大維裏耶雷酒店(La Grande Verrière)

Pretty place in a lovely setting, and were it half the price they charge, this review would be more favorable. It is, frankly, a quirky place. The front door is always kept locked and there is no door bell (!) so that if you have not pre-arranged your arrival time you can be out of luck. They give a whole list of things you are forbidden to do, such as have guests visit without the owners’ permission. Or eat or drink anything on the property. I would have invited friends from the area over to see the place and have a drink outside—the grounds are very nice—but these two prohibitions turned me off. On the plus side, the rooms and bathrooms are generously proportioned, the sheets are linen, and the air conditioning is good. Yet, what’s missing is a general sense of “hospitality,” which comes from a desire to anticipate the needs and comfort of one’s guests. An offer to help carry bags upstairs, and down, would have been appropriate, especially for older guests. Breakfast was inexplicably meager. For 10 guests the first day, they put out four small croissants, four pains au chocolat and a loaf of bread; 10 small batons of cheese; 5 pieces of dried ham or speck; a plate of orange slices (not more than two or three oranges); plus butter, jam, etc. The only juice offered was apple juice from a box, and you could boil your own egg on the buffet. In the bathroom, shampoo and body wash were provided, but not cotton pads for makeup removal. As I say, a quirky place. For the same money there are better choices in the area.