“Excellent overnight stop hotel. Use it regularly”
This is a great hotel for a short stop in Orleans. There is an entrance off the main street which leads straight into a small lobby with reception. There are no lounges and only a small seating area in the lobby. Basically it's rooms with reception on the ground floor and a breakfast restaurant area on the first floor. It is right near the station and on one of the main shopping streets only 5-10 minutes walk to the cathedral and the restaurants in the old town. It has 4 floors with a small lift to get you there. Although you can overlook a main street with trams, there is double glazing and aircon so you can shut it out if you want but it is not very noisy after about 11pm. I think reception is manned 24/7 and they are very helpful.
The stair carpet is a bit worn but we think that adds a bit of character. The rooms are clean albeit decorated a bit 'orange' but good showers and modern sanitary wear. At our last visit (Oct 09) the tariff for a double room included a really comprehensive buffet breakfast -rolls, croissant, cereals, fresh fruit, juice, yoghurts etc plus tea and coffee. They also had a special offer on at that time of a free welcome drink and a free packed lunch for the next day. There is a car park just round the corner that is free between 7pm and 9am and also Sundays. If you want somewhere reliable to stay in the heart of Orleans, this is it.
Area recommendations
Go to the Cathedral and Joan of Arc square and then on to the old town just beyond the cathedral where there are some great old medieval buildings and a great choice of bars and restaurants.
Traveller's tip
Try La petite Marmite at 178 Rue de Bourgogne ( the main street of restaurants in the old town). It looks quite tiny from the outside. Sit outside in the summer but in the winter it is really cosy inside. The set menu are excellent value and the food excellent. The maitresse de really runs the show and it's great fun just to observe her.
