As part of a family obligation, my wife and I have to go to the Dordogne. To do this, we need to take the train to Angoulême, then rent a car to our destination.
But before getting there, we spend the night in Angoulême. Not much of a choice, we’ll be sleeping at the Mercure.
Booking
I made the reservation a few weeks before our arrival, on the ALL – Accor Live Limitless website.
It’s not cheap at all, so I choose the cheapest rate with breakfast and therefore not flexible, for just over 150€ a night.
It’s not cheap at all for a standard room in the province.
Arrival
We walk to the hotel from Angoulême station. The trip on the TGV InOui was very comfortable, the TGV Océane trains are very comfortable.
The welcome is very warm, and everything was ready for our stay. No need to provide my credit card as I used the online check-in.
Our reservation for one night with breakfast is confirmed. We were upgraded but the receptionist didn’t tell us, too bad!
Room
Our privilege room was located on the 1st floor of the hotel.
It is rather small in size.
From the entrance, the bathroom is on the right. It has a toilet, washbasin and shower. The renovation is recent and it shows.
The next room features a full-length desk, an empty minibar in which a bottle of water has been placed, and a courtesy tray.
The double bed is not very comfortable (a bit small, my feet were sticking out) , and faces a large TV.
Finally, a large French window gives access to a large balcony, with a beautiful view of the city.
To finish, a video tour:
Hotel facilities
The hotel has a fitness room, which we won’t be using this time.
Food options
The hotel offers a good-quality restaurant, which we will only use for breakfast service.
Breakfast service
Breakfast is served as a buffet in the restaurant.
There’s no welcome and you have to settle in at one of the available tables. A waitress will take our room number (but no table service).
The buffet is well-stocked, but the items are not particularly qualitative.
The scrambled eggs are particularly disgusting, and the cheeses are of poor quality. The bread is exactly the same as in all Mercure and ibis hotels.
In short, not an exceptional experience.
Departure
The formalities will be brief and the invoice will be e-mailed to me within a minute.
Bottom line
A good stay in the end, but a disappointing breakfast.