Arriving on a bleak Saturday in January it was a bonus to have a warm and cosy hotel. However, having taken the advice of other trip advisers we chose this hotel over The Inter Hotel Port Marine at Sete and regretted it as the location of the Inter Hotel was much better and the hotel looked very nice from the outside too. The Imperial Hotel would have been nearly 3 miles round trip to walk back (much unlit) from all the restaurants along the central canal for dinner which just was not viable on a cold January night. The welcome at the hotel was good, but it took a couple of trips down to reception to get hooked up to their free wifi. The room was only OK, (VERY warm) with a separate bathroom and loo, but nothing special. The location let it down, so far from the centre, it is so much nicer when travelling to be able to park up the car in the evening and stroll. The car park was terrible, only space for about 6 cars, I dread to think where one would park in the season? It wasn't really a "car park" at all, just a small lane around the hotel on three sides that came to a dead end and a nightmare to try and turn round or manouevre in. The hotel was near a beach and many many apartments, obviously very lively in season, but out of season this neck of the woods of Sete was completely shut up with nothing open at all bars or restaurants wise so it was a bit of a dead loss ! Sete was attractive though and had numerous reasonably priced restaurants for one to enjoy a meal.

Although, the hotel was located 10 to 15 min walk away, it was great value for money. The hotel was clean with very good maid service. Our accomodation was provided on a room only basis. Breakfast wasextra. We had breakfast one day, but found it was expensive for the offering, anyway, when in France there is only one thing to eat for breakfast, freshly baked croissants, crusty bread,pastiserries and coffee. There was fabulous little boulongerie opposite the hotel serving exactly that and very reasonably priced. The hotel had a private car park which gets full very quickly, so you need to be creative about the way you park. There is also a very nice little bar serving great french wine.
Sete is charming little town but is also a working port, so it is not as picturesque as one would like but the restuarants serve the finest seafood ever and everyone is really friendly.
Sete is a perfect base for exploring the area, do not miss Carcissonne, Montpellier, Nimes, Beziers, Narbonne and Pezenas.
We were there for a week and that was not nearly enough time to see everything the area has to offer. I have been to the `French Riviera` or the `Blue Coast`,as it is known, but to experience the real South of France, this is the area to come to as hundreds of camping van visitors will testify.
You will need a car to get around otherwise you will spend too much time on public transport getting from a to b.
We loved our stay in Sete and would definately recommend it as a base for exploring, we would also recommend the Hotel Imperial, especially if you are travelling on a budget. There are one or two restuarants in the immediate vicintiy, however, my advice is take the walk into town, the choice is supurb and you can stop at various bars on the way for the odd cocktail or two.
If you are looking for a Hotel with a pool and sunloungers, this is not the hotel for you, but if you are loking for a clean and pleasant environment as a base for your holiday, this hotel is ideal.
There are many restaurants to choose from in Sete, but our favourite was `Le Grande Bleu` serving a fantastic range of seafood, especially oysters and delicious wine and desserts.

We booked this hotel for the Giles Petersen Worldwide Music festival. I was a little concerned about the amount of negative reviews, I shouldn't have been. The hotel is not expensive and is accommodating, friendly and clean. Its not the Savoy but then its not Faulty Towers. I'm not sure I would want to live there for two weeks but for a long weekend its more than suitable.

The hotels location for the festival is perfect as it is no further than 30 minutes walking away from each of the 3 sites. The restaurants around the area could do with a kick up the a$$ but that isnt the hotels fault.

All in all a perfectly good hotel and value for money wise, 5*