Ibis Saint-Dié-Des-Vosges

We have just spent 5 nights in north & east France in 5 different hotels, all of ‘apparently’ similar quality and the comparison has been quite interesting. Of the 5, two were Ibis Hotels charging considerably more than the Campanile chain, but you do get a larger room for the money. However regarding facilities they’re probably not much different and the extra £35 a night wasn’t worth it. This hotel is in a convenient location close to the town, but parking on the main road was a bit hit and miss, though there was a public carpark a hundred metres or so along the road. The size of our room was reasonable but the tiny window made it feel dark and claustrophobic and it definitely smelt of smoke! There was no door catch of any kind on the ensuite door so it wouldn’t stay in the closed position and maintenance was needed on the shower hose to stop water leaking out everywhere. However lots of towels were supplied. Disappointingly there were no tea/coffee making facilities. We found the memory foam topper to the mattress hot and uncomfortable. Overnight there was a lot of noise from the stairwell, corridors, the road outside and from neighbouring rooms, indicating the building was probably of a metal frame construction. A change to room doors that close quietly without the need to slam them would be of HUGE benefit. The breakfast buffet was reasonable but we didn’t sample the restaurant food in the evening.

We stayed here on a Saturday Night on our trip to southern Italy. Easy to get to, and plenty of free parking opposite the hotel. The receptionist spoke good English and was very helpful. The room was comfy and clean, but tiny, OK for just 1 night. Internet was very good Restaurant is closed on the weekend, but we had a wonderful meal next door. Breakfast was of good quality, including proper orange juice and bacon. Everything was constantly replanished. Perhaps slightly smaller selection then some {no yoghurt} but fresh pancakes. One small detail, no individual butter pats but a proper block, and that was some of the best butter we have tested. One point, nothing to do with the Hotel, but might be useful for some. In the past 3 years or so when making this journey we have not gone by Switzerland, but by the Fréjus Road Tunnel. With the ending of Covid we went by Switzerland, it cheaper after all. The journey in Switzerland was not quick or easy many holdups, added at least 2 or even 3 hours to our journey. You get what you pay for.