Hotels near Royal Castle of Blois, Blois

When we arrived the place looked like we were in the wrong part of town. There is a private parking garage which is accessible from the back of the hotel on foot but on a bike the entrance is a bit steep if you need to press the button to call the reception for access. The room was rather small and the bar was in the reception area. Staff were friendly and breakfast was OK but not as good as we have had in other Ibis. Bit of a walk into town, about 10/15 minutes before you get anywhere on the outskirts. It was our first night on a trip and we felt disappointed.l

Blois is a good place to be to see the chateaux of the Loire, central, and with good roads to get around. That's where it ends with the First Hotel. Don't be fooled by the sumptuous looking sofa on the picture of the lobby - it is painted onto the wall. If you book a twin room, make sure you are on good terms with the person you are sharing with. The very narrow single beds in a twin room are very close together and the shower in our room (”private bathroom”) had one panel of the door screen missing. The other two panels were also see-through although not intended and it was not until we had been there for a couple of days that we realised one panel had been removed or at least not replaced. The blue decor was only matched by the tasteless floor covering, a linoleum intended to look like a carpet. The toilet had no lock on the door and we had to stuff toilet paper into the vent in the bedroom window as a howling gale was blowing through it and there was no way to close it. The room did have the option for a third bed - a pull out at the foot of the two singles. Had we been three and not two this would have taken up all the floor space in the sleeping area. However, the icing on the cake was the full length mirror which was behind the ”wardrobe” meaning that once clothes were hanging on it the mirror was hidden. Above this were two tiny shelves, wide enough for socks and pants folded in half.

The hotel is very well located. This is very friendly and helpful staff. Room very clean and equipped with several current takes. It is perfect when you have several telephones to load. We have had a very good stay and we will return to this hotel.

On a positive note, the location is excellent to visit the Loire valley and its castles, a short drive from Blois, in the middle of a quiet park. The rooms, while reasonably comfortable, have nothing extraordinary or castle-like. There's a small kettle and a couple of tiny cups, no water, no mini-bar. The bathroom has just the minimum of toiletries: a tiny soap, shower gel and shampoo. No shower cap, cotton buds, body lotion, bathrobe, or slippers. It certainly does not reach the level I'm used to find in a 4-star hotel room. Breakfast is not up to a 4-star hotel. Tables covered in plastic (ugh…), with a croissant per guest on each table (hygienic?). No fresh juices, only one choice of eggs in a “boil-your-own-egg” appliance, ordinary bread. Service was also a disappointment. No information at check-in about common areas or services, other than the breakfast room. The manager and “lady of the castle” appears to have rather variable manners: with a few guests she was chatty and pleasant, with most just indifferent, and with some other peevish and rude, to the point of loudly telling off a guest because of a stain on the buffet tablecloth! The tone and contents of her answers to negative reviews here also reveal that character. Not once were we asked whether we were enjoying our stay or whether there was anything we needed, a common question, especially in a small-scale hotel. Not even at check-out did anyone ask us about our stay, so I don’t intend to “bother” them again.

Lovely little 2star hotel. Excellent for visiting the Loire Chateaux. In a pleasant village with half a dozen restaurants of varying prices. The hotel itself is comprised of a main building with 2 upper floors, with fairly steep stairs. Don’t be put off by the rather drab stairway, our room and bathroom were lovely and immaculately clean with a huge comfortable bed. There are single story rooms arranged around the courtyard, with outside tables for breakfast and to use in the evening. There is a pleasant indoor breakfast room. The swimming pool is big enough for the number of clients and has an indoor shower and toilet area, sunloungers and chairs and inflatables and toys to fit children of all ages! Breakfast was standard continental, juice , yoghurt, croissants, jam, bread and coffee ,generous and excellent. Very friendly family run. English spoken. Acid test.. would we use it again? ...Absolutely