Mercure Bords De Loire Saumur

“Wonderful Stay”

We loved this place. Had paid for a river/chateau view and it was beautiful especially soon after sunrise. The king bed was very big and the separate toilet bathroom a great benefit (more hotels should have this arrangement). Easy access to the town, motorway and Loire region as a whole. Great brea… more

We loved this place. Had paid for a river/chateau view and it was beautiful especially soon after sunrise. The king bed was very big and the separate toilet bathroom a great benefit (more hotels should have this arrangement). Easy access to the town, motorway and Loire region as a whole. Great breakfast buffet with the same river view and the outside deck was the perfect place for a pre dinner drink. Staff efficient but not “in your face”. Wonderful stay

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“comfortable, clean and great location”

We spent three nights here whilst touring the Loire valley. We'd booked a riverside room without a balcony, which had lovely views of Saumur, and was quite spacious. It was also spotlessly clean and looked freshly refurbished. The loo was a bit cell-like, but the bathroom was great. Car parking… more

We spent three nights here whilst touring the Loire valley. We'd booked a riverside room without a balcony, which had lovely views of Saumur, and was quite spacious. It was also spotlessly clean and looked freshly refurbished. The loo was a bit cell-like, but the bathroom was great. Car parking was easy: there's a underground car park for which they charge; some spaces immediately outside the hotel, and a medium-sized car park around the corner. The buffet breakfast was excellent, with plenty of choice. The only thing that could have been better is the poor advice we received about dining options. We arrived on a Monday afternoon after a long drive, the hotel does not have a restaurant, and restaurants are often closed on Mondays. The lady on reception suggested a restaurant in the next street - which turns out to be closed on Mondays. She did not mention that it was possible to get some simple food in the hotel bar, so we were surprised when we returned to the hotel after a pizza in town to find other people eating. Aside from this, we were very happy with the hotel, and would book again.

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“Great location and wonderful view of Saumur chateau”

Mercure Bords de Loire hotel, Saumur, France: We went to see the famous Loire valley chateaux May 29-June 4 2025, and we chose the town of Saumur as our base. We did so because it seemed central to many of the sights we wanted to see, and because it was near the A11 Autoroute which would make getti… more

Mercure Bords de Loire hotel, Saumur, France: We went to see the famous Loire valley chateaux May 29-June 4 2025, and we chose the town of Saumur as our base. We did so because it seemed central to many of the sights we wanted to see, and because it was near the A11 Autoroute which would make getting to many sights easier. Wanting a room for 7 nights limited what we could find, and many of those with availability seemed to be on ugly streets, have outdated decor, or no parking. Of the many chateau-hotels around, we found most to be overly ornate (heavy red-velvet curtains and gold filigree wallpaper is not our taste) and they were usually too expensive. We have stayed in a Mercure before and were happy to find availability at their Bords de Loire location in Saumur. While not fancy, the architecture at least tries to blend in, and there was parking and other desirable amenities. It is also located on Ile d’Offard, an island in the Loire facing the town of Saumur and its stunning chateau. The location is scenic and quiet. A short walk across a bridge takes you right into the heart of Saumur town. Rooms facing south have views over the river to the town and chateau. While the Loire has many outstanding chateaux, Saumur stands up higher than most and commands the town. Seeing it every time we glanced in that direction from our balcony was thrilling. Rooms facing north (backside of hotel) will not have this view, but the hotel’s public areas do, and there’s a pathway all along the riverfront which makes for great strolling. There is a horse theme throughout the decor, presumably because Saumur has an equestrian history and still puts on horse shows. The color purple appears often, even in the lighting that illuminates the facade at night. However, we found the theme subdued and tasteful and the wall graphics of horses were well-done. We reserved a “Privilege Room” with balcony and got room #108. There are only a few rooms in this category and it was worth every penny. A wall of windows faced the balcony and half slid open to gain access. Our balcony was separated from others on either side by frosted glass partitions and had room for a table & chairs and even 2 lounges. Room 108 was a one-room layout, apart from the separate bathroom, with a big comfortable bed, side tables, reading lights and TV. One downside was the very limited closet space, already half-filled with a safe, robes, and extra pillows. There were no drawers. So, while we were able to keep some clothes there, additional clothes stayed in our luggage. The bathroom was spacious with a closed-off toilet and a rainshower. There appeared to be a wall-rack for drying towels (even the front desk couldn’t tell us how to get it to work), but only 1 wall hook. Oddly, two nice bathrobes were folded up in the closet, but where were they supposed to hang? The bathroom also needed a stool or something to put your leg on after showering. The bathroom was certainly nice, and one of the biggest we’ve had, but the space was under-utilized. The hotel offered daily housekeeping, but apart from fresh towels we really didn’t need it. You can ask at the front desk to have it skipped for the day. The hotel offers two types of parking. There is an open lot just for the hotel about a block away. It is free, and unsupervised. We never had trouble finding a space, but that might change in high season. The other option was pay parking beneath the hotel itself. We glanced in once when the gate was open and noticed that cars had individual stalls and seemed to be of the expensive type. We also thought there was tight turning space and that maneuvering a car in and out might be tricky. For that reason we decided to stick with the free outdoor lot, where getting in and out was easy. Although the hotel does not have a restaurant, it offers breakfast, which we found very generous and good quality. The dining area is very attractive and faces the river for views. There is also a narrow terrace for outdoor eating. The hotel also has a bar and serves snacks. This was busiest in late afternoon/early evening. French law still allows smoking in open areas of bars & restaurants, which means guests will still be able to smoke on the terrace outside the restaurant, and smoke can travel up to the rooms. We only had one evening where it was bothersome enough to close the balcony door. However, we were on the floor directly above the restaurant, as no rooms higher up met our reservation requests. If smoke is a real problem for you, then pick a room as far away from the terrace as possible. Rooms had individual heating and A/C, but they were not individually controlled. Instead, if you needed your room temperature raised or lowered, you’d need to request that from the front desk and they would do it from their end. We had several warm days and our room was hot & stuffy when we returned in late afternoon. Calling down for an adjustment was easy and the temperature cooled quickly enough. On another day it got too cool and we needed the temperature raised, but there was no one at the front desk answering calls. Throughout our trip we’d see signs in rooms about saving water, re-using towels, turning off lights, etc. It’s supposedly all in the name of conservation, but I suspect it’s more a way for hotels to save money. At the Mercure a printed notice let us know that the bugs swirling around outside were harmless and we should feel free to leave windows and balcony doors open to cool down the room. However, we noticed that mosquitoes were among those bugs and the clouds of tiny gnats were thick, so we opted not to do that. Surely, the Mercure could find a better way to ensure heat & A/C was wisely used. Despite these misgivings, we really enjoyed our stay at Bords de Loire. We thought our room was spacious, had a fantastic view, and a great balcony too. Staff was very friendly and service very attentive. The breakfasts were very good and we liked having parking close-by. The hotel seemed refined and well-designed. It’s one of the nicest Mercure’s we have stayed in.

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