La Villa Duflot Hôtel & Spa Perpignan

“Second stop on our way back to Spain”

After my last review, this was the second stop that AI told me to make. I thin the AI must be run by the French tourist board as I asked it to break the journey up into three equal parts but the third leg home was much longer. But I prefer French wine to Spanish (ooh, controversial!) so I'm not com… more

After my last review, this was the second stop that AI told me to make. I thin the AI must be run by the French tourist board as I asked it to break the journey up into three equal parts but the third leg home was much longer. But I prefer French wine to Spanish (ooh, controversial!) so I'm not complaining. The location came as a bit of a shock. It felt as though they'd built an industrial estate around the hotel. Luckily, once inside we were impressed by how nice it was. Very high quality fittings which continued all the way to the room. We immediately felt comfortable in the room. I love a hotel that goes out of its way to give you all the information you may need and full details of the restaurant were on hand to help us decide to book a table for that evening. We called reception and the table was booked. After freshening up we walked over to the restaurant past the outside pool and got a rather shocking eyeful of a completely naked man in a room to the left of the main building entrance behind glass doors with no curtains who even too the opportunity to bend over: gulp. Not the appetiser I as expecting! We entered the restaurant and felt a little ignored. Actually we were ignored. After 5 minutes we were attended to and shown to a table, thankfully without the view we'd just been treated to. Glass of champagne ordered, we set about deciding on the food. There was a very limited menu and unfortunately none of the starters appealed to me. My wife chose the ceviche but wasn't overly impressed and found it grainy. I asked about having the pate en croute as a starter but despite a very small menu, it wasn't available. I decided to save myself for desert. For her main my wife chose the scallops which she said were OK. I had the pork cheek and a nice glass of red which I enjoyed. For desert, in the absence of anything chocolatey, I had the praline log which again was just OK. The bed was comfortable but the pillows not so. No premium TV channels so we had a bath and an early night. We'd booked breakfast and to be honest it was another just OK affair. It reminded me a little of those Disneyland Paris hotel buffet breakfast offerings and fell far short of the superb local cheeses we had on offer at the previous nights hotel in Clermont Ferrand. I loved the look of the hotel, didn't enjoy the free show and found the food on offer was just OK. Staff were very friendly once we'd got their attention.

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“Relaxation!”

We visited in midst of 2 week trip through France into Spain. Our room was comfortable and spacious with a nice patio area. Dinner in the restaurant was delicious and our visit to the Spa was EXACTLY what we needed to recharge for the rest of our travels.

“Lovely spa hotel”

We chose to stay in this hotel because we wanted to experience a smaller town in southern France that could be reached by a 2 hour train ride from Barcelona which was our primary destination. The hotel is beautifully situated inside a lovely well-tended garden. It offers an in-house spa offering … more

We chose to stay in this hotel because we wanted to experience a smaller town in southern France that could be reached by a 2 hour train ride from Barcelona which was our primary destination. The hotel is beautifully situated inside a lovely well-tended garden. It offers an in-house spa offering a wide range of services, a highly acclaimed restaurant and also has a lovely, clean outdoor swimming pool. The included buffet was excellent. Our room was spacious and beautifully appointed. The downside for us was its location. The hotel is a 20 minute drive from the town. If you don’t have a car - taxis are a must because the walk is about 50 minutes along busy and highly trafficked roads. Perpignan itself was something of a disappointment. The old town offers a few boutique shops, a number of good sidewalk cafes and yet outside its central core seemed to be economically struggling and a bit run-down. We broke up our 3 day stay at Villa Duflot with a day trip by train to the coastal town of Collioure which was a delight. We wished we had booked an overnight stay in this walkable and vibrant coastal town.

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“A missed opportunity”

After many years visiting the region, we were keen to try La Villa Duflot given its reputation. Unfortunately, the experience fell short as upon arrival, we were informed that the restaurant was fully booked. While understandable, we stayed for a drink and appreciated the atmosphere. We did notice … more

After many years visiting the region, we were keen to try La Villa Duflot given its reputation. Unfortunately, the experience fell short as upon arrival, we were informed that the restaurant was fully booked. While understandable, we stayed for a drink and appreciated the atmosphere. We did notice that a nearby table could have easily accommodated two additional guests. When we inquired, we were told that it would not be possible due to staffing constraints preventing this. We fully understand that operational challenges can arise, especially during busy periods. However, it was somewhat disappointing not to be accommodated despite apparent availability, especially when the limitation seemed to surprisingly come from the bar rather than the kitchen or the restaurant waiting staff; drinks are prepared by the bartender and served by the waiting staff along with the food. It truly felt like a missed opportunity to accommodate willing guests. In the end, we found another restaurant that was delighted to welcome us. Maybe under different circumstances, we might consider giving another chance to Villa Duflot. Still debatable. The drinks were nice and the olives that came with were delicious.

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