take to pull up a dead plant?) which detract.
The pool is nice but quite cold even at the end of July. There were sun loungers and umbrellas but no pool towels that we could find.
We could have asked at reception but quite often that was unattended and there was no bell. In fact there was no one there when we wanted to check out so we just had to leave.
All in all it was very disappointing and very expensive for what it was. It's a shame because it could be a good hotel. It doesn't take much to address the housekeeping issues and re-examine pricing.
If a hotel wants to charge 5 star prices then it must expect to be criticised when it falls far short of the standard expected.
- Hostellerie Le Roy Soleil Menerbes
