Les Hautes Roches

“Lovely stay in cave rooms”

We originally booked for one night but enjoyed it so much that we decided to stay another. For the second night we had to move rooms, but we were pleasantly surprised with an upgrade. The location right by the Loire is perfect, we even went for a morning run along the river. We tried the bistro an… more

We originally booked for one night but enjoyed it so much that we decided to stay another. For the second night we had to move rooms, but we were pleasantly surprised with an upgrade. The location right by the Loire is perfect, we even went for a morning run along the river. We tried the bistro and had a very nice dinner with good service, and the bar is stylish and a great place to relax. The heated swimming pool was also a big plus, especially since the weather was a bit chilly. Service throughout our stay was excellent. A special mention for the young lady at the front desk. She was very helpful and even showed us two different rooms so we could make an easier choice. All in all, a very enjoyable stay and we would happily return!

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“Faded Glory”

We stayed here for a night en route from Carcassone to the Chunnel. Great location, half way, and near the Autoroute for the journey home. The staff were charming and could not have been more helpful. Unfortunately some of the facilities didn’t quite live up to the billing: no shower in the room … more

We stayed here for a night en route from Carcassone to the Chunnel. Great location, half way, and near the Autoroute for the journey home. The staff were charming and could not have been more helpful. Unfortunately some of the facilities didn’t quite live up to the billing: no shower in the room (a “superior” one) and the decor looks tired. We dined at the restaurant gastronomique and went the whole hog with the larger tasting menu. Done bits were excellent: the amuse bouches and the dessert but the overall feeling was of too much fussiness and artistry instead of taste and quality. We had no breakfast as we were full… One more bugbear: we booked on the hotel website but were underwhelmed to see many better deals on the usual websites. Perhaps we should have cancelled and rebooked but one shouldn’t have to….

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“Fine hotel & restaurants, disappointing room.”

The hotel is excellent in most respects. Convenient to many of the best chateaus. The staff is great - helpful, welcoming and professional. Ample free parking, small but decent pool. And two very good restaurants. The Gourmet restaurant, in a beautiful room, has a fine menu of appealing dishes, and… more

The hotel is excellent in most respects. Convenient to many of the best chateaus. The staff is great - helpful, welcoming and professional. Ample free parking, small but decent pool. And two very good restaurants. The Gourmet restaurant, in a beautiful room, has a fine menu of appealing dishes, and provides a few amuse bouches. All at a reasonable price for its kind. The wine list is superb, with many fine local wines offered, and also fairly priced. The Bistro also is very good, with different tasty dishes, and the same fine wine list. Outdoor dining was pleasant. It was all 5-star quality, except our room. It was very large, but the furniture seemed to be for a much smaller room. Watching TV was a stretch from any chair and impossible from the bed. The bathroom had no shower, save a handheld one from the tub, which we found inconvenient to use. The hair dryer had very little power. We had room #1, and perhaps others were better.

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“A game of two halves...”

Having spent a week travelling across France and Spain, sadly, from an accommodation perspective alone, this hotel is in the dark ages - which is why I have titled our review as 'a game of two halves'. As you approach the hotel you immediately fall in love with the property. The road side 'wow fa… more

Having spent a week travelling across France and Spain, sadly, from an accommodation perspective alone, this hotel is in the dark ages - which is why I have titled our review as 'a game of two halves'. As you approach the hotel you immediately fall in love with the property. The road side 'wow factor' is immense, as is the welcome at reception. However, we paid EUR 505 for a "A Deluxe double Troglodyte room, built into the cliffs" and were seriously disappointed the moment the door to our room was opened. Unfortunately, despite arriving early, we were provided what I believe is the family room - whilst it was huge and the bathroom, perfectly clean, the decor was dated beyond imagination and the bed with its bizarre bolsters would have been dated in the 1980's. As I said, this was a game of two halves, which is why I have provided a 3* rating rather than a 1* rating. The staff were very welcoming, if a little distracted pool side e.g. we sat by the pool for three hours trying to get drinks but no staff attended the pool as they had an event on that evening - this led us to consider cancelling our 'gastronomic' dinner reservation however, thankfully we did not, as the experience of sitting on the terrace, over looking the Loire, whilst having a phenomenal (if very expensive) meal, was a treat. Breakfast was excellent. Personally, I think I would not be able to recommend the accommodation to friends unless they to stay in a different room - I cannot vouch for the others, but the images of rooms online seem far better than the room we were provided - hopefully the others are up to date but for the cost of potentially 2 nights income at these rates, the room could be completely overhauled and made 'contemporary' in design and you have to wonder why this has not been done already... As mentioned, we were travelling across France and Spain, so stayed in 5 hotels in 8 days, the rest were amazing and did not disappoint at this price point - which I would say is 'top end' for a one night stay with supper - all in I think our bill was circa EUR 840 with room, dinner and breakfast - so not cheap at all, but the room felt like it ought to have been a EUR 100 room experience, and certainly not EUR 505...

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