Not a 4-Star Hotel
07/06/2017 Travis A, Salt Lake City, Utah
This hotel was clean, rooms are spacious for a European hotel, and the beds are comfortable. But service is uneven at best. And the hotel is well over a kilometer from town, so unless you have a car... more
This hotel was clean, rooms are spacious for a European hotel, and the beds are comfortable. But service is uneven at best. And the hotel is well over a kilometer from town, so unless you have a car prepare yourself for some very long walks. And even though they advertise room service and dinner options, and have a menu in the room, at present they say they have no cook. So during my two days in the hotel there was no food available at all after breakfast--and there are no stores or restaurants within walking distance. And while their website advertises complimentary water, there was none; they charged me 5,30 euros each day for a bottle.
The check-in clerk was very friendly but completely unaccommodating about check-in times. She accepted to store my luggage but refused to allow me to check in before the formal check-in time of 3:00 pm even if a room became available. I have never had that happen before, anywhere. Sometimes a hotel can't get your room cleaned and ready right away, which is perfectly understandable. But I've never before had anyone refuse to let me check in a little early simply because the posted time is later.
The elevator wasn't working when I arrived and the stairs are so narrow there is only room to carry your luggage in front of you. Breakfast is minimal even though it costs about $15: it includes a small selection of meats and cheeses, two hot dishes (scrambled eggs and bacon), a few breads and sweet rolls, yogurt, a few thin pancakes, a few dry serials, and some fruit. The room has a small desk but the light is purely decorative, not serviceable for work. There is plenty of parking out front and around the back, but the hotel is bracketed by two busy roads so there is always traffic noise. The closet has a curtain and three shelves, but no drawers. There is pump soap by the sink and in the shower, but no shampoo, lotion, or other amenities at all. And the TV is very small. They arranged taxis for me on several occasions, but each time the service cost me significantly more than they promised it would, and though they advertise a hotel car/shuttle, they would only call a taxi while I was there.
In short, if you have a car and want a no-frills, comfortable bed for the night, then this hotel is ok. But if you actually want to eat in a hotel, relax, walk to Amboise center, or require any service at all, you will be sorely disappointed with this hotel. less
Leonard V, Front Office Manager at Best Western Le Vinci Loire Valley, responded to this review
Dear sir,
We thank you to have taken time to send a feedback.
Our Hotel is situated at about 1,5 kilometers from the town center as mentioned in our web site .
We can understand that if you have no car it can be a problem . There are some taxis in Amboise but if you take it a Sunday or French bank holyday, you pay twice the rate. It is the French policy.
We serve only dinner from Monday to Friday . During the week-end, we can serve pizza or lasagnes but our colleague who was there this week-end , is new , so she has prefer to do nothing instead of disappointed you.
In the room, there is a free small bottle of water in the minibar but may be you didn’t see it.
The television has a normal size for the room with foreign channels .
When you arrived it was early maybe 11 a.m , the check out is at midday so it’s difficult to do check in before the others guest should be out and we need time to clean the room.
We have proposed you to keep and put your luggage in the room.
Our breakfast is a buffet at will for Euros 13.00 , with hot drinks, 2 fruits juices , breads , sweet rolls , croissants, fruit salad, fresh fruit, apple compote, bacon and sausage, scrambled eggs, hard eggs, cured meats and cheese platers with local cheese.
We are sorry to haven’t been able to respond to your expect.
Regards.