Hotel Saint-Martin, The Originals Relais

Comentarios destacados

• Julia H

  01 agosto 2017
  Delightful and tranquil

  This "Logis" is now a hotel owned by a small consortium of hotels. It is set in a secluded spot overlooking the river in this small market town. We had requested twin beds so were accommodated in the family room on the second floor. This consisted of a double bed and a single bed. The room had been recently refurbished but the carpet was of the typical hotel variety; very busy and garish. The bathroom was rather on the small side and did not have a bath tub but was perfectly acceptable. The room was reached by climbing some quite narrow stairs which were poorly lit. We had booked for five nights and each night were given fresh sheets and fresh towels. The restaurant has a small table d'hote menu which only changes monthly and as there were only two choices per course it was rather limiting. We ate there on our first night and the food was delicious and beautifully presented. When we were asked why we did not want to dine there again we explained that the menu was too limited and as my mum has a nut allergy to see could only eat one of the courses. The member of staff immediately went to ask the chef if he could prepare us a something different so that we would be able to eat there again. This was agreed and once again was delicious. The staff were extremely accommodating and nothing was too much trouble. We were disappointed to be given a carafe of concentrated orange juice for our first breakfast but on the second day we requested freshly squeezed orange juice which was duly supplied. We asked for some fruit for our breakfast and again that was forthcoming. We were however surprised that when we requested a cup of tea no nice patisserie or biscuit was available to have with it. We did not venture into the swimming pool as the weather was not that brilliant. However when the sun did eventually shine there was nowhere to sit in the garden other than under the covered outside restaurant area. I do think that although the staff were extremely obliging they seem to lack direction and there did not appear to be anyone in overall control. Perhaps this is something that will be addressed in the future. If you want to stay in a hotel which is tranquil and away from the normal tourist spots then I would thoroughly recommend it. It is within an hour and a half's drive of the Ile de Re and the town of Niorts is about half an hour.

  

• Aequitas6

  10 julio 2018
  Less than impressive

  I have been a fan of Relaise du Silence hotels for a number of years. This one however was a disappointment. We were looking for somewhere to stay close to the motorway as we were passing by. This seemed to fit the bill. It is certainly an attractive old stone building and the photos looked quite good. It is in a quiet location and has a small swimming pool. Once inside however it is a different story. We had booked a standard room and when we arrived the girl said that we could be upgraded to a bigger room. We had barely sat down when she came back and said we could be upgraded again to a larger room and gave us a choice of two. We went for the one with a fan as it was hot and there was no air conditioning. The hotel has an antiquated carpet throughout - a bit garish and it has seen better days. Notwithstanding we had a much larger room it was still on the small side particularly the bathroom. Sitting on the toilet involves banging your elbows. The carpet was the same and the decor had the feeling of 1970's as well as the furniture. The whole place could do with refurbishing. I would hate to have been located in the smaller room that we had booked. The bedside lights just didn't work. There were no foreign language channels on the TV so I don't know how they intend to attract an international clientele. The hotel had two other couples staying and was obviously near empty. I suspect that they do not get a lot of repeat business. It was impossible to regulate the water temperature in the shower and it went from scalding to cold. Another matter in need of refurbishment. Giving the heat we had the fan running all night and it was a bit noisy, but essential. The girl on reception booked us in for dinner and asked if we wanted breakfast. We said it depended on whether they could provide gluten free food for my coeliac wife and she said she would get back to us later. She didn't see we didn't have the breakfast. We arrived for dinner and were offered a table outside. I am not keen on sharing my food with flies and other insects so asked for a table in the restaurant. We were then informed that this wasn't possible so I asked for directions to another nearby restaurant. After further discussions we were told that we could eat inside after all. We both went for their set gourmet menu but they were unable to provide any gluten free bread for my wife so a big thumbs down from her. The starter that I had was 3 types of melon and some Spanish ham, tasty enough but uninspiring for a so called high end restaurant. My wife reported that her salmon dish was good. We followed this with guinea fowl which had been prepared two ways but they weren't able to provide the peas it was to come with and offered beans which I declined so ended up with some soggy chips. The meat served off the bone was dry and overcooked though the leg meat was fine. I opted for the profiterole for pudding which I thought would come with choux pastry but it was a very sugary sweet sponge and the rest of the dish wasn't great. Despite the comments from others about the food we were very disappointed and felt that it was very poor value for money.. The wine was also overpriced. Check out was exceptionally poor. There was no one at reception and despite ringing the bell several times it took a while before anyone came. We were then presented with a bill at least three times more than we anticipated. The had sought to charge us again for a pre paid room and also to charge us twice for the dinner. It took four attempts to get a bill that was correct. The price we paid for the accommodation was at the lower end for a Relaise du Silence but the property was also at the very lower end of such hotels. Even with the double upgrade it still represented poor value for money. I can't recommend this place and I doubt that we would ever consider going back.

  

• tonysK8159OC

  26 agosto 2018
  Don't bother - a real dissappointment.

  We'd wanted a quiet romantic night away with a comfortable room and a good restaurant. The good: the hotel is extremely quiet - the quietest location we have stayed in for a while, the swimming pool is charming. The staff were all charming although service at dinner and breakfast was very slow. However, the rest was nothing like you'd expect for a 4 star hotel: our room 'a Chambre Preference' was not large enough to swing a proverbial cat (I measured it!) and was only just wide enough to get out of the (small) double bed. The bathroom was tiny and we had to ask for extra towels as they were so small. Dinner was a real disappointment - one assumes the chef was having a very off night. We've recently eaten at the sister hotel (Le Prieure near Saumur) and was expecting something similar but it was one of the worst meals we've had in France. Breakfast - you get better croissants in Picard and the orange juice had not seen an orange for a considerable time.

  

• Nina1223

  14 marzo 2019
  Lovely 4-star Hotel away from all the hustle!

  This Hotel is smaller in size compared to most, but that means you get more attention and that's exactly what my family and I got from everyone at the hotel when we stayed there! The restaurant at the hotel is lovely and the food was amazing. The area where it is located is just magnificent! Will definitely be going back this summer and highly recommend!

  

• Murphy F

  02 julio 2019
  Booked Lunch for 30!

  Having booked lunch for 30 and confirmed twice in person, they forgot! Despite being virtually empty they didnt help, very unhappy. A nice position and great looking place but EXTREMELY UNPROFESSIONAL. I recommend the Patio a few hundred metres away who were extremely helpful.