Our favorite hotel in Lyon. The building is ancient and the rooms are laid out in eccentric…read morepatterns (our last room had a loft), but the decor is exceptional and the ambience comfortable. A great place to hide away from the noise and bustle of Lyon. Driving to the hotel can be a challenge. We normally park elsewhere first, arrive on foot, and listen carefully to the garage instructions, which are too intricate to remember from one trip to the next. And once the car goes into the garage, it stays there. Both Vieux Lyon and the city center are easily accessible by foot. The city bus services are excellent, once you figure them out. The immediately local restaurants require some research - they specialize in Burgundian cuisine, an eccentric variation on French, and vary from superb to dreadful. The hotel staff will help you out here, but there is no substitute for walking around. The management are connected to several serious local artists and have covered the walls of the lobby and bar/restaurant with their work. Some of this is very good, and all of it is for sale. On our last trip, a friend expressed an interest in a painting, and within 20 minutes, the artist arrived to negotiate in person. This is a fun, romantic spot any time of year.

I will start off by saying SIMPLY AMAZING. PERIOD. Peter took me here for my last birthday this…read morepast April and warned me that the place was under renovation. So I was like 'crap, no sleep and there will be dust and s*^#t everywhere. Not at all. Getting to the hotel from the train station was no issue and a nice walk, if you like walking like I do. The hotel is in the old part of town and so charming the construction sites around and in it did not matter. We could get a picture of what the place will look like when it's done and we will def. come back. So here it goes!: PLUSES: The service was great. Lovely young woman in the evenings and very nice lady in the mornings. All English speakers. They were very helpful in regards to the city and were to have dinner, etc. Big thumbs up. The room! Holy crap! Huge. The bathroom was enormous, great lighting, lots of room for two people to get ready in a hurry and not bump into each other. But back to the room: So charming and spacious. The wifi only worked in certain corners but who cares, the space is so lovely and romantic who needs internet. Except to review the joint of course, but whatever. Great terrace as well. It was like being in an old medieval castle. So quiet!!! Even during the morning when the construction was taking place, I didn't hear a thing. Thick walls I guess. Then I went out, had a cig and waved to the nice men singing up on the rafters. No issue. I tell you guys, when this place is finished, it will be amazing. The terraces and patios at the ground floor bar look like they will be great fun during the Summer and the halls in the upper floors will make for a splendid wedding. HIGHLY RECOMMEND. It has a feel of the history from the architecture yet an air of the modern without it being pretentious. Which coming from LA, I HATE. Some drawbacks: Not for the handicapped. Lots of winding marble stairs to get to our room. They are pretty, ok. But not for my mother. So if you are planning to get sauced in Lyon, ask for a lower room. Or one close to the elevator. The breakfast was a bit skimpy. But the truth is, when in Lyon, get out of the hotel. ANY HOTEL. You are in Lyon. You need to shop and eat out. The food in Lyon is world famous and Lyon is THE capital of French gastronomy. So much so that it has ben added to UNESCO's intangible world heritage list. It's that serious. The mini bar hadn't been checked prior to us getting there. There were a couple of bottles that were open and half drunk. But whatever. No big deal but I felt it needed to be mentioned. :-) Other than that, a romantic, fabulous place to spend with your other half. Lovely people, great room. Peter and I will def. come back when the renovations are finished and I will update in regards to the bar, the lounge, etc . All the things that were not available in April but will be in September when it's all done. But I can guess that the review will just as spectacular.