This is a well-located quirky B&B hotel in the centre of Agen just next to the historic Jacobins church and very close to the Michelin-starred Mariottat restaurant. The hotel oozes charm and character, and with splendid old French wardrobes and other antiques. It is ”family-run” by a very friendly host who clearly tries his best to please. The very large twin-bedded room with a faded grandeur was comfortable and the beds gave a good night's sleep. However the hotel does have a ”Faulty Towers” touch. Our arrival was eventful: we were asked how we were going to pay and then told that the price for the room would be 160€ by credit card, including breakfast at 10€ per person, even though the website said 130€ plus 10€ pp breakfast, but he said it would be 150€ if we paid cash. He does not accept French cheques. One is left with the question as to whether this hotel is worth that money. Best call to confirm the price before you book. Also check when the owner will be out since often he is the only one there. We had just got our suitcases to the room and went down to get more from the car to find ourselves locked out of the car-parking area! The host had gone away to collect some goods and we had a 45 minute wait till he came back, for which he apologised profusely. The room had a very stale smell of tobacco, as it were “in the walls”. Getting the room to work properly was not too difficult but you might need to handle some poor lighting in the bathroom and a hair-dryer which is fixed to the wall, dries through a tube, and is very cumbersome to use. The shower over the bath worked reasonably, after a wait for hot water to arrive and after fiddling with the controls. However the bath was potentially slippery and there was no mat, making it a safety hazard. Breakfast was outside on a slightly chilly early September morning, with no option to sit inside, and was at the front of the hotel facing the carpark, where workmen were arriving to do some work and a drill was sounding in the background. The coffee was lukewarm, and we had to ask for a replacement. We were able to leave the car in the carpark until lunchtime so that we could do some shopping, which was kind. The host clearly tries his best, and owns that he is working to bring the hotel up to date, but one is left with the thought that, while it is a hotel of character, he falls down on the detail and still has some way to go.
37 Ulasan