Grand Hôtel Bénodet Les Bains de Mer Riviera Bretonne

To meet up in local restaurants with ex caravanners.

✓ Location

✗ No restaurant ?

Nice

✓ Satff and price/quality ratio

✗ Not warm enough but solved with another radiator

Pleasant

✓ Price/comfort ratio

A trade off - outside swimming pool v the bizarrely run down

✓ Very good breakfast in the proper and luxurious Grand Hotel a short walk away from ‘annexe’ - excellent service from breakfast staff. Good swimming pool - invaluable asset for young children. Central location in very up market holiday resort- can walk or get miniature train to the main beach. Excellent beach club for children 15 mins walk away- 8 euros per hour if you just turn up - great value. Huge comfortable bath A short walk to the boat jetty for all river cruises etc.

✗ Although spotlessly clean with comfortable beds , the rooms have not been refurbished since the 1970s I would imagine- decoration was blue emulsion covering every service and pink bathroom. Cracked tiles, rotten basin cabinet held together with rotten gaffer tape - many people would find this wholly unacceptable. Parking is via a really narrow archway - and if a 4 WD is parked opposite the archway you’re in trouble. Trick is to back in- I went in front ways the first time and caused expensive damage to drivers door- simply putting in rubber surround would have prevented this. Hotel did refund my parking fees in total but I’m still seriously out of pocket. There is free parking however on street relatively close by. Basement level where swimming pool Is is very run down and abandoned- but pool itself is in lovely garden.

Perfect, low budget two days as I drove up to Brittany to check out future rental locations.

✓ Great price for the room for two nights. Fortunately weather was fine as I had to collect key from another hotel 50m away. After check in I received a passcode for access to the hotel. Room basic but acceptable and fitted with a TV. I've stayed in rooms with no TV and mouldy shower cubicles so it was great to see a spotless room. A perfect low-budget stay in a great town with plenty of dining facilities and seaside setting.

✗ Room needed some maintenance attention (cracked tile in front of washbasin, torn ceiling tile, peeling plastic strip coming away from the desk). I rang ahead to check parking and was told there was a car park. It proved impossible to access it as the entry was so narrow. Cars parked down the hill on the left side meant there was no chance to manoeuvre my car to gain access. I was forced to park on the road both evenings. Small point but was disappointed the maid could not offer me a spoon as I'd taken my kettle to make tea and coffee in my room as there were no facilities. A wooden stick would have sufficed or a pencil!