Hôtel La Plage, La Grande-Motte

“A lovely hotel with an excellent restaurant”

Loved our stay here. A very 1970’s hotel (as is the whole area) and this has been exploited in the decor giving a very ‘cool’ atmosphere. Our sea view room was comfortable with a fabulous view. Loved the wild rabbits in the garden early morning. Enjoyed the Nespresso machine and the great shower. N… more

Loved our stay here. A very 1970’s hotel (as is the whole area) and this has been exploited in the decor giving a very ‘cool’ atmosphere. Our sea view room was comfortable with a fabulous view. Loved the wild rabbits in the garden early morning. Enjoyed the Nespresso machine and the great shower. Nice staff. A sheltered terrace. And just step from the terrace onto the beach and the walkway into town. The hotel is well situated being the last building on the beach to the east of La Grande Motte so well away from the noise of the town centre, yet only a short walk on the beach path to get there. Also just a short walk into the Bois de Boucanet. Had a fabulous dinner in the restaurant. Breakfast was good too. A nice gluten free cake would have been appreciated. A negative: television only offering French tv channels. This is a real miss for a 5 star hotel with an international clientele - not even a news channel in English. Goodness Ibis hotels do better than this!

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“Great location and excellent service”

We stayed here for three nights as a family of four with two rooms - a suite with huge terrace and sea views and a smaller room with a small balcony. Both rooms were good. We arrived earlier than 4pm check in and left our cases and the receptionist called us to let us know when the rooms were read… more

We stayed here for three nights as a family of four with two rooms - a suite with huge terrace and sea views and a smaller room with a small balcony. Both rooms were good. We arrived earlier than 4pm check in and left our cases and the receptionist called us to let us know when the rooms were ready. She also offered beach/pool towels while we waited. The team who work there are very professional and friendly, excellent receptionist, car park and housekeeping team. The beach club/bar was good, it is an extra charge but if you don’t want to pay you can sit right next to it on your own deckchairs etc. we paid for loungers and the team working there were friendly and helpful, moving parasols around to create shade. We ate lunch in the beach club bar a couple of times and it was good. There are lots of restaurants about a five min walk away. We never ate in the hotel as had dinner in local restaurants. The hotel has a small pool if you don’t like the beach and is definitely located in the quieter area but everything is a few mins walk away. Only small criticism is I never understood why the aircon wasn’t on in the bar area as it wasn’t very welcoming. Usually you come in from the heat to the cool aircon but it was just very stuffy.

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“Great sea views, but not the 5-star experience we expected - overpriced and in need of updating”

It is surprising that this hotel holds a 5-star rating. While the sea views and location are excellent, the overall experience felt dated and basic for the high price point. The arrival experience was underwhelming. The hotel is accessed through a housing estate and the driveway is full of pothole… more

It is surprising that this hotel holds a 5-star rating. While the sea views and location are excellent, the overall experience felt dated and basic for the high price point. The arrival experience was underwhelming. The hotel is accessed through a housing estate and the driveway is full of potholes, which doesn’t create the best first impression for what is marketed as a luxury resort. We were charged €20 for overnight parking, despite it being out of season and the hotel being very quiet. This felt disappointing, especially as parking throughout nearby Carnon is free. The lobby itself is dark and lacks character, with more of a corporate hotel feel than a luxury one. Directly next to reception is a glass-panelled room where a corporate conference call and meeting was taking place, which felt slightly odd when checking in. That said, the staff were friendly and kindly upgraded our room, which we appreciated. The 24-hour bar area is also very drab and uninviting, it’s essentially a small hatch rather than a welcoming space to sit and relax. Directly opposite this is another glass-panelled meeting room, again giving the space a very corporate feel rather than the atmosphere you would expect in a marketed 5* seaside hotel. Our room was pleasant overall but dated in places, particularly the wall divider and curtains. The bathroom had been modernised and the shower was excellent, and it was nice that the toilet was separated from the main bathroom. Unfortunately, the room was extremely warm and the air conditioning did not work at all during our stay despite us turning it to the lowest setting. The hotel faces the sun all day so our room was very warm, air conditioning is vital - even in February! During our stay we were shown several rooms as we were considering the hotel for wedding guests. The ground and first floor have been partially renovated, with updated bathrooms and newer flooring, whereas the upper 2 floors appear more dated. If you are booking, I would recommend requesting a room on one of the lower renovated floors. Looking at the exterior balconies, many also need repainting, as visible staining against the cream paint made parts of the building look tired. The pool area is very small and it’s hard to imagine there being enough space if the hotel were full. Guests are encouraged to use the beach, but in season we were told sun loungers cost an additional €20 per person per day, which feels excessive given the already high room rates. Breakfast was a disappointment. It closes at 10am, which feels early for a weekend, and at €27 per person per day the selection was extremely limited. The fruit and salmon looked as though it had been sitting out for some time. While the breakfast room itself was modern and bright, the atmosphere felt rather flat as there were no staff present and no background music. On the positive side, the promenade directly outside the hotel is lovely. There is a well-lit walkway that leads straight into La Grande Motte, making it easy and safe to walk into town for restaurants in the evening. The hotel itself was also peaceful and we slept well. Overall, while the location and views are excellent and the staff were friendly, the hotel does not feel like a true 5-star property. Given the premium pricing, the facilities and overall condition fall short of what you would expect at this level. With some investment and modernisation it could be a very good hotel, but at present it feels overpriced for what is offered.

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“Not a 5 star”

We stayed at La Plage Hotel for 2 nights. The best part is the beachfront location, but overall it didn’t feel like a 5-star experience. The rooms were fine, but the hotel is clearly understaffed, which led to slow and inconsistent service. Cleanliness was also lacking—lifts and tables were not we… more

We stayed at La Plage Hotel for 2 nights. The best part is the beachfront location, but overall it didn’t feel like a 5-star experience. The rooms were fine, but the hotel is clearly understaffed, which led to slow and inconsistent service. Cleanliness was also lacking—lifts and tables were not well maintained. The private beach is small and crowded, so it doesn’t feel exclusive. We only ate once at the Beach restaurant—the food was average, the menu was limited, and several items were already unavailable. The hotel’s main restaurant served good food, but it wasn’t busy and service was so slow that we spent too much of our holiday waiting. On holiday you don’t want to stress about delays, but it felt like we missed out. Having stayed at another nearby 5-star hotel, the difference in quality and service was clear—La Plage falls short of that standard. Great location, but overall the experience was closer to 3-star than 5-star.

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