Very charming hotel in a very charming town. It's not the Ritz, and it's a little old, but there's…read moreso much character here that I really ended up liking this place. First off, the hotel is owned by the sweetest French couple who are always downstairs to greet guests and make them feel welcome. The location is terrific - right across from the chateau and also a large park and a five minute walk from the train station. Our room faced this side and the French doors opened up to a lovely, lively view of the town. The rooms are bright and clean. The one real downside is how thin the walls and ceilings are. Whoever was in the room above us sure like to do laps around their room for about 2 hours each morning.

The best parts about our room were the location--facing the Chateau, Jardin Augustin Thierry, and…read morethe church--and the price. It was clean but old and slightly worn-looking, not one of the ones you see in the pictures in the main building with those beautiful balconies, but a more budget-friendly one in the building next door on the corner. Because it was located right where the doors lead back into the main building and the elevator, and directly above a main thoroughfare, it tended to be noisy, but it was all right for a couple of nights. My advice--bring earplugs and temper your expectations. We didn't take advantage of the 8 Euros breakfast, but staff was accommodating and friendly, the WiFi was free and the signal strong. Would I stay there again? Perhaps in one of the nicer rooms, but not in the one in which we stayed.

Where art thou my lord?! Henceforth, I seek my lord, oui…read more The Royal Château de Blois is located in the Loir-et-Cher département in the Loire Valley, city of Blois, France. The most famous piece of architecture is the magnificent spiral staircase in the Francois I wing, which is visible from the outside. The Château is owned by the town of Blois, France. As per Robin Longstride (aka Robin Hood): "every man's home *IS* his castle!"

I'll get the worst out of the way first - it was advertised as having air conditioning. Air…read moreconditioning was not working. It was hot, I sweat all night. Too loud in the streets to have the windows open. We probably wouldn't have booked it in the busy part of town if it hadn't advertised A/C. Other than that, it's in a great location, that's probably the best part, walking distance to everything. The overall experience is a bit more basic than a traveler from the U.S. might expect, but maybe fairly standard for a mid range European hotel. The toilet paper was like grade school art class paper towel. No Kleenex to be found in the room. Towels were thin, soap bottles are locked down to make sure you don't steal them, shower head holder was loose and wouldn't stay up. Breakfast had a surprisingly good spread of food given the other places they seemed to be cutting costs. It'll get the job done if you need a hotel, especially if you enjoy being in the center of town, but be prepared to not get all you're paying for re: features, and you'd probably be better off trying something else, even a little further out, it's all very walkable around here.

Very disappointing. Rooms are tiny family of 4 in two double rooms we could not all be together…read morein one room with any comfort (squashed, standing between bed & wall). En-suite shower (no bath). VERY thin walls and other guests who kept different times to us. Had to walk through restuarant to get to & from rooms. Restuarant smelled of sewage when we arrived, of cabbage & boiled fish later in the day & then of stale food with lingering sewage odours as we ate breakfast. Breakfast disappointing. Coffee sitting in thermos flask on the side was poor. No cereal, yoghurt or fruit. Ration of a croissant (both good) & one third of a baguette & some prepackaged, metal containerd, 'jam'. Wi-fi intermittent and unreliable, TV not working.

From the owner: Un repas de roi Dans ce bon restaurant situé sous l'hôtel du même nom, vous mangerez une cuisine…read moretraditionnelle française. Salades et viandes apparaissent au menu, mais ici, avant tout, le poisson est roi. Avec en guise de mise en bouche un incomparable rouget au romarin sauce citronnée, ou encore un dos de saumon sauce aux anchois.

Great place to stay if you're on a budget and want to make some of your own meals. I stayed here…read morefor 3 nights on a solo trip around the Loire Valley. I booked through hotels.com and it was pretty cheap, but there were several charges that came later. For example, it's 1.05€ per day for internet (which was reliable and had a strong signal). And I was renting a bike, so I requested a ground-level room--that was another 8€ for preferred placement. I also thought I"d arrive outside of reception hours (reception is closed between 12pm and 3pm) so I requested that my key be left in the safe in the lobby. That option was another 5€. So it added up to more than I thought it would be, but each option was worth it. The staff were friendly and professional and answered all of my questions before my arrival via e-mail. The location is really excellent. It's just three blocks from the train/bus station. Exiting the station, you'll see the red facade of a restaurant and hotel St. Jacques. Head up that street and it's three blocks down. You'll go one block, cross a street, cross an empty dirt courtyard (this is where I went awry and got lost my first time), cross the next street, and you'll see the Appart'hotel entrance to your right. It's a 6-minute walk to the chateau and shops, restaurants, cafes, post office, and bike rental. I felt safe walking around at night, and the surrounding area has some quiet apartment buildings and a peaceful park. The room was clean and sized just right for one person. The bed was a fold-out and squeaked when I moved around. No electrical outlets near the bed, so I charged my phone either next to the table or in the kitchenette. TV worked well and watching the French news and dubbed movies was fun. I don't know if it was just a feature of my ground floor room, but there was an odd sort of loft above my bathroom and kitchenette area. I crawled up the ladder to peek and there was a water heater and not much else. Plenty of closet space, both shelves and hangers. The bathroom was fine. No shelf or spot for your shampoo and soap in the shower, so you'll be forced to keep them on the shower floor unless you bring a shower caddy or even a plastic bag to hang on the corner of the door. The kitchenette came with a small pot, pan, and strainer, plus utensils, small plates/cups/bowls, a wine opener, and a kind of sharp steak knife which I used to cut most of my meat and veggies. It was just enough equipment to make pasta and hardboiled eggs, and assemble sandwiches. The mini-fridge held everything I had and was clean. They provided a sponge, but I didn't realize until later that the cleaning liquid was concentrated. It really dried out my fingers after I did the dishes. I would purchase a small thing of dish soap at the market, or make sure to dilute it if you get the same stuff that I did. I'll definitely stay here again if/when I return to Blois!

From the owner: Au cœur de l'activité urbaine Entre la Loire et la gare SNCF, Appart'City Blois est implantée dans…read morel'hyper centre-ville, sur le site de l'ancienne chocolaterie Poulain. À 350 mètres du Château, la résidence est au cœur de l'activité urbaine, à proximité immédiate des commerces et des restaurants. Découvrez nos appartements meublés et équipés à la location à Blois. La résidence Appart'City Blois vous propose la location d'appartements avec services para-hôteliers, entièrement équipés et prêts à vivre. Leur conception a fait l'objet d'une attention particulière afin de vous offrir un espace de vie fonctionnel et convivial. Les logements bénéficient d'aménagements de standing pour votre bien-être, d'équipements de qualité et de services à la carte pour répondre à vos attentes et à vos besoins.