Poor value in Bayeux

hmhougen,

I'm sure you were not happy with your accommodations for the reasons you state.

but from my experience traveling around Eruope in the last 3 years, I've found that many of the places do not have elevators due to the fact they didnt build them into the places when they built the building. Also that many places didnt have ensuite rooms but if they added them, they had to take space out of the room they placed them in and sometimes that was a closet. If you want fun, try booking an old place in Amsterdam.

if a lift is important to you do some homework up front and ask about it.

One of my places this year had a "breakfast" of: Buns, preserves, butter, coffee/hot chocolate. That was their "breakfast". I only visited there so I'm not sure if that is a "standard" breakfast or just something to fill the void while you get out and about. In any case, it was good enough for me. But for MY normal breakfast it wasn't.

If you are going to travel in Euorpe more and if those things are important to you, i would look for newer construction lodging and ask if they have elevators. Food is a relative subject and whats good and tasty for me is crap for others.

the place i stayed in Bayeux didnt have a lift either, but i wouldn't expect a 2 level place to have one. I did love their breakfast. It consisted of Baguettes, sliced meats and cheeses, croissants, butter, preserves, fruit, juice, yogurt, granola and coffee.

good luck on your next trip and happy trails.

What did the "meager" breakfast actually consist of?

I stayed at Churchill Hotel a few years ago and I think that I remember a small lift near the shop, the other side of the building from the main staircase with all the photos. Our room was up the main stairs then down a corridor and up 3 or 4 more stairs to our room, and I'm pretty sure that diagonally across the hotel was that lift.

I grant you that the breakfast isn't the cheapest in town, and that the breakfast room is a bit lively for reflecting sound, but the man who sorted our breakfast each day was quite amenable. We used to have a croissant each on a plate and fresh bread with pots of jam, with coffee and juice that was brought to us. While the quantity didn't look huge, the gent always came around to ask if we would like more and it was always provided with a smile.

Parking was super easy and free is a good price to park.

Perhaps things have changed?

During a 22-day drive in Northern France, we stayed at 2 to 5-star hotels. Only the Churchill was utterly lacking in charm and convenience. It was not worth $230. The stairs were not a problem in any others, because there was someone to help carry up a bag for the 70-year-olds. I have traveled several times in France, and this was the most disappointing place I have stayed to date. TripAdvisor let me down.

I didn't stay at the hotel but ate at the restaurant and it was just okay. I wouldn't recommend it.

TripAdvisor let me down.

Monty, did you read any of the accounts of hotels in and around Bayeux on this website or in the Rick Steves books or did you only use TripAdvisor?

I also used Rick Steves' book and failed to find one of the "plush rooms".

Ray, Monty, you know that France isn't the country to visit if you have to have a big breakfast. It's a lunch place. Just hold on for a couple hours and you'll get a real hot meal, not a dinky sandwich. Every place has its strong points. If some hotels are now serving cold cuts and cheese for breakfast, it's a fairly recent accommodation to foreign tastes. Can't speak to the Churchill but 230 does seem like a lot. We stayed in another town after reading so many bad reviews of all the hotels in Bayeaux.

Last year spent a glorious night at the Manoir St. Victoire. Unless you get a ground level room you must do steps. Our room was fantastic and included a tiny kitchenette. The breakfast was a "cold' buffet, but bountiful with first rate offerings and beautiful table setting. The fruit was downright picturesque. The price was reasonable. Their website shows 89Euro for two. The hosts are gracious and welcoming. A real find in Bayeux.

Nancy thanks for the review. We have a two night reservation for the place you stayed at in May 2015. It is always good to hear from someone that has stayed and how much they liked it.

I'm going to take this opportunity to highly recommend Hotel d'Argouges in Bayeux, which I've been doing for years on this forum. We've stayed there at least 6 times for a week each time, and love it. I explain why in the France Hotel Reviews forum.

It does not have an elevator, but it only has a ground floor and an Anerican 1st floor. The rooms are big and clean but not plush. And it's way less expensive than $230, which seems super high to me for Bayeux. That amount would be a very nice hotel in Paris.

So Bets, there is at least one wonderful hotel in the heart of town... : )

I'm not sure about the "bad reviews of all the hotels in Bayeux" either. Where we stayed, the Hotel Reine Mathilde, gets an 8.8 on Booking.com and a 4.5 and #3 of 22 on Trip Advisor. Those are good ratings to me.

The Brasserie connected to the hotel gets mixed reviews but still has an average of 4.

We enjoyed both.

I ignore star ratings for anything. I go for customer ratings and recent reviews. Most of the things people complain about are low priorities for us, so that makes it easier.

We loved our stay at the Hotel du St. Croix. Huge room, huge bed, huge bathroom and a very scrumptious breakfast. I believe their rooms start at about 85 euro per night for a double. We would stay there again in a heartbeat.

We also stayed at the Loges de Ramparts, recommended in the Rick Steves book and were less than thrilled. We didn't get the room we booked, the bathroom was covered with instructional signs, the bed sagged horribly and we couldn't get breakfast early so that we could eat before joining our 2 day Battlebus tour. The last day, we did finally get breakfast, but this was small and we had the worst coffee I have ever encountered.

Hi Monty, sorry about your experience in Bayeux. I stayed at the Hotel D'Argouges a few years ago with a RS tour and would highly recommend it. The room was huge and clean and breakfast was ample (cold cuts, cheese, breads, cereal, etc.). I would love to stay there again.

I have made two trips to Bayeux, and I stayed at a B&B just outside of town that is absolutely outstanding:

Le Pigeonnier - the owners (husband and wife) live behind the guest portion, and the wife provides homemade jams, breads, and yogurts! So delicious - and the rooms are also incredibly spacious. I will return to this place again and again!

Rates very reasonable, too, and you are only 7 km from Bayeux.

Here is a link to their website: http://www.bedandbreakfast.com/france-balleroy-lepigeonnierlittlecottageinnormandy.html

Lisa

Thanks for sharing your report, Monty and others. I'm curious about the price of €230 per night, since that's higher than the rates described in Rick's book or on the hotel web site (even after adding breakfast at €13 per person).

The price I quoted was in dollars. The euro cost was 177.50.

Thanks for clarifying.

We recently stayed in Bayeux. (November 4-5th). We stayed at Hotel Reine Mathilde which is just across from the Bayeux Notre Dame Cathedral. The total cost for 2 days was 120 Euros and did not include breakfast. There is also an associated restaurant and bar. The rooms are small but clean and quite livable. Parking was across the street from 5:00 pm to 0900 am. The food and service were quite good. There is no lift in the hotel -- pack light. Most travelers have had a good experience with this hotel and overall we quite enjoyed our stay although breakfast is a bit expensive but I was quite happy with the accommodations.